See What I Wanna See
Encyclopedia
See What I Wanna See is a musical by Michael John LaChiusa
based on three short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
: "Kesa and Morito", "In a Grove
" (the inspiration also for Akira Kurosawa
's Rashomon
) and "The Dragon
". The story is told in two parts with two prologues. Each prologue involves the medieval lovers/killers Kesa and Morito. The first act follows a murder in Central Park in 1951 from the various perspectives of several different characters. Act two centers on a priest, wavering in his faith, who creates a hoax about a miracle.
The musical opened off-Broadway
in 2005 and has since been performed in the UK and in regional U.S. theatres.
, the cast featured Audra McDonald
(Kesa/Wife/Actress), Henry Stram (Janitor/Priest); Michael C. Hall
(Morito/Thief/Reporter), Tom Wopat
(Husband/CPA), and Mary Testa
(Medium, Aunt).
The musical premiered off-Broadway
in New York at the Public Theater
on October 30, 2005 (October 11 in previews) and ran through December 4, 2005. Directed by Ted Sperling, the cast included Idina Menzel
as Kesa/Wife/Actress, Marc Kudisch
as Morito/Husband/CPA, Henry Stram as The Janitor/Priest, Aaron Lohr
as Thief/Reporter, and Mary Testa as Medium/Aunt. The production received Drama Desk Award
nominations for Outstanding Musical, Actor in a Musical (Kudisch), Lead Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Featured Actress in a Musical (Testa), Music and Lyrics, Orchestrations (Bruce Coughlin), Set Design (Thomas Lynch), and Sound Design (Acme Sound Partners). Menzel also was nominated for the Drama League Award
for Distinguished Performance in 2006.
The musical was next staged at Know Theatre of Cincinnati
, Ohio, from September 2006 to November 4, 2006. Directed by Artistic Director Jason Bruffy, the cast included Liz Holt, Charlie Clark, Derek Snow, Molly Binder, and Robert Williams. The Music Director on the production was Alan Patrick Kenny, with Lighting Design by Sean Savoie, Scenic Design by Samantha Reno, Sound Design by Doug Borntrager and Costume Design by Liz Holt. This production was also nominated for many awards by both the Cincinnati Acclaim Awards Panel and the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, winning many. At the Acclaims the production won "Lead Actress in a Musical"(Holt), "Supporting Actress in a Musical"(Binder), "Outstanding Direction" (Bruffy), "Musical Direction" (Kenny), "Lighting Design" (Sean Savoie), "Outstanding Ensemble", and "Outstanding Musical". The production also won "Outstanding Musical" at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, beating out Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's production of Ace.
The New England regional premiere was at Boston
's Lyric Stage Company on January 5, 2007 and ran through February 3, 2007, directed by Stephen Terrell with musical direction by Jonathan Goldberg, scenic design by Brynna C. Bloomfield, costume design by Rafael Jaen, lighting design by Karen Perlow, and fight direction by Meron Langsner. This production was nominated for an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.
The musical has also been presented by university groups in the UK and U.S. LaChiusa taught a four hour master class at Minnesota State University, Mankato
, in November 2008 as part of that University's production. The first college to put on the production was Oberlin College
in Ohio. Directed by Taylor Bibat, the cast included Melissa Bayern as Kesa/Wife/Actress, Jason Eck as Morito/Husband/CPA, Sam Heldt as The Janitor/Priest, Josh Christian as Thief/Reporter, and Jill Murdoch as Medium/Aunt. It was very well-received.
In February 2009, the first New York City revival of See What I Wanna See was produced by 5th Floor Productions http://www.5thfloorproductions.org at the Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College
in a limited engagement of two performances. It was produced by Michael Sancilio with direction by Corey Chambliss.
The Signature Theatre
, Arlington, Virginia, presented the musical from April 7, 2009 through May 31, 2009.
In medieval Japan
, Kesa plans to kill her lover, Morito ("Kesa"). Morito arrives, and they make love. Kesa divulges to the audience that "[her] husband knows [their] secret" and draws a knife out of her kimono
and raises it to stab Morito at the height of her climax, but a blackout leaves the outcome unknown.
