Talk:Lestat (musical)

The Review
So Lestat the musical has plunged in its first opening in San Francisco. I currently live in the United Kingdom and am looking forward to seeing the show come over from Broadway when it opens, IF it comes over that is. Unfortunately the review has prompted many fans of Rice to come out and argue on its release.

Its true I want to witness the musical, which sounds as if it has plummeted from the review with the chronicle. If anyone had the fortune of witnessing the special screenings I'd like to hear their opinions. Lestat has plenty of promise, of course I am not so keen on Elton John writing the music as he has been credited with pop for so long, which is perhaps not the greatest genre for the gothic musical.

Get Rice in and sort them out! But to be honest, a singing and dancing Lestat does leave much to the imagination.

San Francisco synopsis
We can't have two synopsis on one show, so I've cut the SF synopsis. I'm going to post it here in hopes that someone can delineate the MAIN differences between the two plots and create a section in the article. AAAAND... the other one needs to be cut down. A LOT.

First Act: San Francisco version:
The story opens with Lestat in modern San Francisco, much like in the film Interview with the vampire with Louis. Lestat sits down at his lap top computer, having decided to write out his life story as the novel, The Vampire Lestat. (Opening: From the Dead).

In eighteenth century France Lestat kills a pack of wolves that have been preying on his home village, dominated by his father is Marquis de Lioncourt.

Lestat is discontented with the life he lives in his father's castle under his tyrannical rule. He has been the prisoner of his family for years, forbidden from living the life he wants. Lestat's mother (Gabrielle) provides Lestat with the financial means to free himself from his miserable life, giving him some of her antique jewels. (Nothing here).

Lestat goes down into the village where he and his friend, Nicolas, plot to run away together to Paris (In Paris). When they finally reach Paris Nicolas becomes a violinist for a small theatre and Lestat becomes an actor there. One evening while performing on stage Lestat hears a voice calling 'Wolf killer.'  The voice haunts him. He tries to tell Nicolas about it and Nicolas shrugs it off. Nicolas admits to Lestat that he doesn't think his music will ever amount to anything and that he feels Lestat is full of light and he, Nicolas, is full of darkness and that he's only dragging Lestat down. Lestat refuses to listen to Nicolas's self-destructiveness and walks out into the night. (In Paris reprise).

A mad vampire named Magnus kidnaps Lestat and makes of him his vampire heir by draining him of blood and then feeding him his own blood. Magnus leaves Lestat his fortune and then throws himself into a fire, leaving Lestat a vampire orphan. (The thirst). Meanwhile Nicolas and the theatre troupe worry over what's happened to Lestat as Lestat watches them from a distance (The thirst reprise). Finally Lestat makes his presence known to them and tells them a lie about having been ill and marrying a wealthy woman. He then buys the theatre to make certain Nicolas always has a place he can play his violin. Nicolas is distrusting of Lestat's strange and far fetched story but tells Lestat that Lestat's mother has come to Paris. Lestat's mother is dying and wished to be near her son.

Lestat saves his mother, Gabrielle, from death by consumption by making her a vampire (Make me as you are). Gabrielle revels in being a vampire and starts to dress in men's clothes. Soon Lestat and Gabrielle realize that someone or some thing is stalking them. When they go into a church they run into Armand. Armand is a manipulative and somewhat psychotic vampire who runs a coven if Satanist vampires who live under the cemetery of Les Innocents. He lures Lestat to their lair by revealing that he's kidnapped Lestat's friend, Nicolas. Here Nicolas is being held in a cage. Armand and his followers intend to condemn Lestat for going into the places of light, for not worshipping The Devil and daring to live among mortals. They view him as a blasphemer. Lestat reveals to this coven that Armand has been deceiving them and that they haven't really been serving The Devil at all (To live like this). Lestat rescues Nicolas and makes him a vampire but Nicolas descends into madness.

The former Satanist vampires decide they want to live among mortals the way Lestat does and so Lestat gives them the theatre where he and Nicolas had been so happy. Nicolas joins the former Satanic coven in the newly created Theatre des Vampires.

Lestat watches a performance of the theatre vampires where they sing about the origin of the vampires. Apparently an Egyptian King and Queen were murdered and a demon merged itself with their blood as they were dying, making them the first two vampires. The vampire play also told of a powerful ancient vampire named Marius who guards the now catatonic first two vampires, Akasha, the queen of the damned, and Enkil, her husband (Origin of species). Lestat becomes fascinated with the story and resolves to find Marius. He wants to ask him how to endure for all eternity. He never wants to go mad or end up destroying himself the way his maker did. Armand confesses that he knew Marius, that Marius was Armand's maker but Armand does not believe that Marius is still alive. Armand promises to look after Nicolas and Lestat and Gabrielle leave to find Marius.

