Eliot
| Eliot The story of T.S. Eliot, told in the form of a surrealistic Broadway style musical reminiscent of a cross between Moulin Rouge and Cabaret. Libretto and lyrics by William Roetzheim, music by the Czech composer Vladimir Spasojevic. This musical also deals with issues of sexual identity. |
Characters:
The following are based on actual people in life:
Thomas Stearns
Vivienne, an English woman and his wife
Jack, a young English man
Reginald, an older English man
The following are based on characters created by in his
writing:
J. Alfred Prufrock, an older English man
King Bolo, a black man
Queen Bolo, a large black woman
Columbo, a small black man
The Reverend Hammond Aigs, a middle aged Baptist
Minister
Sweeney Agonistes, an Irish man about 30
Madame Sosostris, a gypsy
Thomas Becket, an Anglican Bishop
Dance ensemble
The following are based on actual people in life:
Thomas Stearns
Vivienne, an English woman and his wife
Jack, a young English man
Reginald, an older English man
The following are based on characters created by in his
writing:
J. Alfred Prufrock, an older English man
King Bolo, a black man
Queen Bolo, a large black woman
Columbo, a small black man
The Reverend Hammond Aigs, a middle aged Baptist
Minister
Sweeney Agonistes, an Irish man about 30
Madame Sosostris, a gypsy
Thomas Becket, an Anglican Bishop
Dance ensemble
Setting:
London, 1939, both outside
of and inside of T.S. Eliot's
head.
London, 1939, both outside
of and inside of T.S. Eliot's
head.
About the Poet:
TS Eliot spent his life struggling with
his sexual identity. He was gay, but his
strict religious upbringing and concern
for how society viewed him made this
lifestyle unacceptable. Ultimately, he
chose a monastic lifestyle and
suppressed what he saw as sinful
urges, with the result some of the most
successful poetry of dreariness and
monotony ever written.
TS Eliot spent his life struggling with
his sexual identity. He was gay, but his
strict religious upbringing and concern
for how society viewed him made this
lifestyle unacceptable. Ultimately, he
chose a monastic lifestyle and
suppressed what he saw as sinful
urges, with the result some of the most
successful poetry of dreariness and
monotony ever written.
For questions about this play, email:
Send email
Send email
Awards:
Eliot was a winner of the Seahorse
Award for Best Musical Libretto at the
Moondance International Film
Festival, and a finalist for the USA
Book News National Book Awards for
Best Drama/Play.
Eliot was a winner of the Seahorse
Award for Best Musical Libretto at the
Moondance International Film
Festival, and a finalist for the USA
Book News National Book Awards for
Best Drama/Play.
Songs:
Songs in Act One
Welcome
I'll Take Both Please
Tonight is my Chance
I Think this is the Start of Something
Just Two Love Birds
Til' Death Do Us Part
The Seamy Side of Town
Welcome to my Couch
The Unpleasant Mr. Eliot
Songs in Act Two
Sin and Damnation
Living Like Bolo
Sin Just a Little Bit
I've Lost Mr. Eliot
The Furies
Show Your Hand
You Don't Deserve Me
Martyr Yourself
The Hollow Men
Choices
Songs in Act One
Welcome
I'll Take Both Please
Tonight is my Chance
I Think this is the Start of Something
Just Two Love Birds
Til' Death Do Us Part
The Seamy Side of Town
Welcome to my Couch
The Unpleasant Mr. Eliot
Songs in Act Two
Sin and Damnation
Living Like Bolo
Sin Just a Little Bit
I've Lost Mr. Eliot
The Furies
Show Your Hand
You Don't Deserve Me
Martyr Yourself
The Hollow Men
Choices
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Production
History:
NoHo Theatre, Los Angeles
(reading). Eliot is scheduled
for a three week run at The
Grand Theater in NYC this
June.
History:
NoHo Theatre, Los Angeles
(reading). Eliot is scheduled
for a three week run at The
Grand Theater in NYC this
June.
Synopsis The Wasteland is the story of the poet T.S. Eliot, told using a Euro-Pop Jazz style of music.
This musical focuses on Eliot's issues of sexual identity, and the impact of those issues on his life and
work. Although a homosexual, Eliot's strong religious upbringing combined with his need for societal
acceptance (both professionally and personally) created an internal conflict that brought unhappiness to
his life but left the world with such masterpieces as his poem, “The Wasteland” and “The Love Song of J.
Alfred Prufrock”. This musical exposes the characters created by Eliot and helps the audience see them
as internal participants in the conflict.
Act One Summary: Eliot and Jack love each other, but Eliot needs to find a way to hide his homosexuality
from his parents and society. Enter Vivienne, an admiring fan and the perfect safety wife. Eliot's inner
mind characters argue various approaches to the situation, ranging from the idea that even the thought of
homosexual acts is a sin at one extreme (Reverend Hammond Aigs) all the way to a devil-may-care
embracing of sin as a fun aspect of life (King Bolo). Ultimately, his attempts to please everyone (society,
parents, religious authorities, etc.) leads to a situation where no-one is happy, and his inner characters
turn on him in a form of self-loathing. He declares his intention to live life the way he wants and to ignore
the constraints of society.
Act Two Summary: Eliot has abandoned Vivienne, much to her distress. He is haunted by inner ghosts
and the prospect of eternal damnation for his "sinful thoughts" as he attempts to find a path that will lead
to happiness. While some inner characters (the gypsy) continue to consul maintaining the relationship
with Jack, the dominant focus is now religious. He recognizes that the only path to salvation, peace of
mind, and acceptance in his career is to suppress all activities and thoughts of a homosexual nature. He
now lives a life of self imposed monotony and dreariness as penance, while accepting the fame and
mental peace of mind that this choice has allowed him to achieve.
This musical focuses on Eliot's issues of sexual identity, and the impact of those issues on his life and
work. Although a homosexual, Eliot's strong religious upbringing combined with his need for societal
acceptance (both professionally and personally) created an internal conflict that brought unhappiness to
his life but left the world with such masterpieces as his poem, “The Wasteland” and “The Love Song of J.
Alfred Prufrock”. This musical exposes the characters created by Eliot and helps the audience see them
as internal participants in the conflict.
Act One Summary: Eliot and Jack love each other, but Eliot needs to find a way to hide his homosexuality
from his parents and society. Enter Vivienne, an admiring fan and the perfect safety wife. Eliot's inner
mind characters argue various approaches to the situation, ranging from the idea that even the thought of
homosexual acts is a sin at one extreme (Reverend Hammond Aigs) all the way to a devil-may-care
embracing of sin as a fun aspect of life (King Bolo). Ultimately, his attempts to please everyone (society,
parents, religious authorities, etc.) leads to a situation where no-one is happy, and his inner characters
turn on him in a form of self-loathing. He declares his intention to live life the way he wants and to ignore
the constraints of society.
Act Two Summary: Eliot has abandoned Vivienne, much to her distress. He is haunted by inner ghosts
and the prospect of eternal damnation for his "sinful thoughts" as he attempts to find a path that will lead
to happiness. While some inner characters (the gypsy) continue to consul maintaining the relationship
with Jack, the dominant focus is now religious. He recognizes that the only path to salvation, peace of
mind, and acceptance in his career is to suppress all activities and thoughts of a homosexual nature. He
now lives a life of self imposed monotony and dreariness as penance, while accepting the fame and
mental peace of mind that this choice has allowed him to achieve.