The scene shifts to New York City
in 1951, where a murder has taken place. The janitor of a movie house is being interrogated by an unseen policeman. He explains that when he left work in the late night/early morning he took a shortcut through Central Park
, where he found "the scarf, the body, the blood" ("The Janitor's Statement"). He slips when he refers to the weapon as "his knife", indicating that the killer is a male, but then he claims that the police had mentioned this to him.
A thief, Jimmy Mako, is also being interrogated ("The Thief's Statement"). He boasts about committing the crime, and a flashback begins as he describes how Lily looked at him on the street after leaving the movies with her husband Louie ("She Looked at Me"). The thief follows the couple to the nightclub where she flirts with both Louie and, discretely, the Thief ("See What I Wanna See"). The Thief decides that the only way to get a chance at Lily is to get the Husband out of the way. He convinces Louie to go with him to the park to dig up "Big Money" that he knows is hidden there. After a few drinks, Louie agrees, and Lily is also persuaded to come along. The Thief knocks out the husband, ties him up and rapes Lily, who tries vainly to defend herself with a knife ("The Park"). The Thief snaps - he's infatuated with Lily and is convinced that she wants him too, vowing "You'll Go Away With Me". Lily orders the Thief to fight her husband for her ("Murder"). He does, killing Louie; but Lily runs off into the night. Back at the police department, the Thief calmly states that he will "take the chair
."
The Janitor explains to his interrogator his philosophy about witnessing strange situations in New York City: "Best Not To Get Involved", but he admits to remembering Lily - "how could you forget a woman like her?" The Wife enters the interrogation room to explain her version of the story ("The Wife's Statement").
After the Thief raped her, she blacked out and awoke to find her husband, Louie, glaring at her, blaming her for the rape, and feeling they no longer had anything left to live for. She begs him for his love and forgiveness ("Louie"). He indicates that they should kill themselves together. She begins to comply ("Louie guide my hand, I will honor you") but at the last second, as he pushes the knife towards her, she panics and turns it towards him, killing him and running away.
Back in the interrogation room, the Janitor recalls an adage that "only the dead tell the truth." A Medium
arrives and explains that the spirit of the Husband entered her during a seance. She summons his spirit again ("The Medium and The Husband's Statement"). The Husband's story is that his wife became enraptured with the Thief and turned on the husband ("You'll Go Away With Me" (Reprise)). The rape becomes passionate love-making, and the Husband attempts to block it out of his mind by recalling that the marquee of the movie house screening Rashomon
was missing the "a" in the title. The Wife orders the Thief to bind the husband. She assaults her husband verbally, relishing her new-found power, and telling him everything she has kept bottled up during their marriage; she will take "No More". She orders the Thief to stab the Husband. Surprisingly, the Thief instead cuts the bonds of the Husband and holds the knife to the Wife's throat, asking, "Do you want me to slash her throat and save you the trouble later?" Louie just stares, and the Thief eventually releases the Wife, tossing the knife to the Husband. The Husband, seething with rage, chases his wife away and is left alone. He decides that the honorable thing to do would be to kill himself ("Simple as This"). The Medium and the Husband perform an elaborate ritual reminiscent of traditional Japanese Seppuku
(stomach-cutting). His last memory is of "someone" removing the stiletto
from his abdomen and his blood flowing into the grass.
The Janitor is still in the interrogation room, exhausted. He describes the beauty and the horrors of New York City in 1951 ("Light In the East"). Again he walks home through Central Park that night. He finds the Husband, pulls the knife out of the body and flees the scene. Everyone appears as a collage of voices, telling their statements, sometimes in unison but often interjecting with their own skewed perspectives on the truth.
Act 2 – "Morito" and "Gloryday"
Back in feudal Japan, Morito, Kesa's lover, tells wistfully of their final night together ("Morito"). Morito has planned to murder Kesa just as she has plotted to kill him, but the audience is left in doubt as to who was the successful killer, the scene ends with Morito strangling Kesa as she reaches for her knife. Reality and truth depend on whose perspective one believes. Kesa sees murdering Morito as a way to cleanse herself of her guilt and shame, while Morito believes he is bringing justice to Kesa and renewing his honor.