After traveling for many years Lestat receives the message telling him that Nicolas has destroyed himself. Then he receives another blow when Gabrielle tells him she wants to explore the wilderness and has no interest in finding Marius (Crimson Kiss).

Lestat feels completely alone (The thirst: second reprise) and buries himself in the Earth. That's when Marius finally appears and digs Lestat out and shouts 'COME!'

Second Act: San Francisco version:
Marius knew Lestat was looking for him and they soon have a long discussion about good and evil. Lesat views himself to be evil and is suffering a moral dilemma. Marius tells Lestat that he should live out one human lifetime and that he should go to the city of New Orleans.

Lestat resolves to start a new life in New Orleans (Welcome to the New World). It is here where Lestat meets plantation owner, Louis. Louis is grieving the death of his wife and child and suffering from severe depression. Lestat offers Louis the choice he never had. The choice is to live out his life or become a vampire. Louis accepts the Dark gift but soon comes to regret it. Hating to have to kill he starts to loathe what he's become. Lestat keeps trying to tell Louis to embrace his vampire nature (Embrace it). Lestat soon finds a little girl whose mother has just died of plague. Lestat makes the child into a vampire. Louis and Lestat raise the little girl as their own (I want More). Eventually though, the child vampire, Claudia comes to resent Lestat for trapping her in a child form (I'll never have that chance). She attempts to kill Lestat by feeding him poisoned blood and draining his blood while he is weakened. Louis, fearing that Lestat would try to avenge himself against Claudia, knowing that Lestat can't die so easily, sets Lestat on fire. Lestat escapes the fire.

After allowing himself to regain a little bit of strength Lestat heads back to Paris to try to ask Armand for some of his blood to help him to heal. On his way back to Paris he laments all his lost loves and past mistakes (Sail me away). Lestat goes to Armand and begs him for help to heal. Instead Armand forces Lestat to tell the theatre vampires what Claudia did to him. In spite of Lestat's protests against it, Claudia is destroyed by Armand and the theatre vampires (Kill your Kind). Lestat forgives Louis for betraying him and tries to tell him that he had no hand in Claudia's destruction. Louis leaves Lestat (Embrace it reprise).

Once Lestat and Armand are alone together Armand gloats about Lestat's suffering because he resents him still (After all this time). Lestat tells Armand that he met Marius and breaks it to Armand that Marius said of Armand 'Armand is empty. He cannot feel or love.' and that Marius shall regret him until the end of time. Infuriated Armand throws Lestat off the roof.

Lestat laid on the ground broken, waiting for the sun to destroy him but he gets rescued by Marius. Marius takes Lestat back to his island sanctuary where, after helping Lestat recover, he asks Lestat if he still wishs to live. Lestat tells him yes. He also reveals that he has resolved his moral dilemma by developing his moral compass. He vows never to kill the innocent, that he'll only feed on murderers.

Marius feels Lestat is finally ready. He takes Lestat to meet Akasha, the first vampire. Akasha allows Lestat to drink her blood. As Lestat drinks from Akasha he feels a bond to all vampires everywhere, the living and the dead. (From the dead finale). One of the more touching moments of this scene is when Claudia's ghost assures Lestat 'The angels came in Heaven's name and swept my ashes up.'

The story ends with Lestat in the modern world finishing his story and closing his laptop computer. &mdash; Music Maker  03:28, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Outrage
I am OUTRAGED that someone thought to remove the summary for the San Francisco version that was posted here WITH the New York summary. They were two distinctly different versions fo the play. Just because some people don't want to remember there was a version that actually did well doesn't mean the whole world should be made to forget. That's just plain wrong! —Preceding unsigned comment added by JTheGoblinKing (talk • contribs)


 * Well, I must say that I'm DESPONDENT over your outrage. Seriously.  Near-suicidal.  Not sure how I can go on.
 * The second synopsis was removed to make the article coherent. (Perhaps you've heard of it.  Coherency?)  Two synopsises are completely unnecessary.  If you had taken the time to read the talkpage before you blanked it, you might have noticed that the second synopsis was on the page with the suggestion that someone write a short section regarding the different versions.
 * I certainly was not trying to occlude the grand history of this pillar of the musical theatre pantheon. "Some people" just want the article to be good and up to Wikipedia's standards of quality.  &mdash;  Music Maker  02:17, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

Just Wow
Nary a mention that on Broadway, this staggeringly awful stinker played 33 previews and only 6 actual performances before being shut down–its coffin nailed down tightly. 76.22.32.86 (talk) 04:21, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * If you have a source, why not add it? Doniago (talk) 15:24, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm confused, IBDB shows 39 actual performances, not 6; the linked playbill article also shows 39 performances. Is there a source that shows 6??Flami72 (talk) 14:47, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

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