It’s time for the most exciting trip to imagination-land: Theatrical Wishlist Thursday!
Last night, I had to return an anthology of Christopher Durang’s plays to the library. Cuz it was about a week overdue. I like to support the library system by keeping my books a week or so longer than I should. It’s philanthropy, dammit. And yes, I already have two copies of this particular Durang anthology, but like so many things in my life, I couldn’t find them. I’ve been to DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES, but I’ve never been to ME!
What the hell am I talking about, ladies and gentlemen? Oh yeah- so I’m on the way home from the library when I realize I have 40% off coupons to HOBBY LOBBY and a 50% off at MICHAEL’S. I put the iPod on shuffle- and I’m surprised sometime after THE CAPEMAN’s act one ending, “Adios Hermanos” (and one day, I’m going to write a story about the best act one finales out there) but right after that- I’m surprised- something I haven’t heard in ages starts- and I guess my iPod added it randomly when I synched- but JULIAN KEYES starts up- and I’m excited to live again.
I haven’t heard it in years, it felt like. And it left me with a sense of longing usually reserved for the tshirt I didn’t buy when I saw THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE on Broadway.
WHAT, though, is JULIAN KEYES? It’s an unfinished musical by Dana P. Rowe and John Dempsey, writers of two other musicals I love dearly- THE FIX and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK. I’ve got a wonderful demo recording of about 30 minutes of it- all that was recorded, ever, I believe, and a script of this much plus an extra scene. And I love it.
JULIAN KEYES is about an ordinary, depressed young guy who is, at the opening, trying to kill himself. Halfway between life and death, he meets his ‘Muse,’ who offers him two doors- thru one he will ‘simply cease to be’ and another, where he’ll return to life, but ‘different than before.’ So, what happens, is Julian returns to life, with his Muse, where he becomes a famous artist. But he must kill to create each new painting.
I freakin’ love it and WISH to see it! NOW! Magically completed and staged, just for me. Oh I love it, I do.