In New York City in 2002, the meek priest Michael is in confession with his Monsignor. The Priest has lost his faith in the wake of "the tragedy" (alluding to, but not directly referencing the September 11 attacks), having failed to bring comfort to his flock ("Confession/Last Year"). He reminisces about the first time he realized his calling to become a priest, telling his Aunt about it. The Aunt is a spitfire communist and an atheist. She reminds the Priest of all the flaws and wrongdoings in the world and berates him for being "a gullible dope", falling for "The Greatest Practical Joke" of humanity: religion.
The Priest walks through Central Park to clear his mind, where he conceives a great hoax. He decides to stage a false miracle in the park. He posts fliers around the park emblazoned with the message: "In three weeks, on Tuesday, at 1 p.m. sharp, a miracle will occur here in Central Park... from the depths of the pond Christ will appear, believe and be free" ("First Message"). He meets a former C.P.A., a filthy wild man in tattered business attire. The C.P.A. becomes inspired by the Priest's message ("Central Park"). He tells of his former life as an adultering, lying, disgustingly wealthy accountant. Worried that God "doesn't see [his] life", he goes to the park, where he discovers his true calling, "to live free and wild". Yet, he remains desperate for a life with purpose, where God sees him as special and unique.
The Priest meets an Actress named Deanna as he posts new fliers in the park ("Second Message"). She is jittery, jumping from one subject to the next. She seduces the Priest, and the two have sex behind a bush in the park. Visibly distraught, she explains that she is struggling with cocaine addiction. She had found success in a coffee commercial, which she calls "residual heaven" ("Coffee"). To celebrate her success, her soap opera-actor boyfriend and she binge on cocaine and vodka and go for a drive in their Jaguar through Beverly Hills. The car flies off a cliff, and the actress breaks her neck, legs, nose and arms: "ouch right?". Her wrecked face draws bad press, and her coffee commercial is withdrawn. She consoles herself with morphine and barbiturates. She tells the Priest that she hopes the miracle occurs, because she could use some hope in her life.
The Priest visits his Aunt Monica again and discovers she is dying. The TV newsprogram she is watching shows the hoards of people gathering in Central Park for the "Gloryday". The Priest goes to the park to see what he has created. He enters a bar across the street from the park where he meets Aaron, the Reporter on the newsprogram. The Reporter mentions that he has met the Priest before, on the day of "the tragedy". He was running away from the disaster, while the Priest was running toward it. The Reporter says that he, like the Priest, is looking for answers ("Curiosity"). The other characters appear, lighting candles and praying as the Priest emotionlessly "admires [his] handycraft" ("Prayer").
With one hour left until the miracle the Priest giddily points out souvenir salesmen, religious groups and celebrities ("Feed the Lions"). He is grabbed by The CPA who says that he knows The Priest's secret...he is an angel. Deanna finds the Priest and thanks him for giving her hope. Finally, the Priest sees his Aunt, who, despite being in great pain, has made her way to the park. She confesses that she has lied all these years: she knows that there is a God, and she knows that "There Will Be a Miracle". She falls asleep on a park bench, telling her nephew to wake her when the Gloryday arrives. With a few minutes left, the crowd joins in "Prayer" for forgiveness, and the Priest has a change of heart. He runs around screaming that it was a joke and that everyone should go home. Now Deanna, the CPA, the Reporter and Aunt Monica describe the scene: The sky goes black, a harsh wind picks up, lightning flashes, mist hangs in the air, the earth trembles, and a tornado hits the lake. Everyone flees, pulling coats over their heads to protect themselves from the dust and debris. The Priest tries to stop them, but he is left standing alone. Looking back, he sees something "Rising Up" from the pond, and he sobs as he sees the Glory. In rapture, he races around, but no one else has seen it. The Reporter, the C.P.A. and Deanna are angry. He wakes Aunt Monica and tells her about it, asking if she believes him. She replies, "If you say so baby, why not?"
