Elegies (William Finn)

Elegies is a song cycle by William Finn about the deaths of friends and family and is a response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Elegies premiered at Lincoln Center in 2003 and has been performed in many other venues.

Productions
The song cycle premiered at Lincoln Center, the Newhouse Theater (New York City), running from March 2, 2003 to April 19, 2003. Directed by Graciela Daniele, the cast starred Christian Borle, Betty Buckley, Carolee Carmello, Keith Byron Kirk, and Michael Rupert. The production was recorded nearly complete and released on compact disc by Fynsworth Alley (distributed through Varèse Sarabande).

Themes
Most of the songs were composed in memory of Finn's friends, several of whom died of AIDS. Three songs deal specifically with the passing of his mother, Barbara Finn. The final set of songs deal with the collapse of the World Trade Center and its emotional aftermath. In a review of a regional production in 2004, the reviewer wrote: "Never morbid, Elegies is touching, funny, and ultimately buoyant; floating on the spirits of those who inhabit its songs. Consisting of eighteen diverse musical moments, the styles and tones range throughout the musical from the unabashedly optimistic -- "Life has infinite, infinite joys!" -- to the hilariously irreverent."

Musical numbers
† Not featured on Original Off- Broadway Cast Recording
 * Looking Up Quintet
 * Mister Choi & Madame G
 * Mark's All-Male Thanksgiving
 * Only One
 * Joe Papp
 * Peggy Hewitt & Mysty del Giorno
 * Passover
 * Infinite Joy
 * The Ballad of Jack Eric Williams (and other 3-named composers)
 * Fred †
 * Elevator Transition †
 * Dear Reader †
 * Monica & Mark
 * Anytime (I Am There)
 * My Dogs
 * Venice
 * 14 Dwight Ave., Natick, Massachusetts
 * When the Earth Stopped Turning
 * Goodbye
 * Boom Boom
 * Looking Up
 * Goodbye (Finale)

Main characters represented

 * Mark Thalen, attorney and gay-rights advocate
 * Bill Sherwood, director/editor/screenwriter of the film Parting Glances
 * Joseph Papp, producer and impresario
 * Peggy Hewitt, character actress
 * Misty del Giorno, chiropractor
 * Jack Eric Williams, composer and performer
 * Ricky Ian Gordon, composer
 * Quentin Crisp, raconteur/actor/writer
 * Monica Andress, a friend of the composer
 * Bolek Greczynski, art therapist, creator the Living Museum at Creedmoor
 * Barbara Finn, the composer's mother

Notable productions

 * UK Premiere
 * Arts Theatre Off-West End, directed by Jamie Lloyd - 7–14 November 2004

The cast included
 * John Barrowman
 * Peter Caulfield
 * Ray Shell
 * Susannah Fellows
 * Lauren Ward


 * Boston Premiere by SpeakEasy Stage Company at the Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts - May 7–29, 2004

Cast:
 * Kerry Dowling
 * Michael Mendiola
 * Jose Delgado
 * Will McGarrahan
 * Leigh Barrett

Directed by Paul Daigneault, Musical Direction by Paul S. Katz, Production Stage Management by Dana Elizabeth Wolf,


 * Toronto Premiere by Acting Up Stage Theatre Company at the Berkeley Street Theatre, Toronto, Ontario - February 15 - March 4, 2007

Cast:
 * Thom Allison
 * Barbara Barsky
 * Steven Gallagher
 * Eliza-Jane Scott
 * Michael Strathmore

Directed by Lezlie Wade, Musical Direction by Wayne Gwillim, Produced by Mitchell Marcus, Stage Managed by Dot Routledge.


 * New York City Benefit Production, August 16, 2010

Cast:
 * Michael Brian Dunn
 * Darius de Haas
 * Jason Forbach
 * AnnMarie Milazzo
 * Kerry O'Malley

Directed by Michael Rader, Musical Direction by Eddie Guttman, Produced by Jamie McGonnigal, Stage Managed by David Beris.