Back in the confessional, the Priest tells his Monsignor that he put the collar back on a month later at Aunt Monica's funeral, but he is still confused about his faith. He created a lie for the masses that became a truth for only himself, and he doesn't know what to do. Everyone repeats "the truth" as church bells chime.
Act 2
Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for complex, musically challenging shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See...
based on three short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa
was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...
: "Kesa and Morito", "In a Grove
In a Grove
is a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, first appearing in the January 1922 edition of the Japanese literature monthly Shinchō. Akira Kurosawa used this story as the basis for his award-winning movie Rashōmon....
" (the inspiration also for Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's Rashomon
Rashomon (film)
The bandit's storyTajōmaru, a notorious brigand , claims that he tricked the samurai to step off the mountain trail with him and look at a cache of ancient swords he discovered. In the grove he tied the samurai to a tree, then brought the woman there. She initially tried to defend herself with a...
) and "The Dragon
Dragon: the Old Potter's Tale
is a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It was first published in a collection of Akutagawa short stories, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke zenshū. The story is based on a thirteenth-century Japanese tale, with Akutagawa’s Taishō literary interpretations of modern psychology and the nature of...
". The story is told in two parts with two prologues. Each prologue involves the medieval lovers/killers Kesa and Morito. The first act follows a murder in Central Park in 1951 from the various perspectives of several different characters. Act two centers on a priest, wavering in his faith, who creates a hoax about a miracle.
The musical opened off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in 2005 and has since been performed in the UK and in regional U.S. theatres.
Production history
An early version of the show was mounted at the Williamstown Theater Festival from July 21, 2004 through August 1, 2004. The musical was titled R Shomon then. Directed by Ted SperlingTed Sperling
Ted Sperling is a Musical Director, conductor, orchestrator, arranger, stage director and musician, primarily for the stage and concerts. He won the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations and the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Orchestrations, for his work in The Light in the Piazza in...
, the cast featured Audra McDonald
Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. She currently stars in the ABC television drama Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett. She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, such as Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun...
(Kesa/Wife/Actress), Henry Stram (Janitor/Priest); Michael C. Hall
Michael C. Hall
Michael Carlyle Hall is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. In 2009, Hall won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Dexter.-Early life:Hall was born in...
(Morito/Thief/Reporter), Tom Wopat
Tom Wopat
Tom Wopat is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Luke Duke in the long-running 1979 television series The Dukes of Hazzard, along with John Schneider. He also played Jeff, one of Cybill Shepherd's ex-husbands in the TV series Cybill.-Life and career:Wopat was born in Lodi,...
(Husband/CPA), and Mary Testa
Mary Testa
Mary Testa is an American stage actress. She is a two-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town and 42nd Street ....
(Medium, Aunt).
The musical premiered off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in New York at the Public Theater
Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as The Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers. It is headquartered at 425 Lafayette Street in the former Astor Library in the East Village...
on October 30, 2005 (October 11 in previews) and ran through December 4, 2005. Directed by Ted Sperling, the cast included Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
as Kesa/Wife/Actress, Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.-Early life and education:...
as Morito/Husband/CPA, Henry Stram as The Janitor/Priest, Aaron Lohr
Aaron Lohr
Aaron Lohr is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Dean Portman, one of the "Bash Brothers" in The Mighty Ducks movies...
as Thief/Reporter, and Mary Testa as Medium/Aunt. The production received Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nominations for Outstanding Musical, Actor in a Musical (Kudisch), Lead Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Featured Actress in a Musical (Testa), Music and Lyrics, Orchestrations (Bruce Coughlin), Set Design (Thomas Lynch), and Sound Design (Acme Sound Partners). Menzel also was nominated for the Drama League Award
Drama League Award
The Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing...
for Distinguished Performance in 2006.
The musical was next staged at Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Know Theatre of Cincinnati is a non-profit theatre company located in the historical Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, which produces contemporary and collaborative theatre that tends to be edgy, challenging, and thought-provoking. Season performances occur in a 99-seat versatile...
, Ohio, from September 2006 to November 4, 2006. Directed by Artistic Director Jason Bruffy, the cast included Liz Holt, Charlie Clark, Derek Snow, Molly Binder, and Robert Williams. The Music Director on the production was Alan Patrick Kenny, with Lighting Design by Sean Savoie, Scenic Design by Samantha Reno, Sound Design by Doug Borntrager and Costume Design by Liz Holt. This production was also nominated for many awards by both the Cincinnati Acclaim Awards Panel and the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, winning many. At the Acclaims the production won "Lead Actress in a Musical"(Holt), "Supporting Actress in a Musical"(Binder), "Outstanding Direction" (Bruffy), "Musical Direction" (Kenny), "Lighting Design" (Sean Savoie), "Outstanding Ensemble", and "Outstanding Musical". The production also won "Outstanding Musical" at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, beating out Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's production of Ace.
The New England regional premiere was at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Lyric Stage Company on January 5, 2007 and ran through February 3, 2007, directed by Stephen Terrell with musical direction by Jonathan Goldberg, scenic design by Brynna C. Bloomfield, costume design by Rafael Jaen, lighting design by Karen Perlow, and fight direction by Meron Langsner. This production was nominated for an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.
The musical has also been presented by university groups in the UK and U.S. LaChiusa taught a four hour master class at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato is a public four-year university located in Mankato, Minnesota, a community of 53,000 located southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. As of Fall 2011, the student body is the third-largest in the state of Minnesota with over 15,000 students...
, in November 2008 as part of that University's production. The first college to put on the production was Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in Ohio. Directed by Taylor Bibat, the cast included Melissa Bayern as Kesa/Wife/Actress, Jason Eck as Morito/Husband/CPA, Sam Heldt as The Janitor/Priest, Josh Christian as Thief/Reporter, and Jill Murdoch as Medium/Aunt. It was very well-received.
In February 2009, the first New York City revival of See What I Wanna See was produced by 5th Floor Productions http://www.5thfloorproductions.org at the Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
in a limited engagement of two performances. It was produced by Michael Sancilio with direction by Corey Chambliss.
The Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre is a Greater Washington D.C. Area Tony Award–winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Its declared mission is "to produce contemporary musicals and plays, reinvent classic musicals, develop new work, and reach its community through engaging educational and...
, Arlington, Virginia, presented the musical from April 7, 2009 through May 31, 2009.
Plot synopsis
Act 1 – "Kesa" and "R Shomon"In medieval Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Kesa plans to kill her lover, Morito ("Kesa"). Morito arrives, and they make love. Kesa divulges to the audience that "[her] husband knows [their] secret" and draws a knife out of her kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
and raises it to stab Morito at the height of her climax, but a blackout leaves the outcome unknown.
The scene shifts to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1951, where a murder has taken place. The janitor of a movie house is being interrogated by an unseen policeman. He explains that when he left work in the late night/early morning he took a shortcut through Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, where he found "the scarf, the body, the blood" ("The Janitor's Statement"). He slips when he refers to the weapon as "his knife", indicating that the killer is a male, but then he claims that the police had mentioned this to him.
A thief, Jimmy Mako, is also being interrogated ("The Thief's Statement"). He boasts about committing the crime, and a flashback begins as he describes how Lily looked at him on the street after leaving the movies with her husband Louie ("She Looked at Me"). The thief follows the couple to the nightclub where she flirts with both Louie and, discretely, the Thief ("See What I Wanna See"). The Thief decides that the only way to get a chance at Lily is to get the Husband out of the way. He convinces Louie to go with him to the park to dig up "Big Money" that he knows is hidden there. After a few drinks, Louie agrees, and Lily is also persuaded to come along. The Thief knocks out the husband, ties him up and rapes Lily, who tries vainly to defend herself with a knife ("The Park"). The Thief snaps - he's infatuated with Lily and is convinced that she wants him too, vowing "You'll Go Away With Me". Lily orders the Thief to fight her husband for her ("Murder"). He does, killing Louie; but Lily runs off into the night. Back at the police department, the Thief calmly states that he will "take the chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
."
The Janitor explains to his interrogator his philosophy about witnessing strange situations in New York City: "Best Not To Get Involved", but he admits to remembering Lily - "how could you forget a woman like her?" The Wife enters the interrogation room to explain her version of the story ("The Wife's Statement").
After the Thief raped her, she blacked out and awoke to find her husband, Louie, glaring at her, blaming her for the rape, and feeling they no longer had anything left to live for. She begs him for his love and forgiveness ("Louie"). He indicates that they should kill themselves together. She begins to comply ("Louie guide my hand, I will honor you") but at the last second, as he pushes the knife towards her, she panics and turns it towards him, killing him and running away.
Back in the interrogation room, the Janitor recalls an adage that "only the dead tell the truth." A Medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
arrives and explains that the spirit of the Husband entered her during a seance. She summons his spirit again ("The Medium and The Husband's Statement"). The Husband's story is that his wife became enraptured with the Thief and turned on the husband ("You'll Go Away With Me" (Reprise)). The rape becomes passionate love-making, and the Husband attempts to block it out of his mind by recalling that the marquee of the movie house screening Rashomon
Rashomon (film)
The bandit's storyTajōmaru, a notorious brigand , claims that he tricked the samurai to step off the mountain trail with him and look at a cache of ancient swords he discovered. In the grove he tied the samurai to a tree, then brought the woman there. She initially tried to defend herself with a...
was missing the "a" in the title. The Wife orders the Thief to bind the husband. She assaults her husband verbally, relishing her new-found power, and telling him everything she has kept bottled up during their marriage; she will take "No More". She orders the Thief to stab the Husband. Surprisingly, the Thief instead cuts the bonds of the Husband and holds the knife to the Wife's throat, asking, "Do you want me to slash her throat and save you the trouble later?" Louie just stares, and the Thief eventually releases the Wife, tossing the knife to the Husband. The Husband, seething with rage, chases his wife away and is left alone. He decides that the honorable thing to do would be to kill himself ("Simple as This"). The Medium and the Husband perform an elaborate ritual reminiscent of traditional Japanese Seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
(stomach-cutting). His last memory is of "someone" removing the stiletto
Stiletto
A stiletto is a knife or dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, intended primarily as a stabbing weapon. The stiletto blade's narrow cross-section and acuminated tip reduces friction upon entry, allowing the blade to penetrate deeply...
from his abdomen and his blood flowing into the grass.
The Janitor is still in the interrogation room, exhausted. He describes the beauty and the horrors of New York City in 1951 ("Light In the East"). Again he walks home through Central Park that night. He finds the Husband, pulls the knife out of the body and flees the scene. Everyone appears as a collage of voices, telling their statements, sometimes in unison but often interjecting with their own skewed perspectives on the truth.
Act 2 – "Morito" and "Gloryday"
Back in feudal Japan, Morito, Kesa's lover, tells wistfully of their final night together ("Morito"). Morito has planned to murder Kesa just as she has plotted to kill him, but the audience is left in doubt as to who was the successful killer, the scene ends with Morito strangling Kesa as she reaches for her knife. Reality and truth depend on whose perspective one believes. Kesa sees murdering Morito as a way to cleanse herself of her guilt and shame, while Morito believes he is bringing justice to Kesa and renewing his honor.
In New York City in 2002, the meek priest Michael is in confession with his Monsignor. The Priest has lost his faith in the wake of "the tragedy" (alluding to, but not directly referencing the September 11 attacks), having failed to bring comfort to his flock ("Confession/Last Year"). He reminisces about the first time he realized his calling to become a priest, telling his Aunt about it. The Aunt is a spitfire communist and an atheist. She reminds the Priest of all the flaws and wrongdoings in the world and berates him for being "a gullible dope", falling for "The Greatest Practical Joke" of humanity: religion.
The Priest walks through Central Park to clear his mind, where he conceives a great hoax. He decides to stage a false miracle in the park. He posts fliers around the park emblazoned with the message: "In three weeks, on Tuesday, at 1 p.m. sharp, a miracle will occur here in Central Park... from the depths of the pond Christ will appear, believe and be free" ("First Message"). He meets a former C.P.A., a filthy wild man in tattered business attire. The C.P.A. becomes inspired by the Priest's message ("Central Park"). He tells of his former life as an adultering, lying, disgustingly wealthy accountant. Worried that God "doesn't see [his] life", he goes to the park, where he discovers his true calling, "to live free and wild". Yet, he remains desperate for a life with purpose, where God sees him as special and unique.
The Priest meets an Actress named Deanna as he posts new fliers in the park ("Second Message"). She is jittery, jumping from one subject to the next. She seduces the Priest, and the two have sex behind a bush in the park. Visibly distraught, she explains that she is struggling with cocaine addiction. She had found success in a coffee commercial, which she calls "residual heaven" ("Coffee"). To celebrate her success, her soap opera-actor boyfriend and she binge on cocaine and vodka and go for a drive in their Jaguar through Beverly Hills. The car flies off a cliff, and the actress breaks her neck, legs, nose and arms: "ouch right?". Her wrecked face draws bad press, and her coffee commercial is withdrawn. She consoles herself with morphine and barbiturates. She tells the Priest that she hopes the miracle occurs, because she could use some hope in her life.
The Priest visits his Aunt Monica again and discovers she is dying. The TV newsprogram she is watching shows the hoards of people gathering in Central Park for the "Gloryday". The Priest goes to the park to see what he has created. He enters a bar across the street from the park where he meets Aaron, the Reporter on the newsprogram. The Reporter mentions that he has met the Priest before, on the day of "the tragedy". He was running away from the disaster, while the Priest was running toward it. The Reporter says that he, like the Priest, is looking for answers ("Curiosity"). The other characters appear, lighting candles and praying as the Priest emotionlessly "admires [his] handycraft" ("Prayer").
With one hour left until the miracle the Priest giddily points out souvenir salesmen, religious groups and celebrities ("Feed the Lions"). He is grabbed by The CPA who says that he knows The Priest's secret...he is an angel. Deanna finds the Priest and thanks him for giving her hope. Finally, the Priest sees his Aunt, who, despite being in great pain, has made her way to the park. She confesses that she has lied all these years: she knows that there is a God, and she knows that "There Will Be a Miracle". She falls asleep on a park bench, telling her nephew to wake her when the Gloryday arrives. With a few minutes left, the crowd joins in "Prayer" for forgiveness, and the Priest has a change of heart. He runs around screaming that it was a joke and that everyone should go home. Now Deanna, the CPA, the Reporter and Aunt Monica describe the scene: The sky goes black, a harsh wind picks up, lightning flashes, mist hangs in the air, the earth trembles, and a tornado hits the lake. Everyone flees, pulling coats over their heads to protect themselves from the dust and debris. The Priest tries to stop them, but he is left standing alone. Looking back, he sees something "Rising Up" from the pond, and he sobs as he sees the Glory. In rapture, he races around, but no one else has seen it. The Reporter, the C.P.A. and Deanna are angry. He wakes Aunt Monica and tells her about it, asking if she believes him. She replies, "If you say so baby, why not?"
Back in the confessional, the Priest tells his Monsignor that he put the collar back on a month later at Aunt Monica's funeral, but he is still confused about his faith. He created a lie for the masses that became a truth for only himself, and he doesn't know what to do. Everyone repeats "the truth" as church bells chime.
Musical numbers
Act 1- Kesa
- The Janitor's Statement
- The Thief's Statement/She Looked at Me
- See What I Wanna See
- Big Money
- The Park
- You'll Go Away With Me
- Murder
- Best Not to Get Involved
- The Wife's Statement
- Louie
- The Medium and the Husband's Statement
- Quartet. You'll Go Away With Me (reprise)
- No More
- Simple as This
- Light in the East/Finale Act 1
Act 2
- Morito
- Confession/Last Year
- The Greatest Practical Joke
- First Message
- Central Park
- Second Message
- Coffee
- Gloryday
- Curiosity/Prayer
- Feed the Lions
- There Will Be a Miracle
- Prayer (reprise)
- Rising Up/Finale Act 2