Elegies is a cycle of songs created by William Finn, composer and lyricist for the musicals Falsettos, A New Brain, and the recent Broadway production The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The setting is simple: accompanied only by solo piano, a group of five singers perform 20 loosely connected songs, each providing a unique perspective on the rollicking subjects of death, loss, mourning, and life.
The score is touching, characteristically quirky, and - here you’ll just have to believe us - surprisingly upbeat and funny.
The original cast album featured Betty Buckley, Carolee Carmello, Keith Byron Kirk, Michael Rupert, and Christian Borle, and may be purchased through Amazon.com. The album preserved the original production, which played at Lincoln Center from March 2, 2003, through April 18, 2003, and was directed by Graciela Daniele.
The Kelsey Theatre production will be directed by Frank Ferrara, with musical direction by Nicholas Cheng and choreography by Jillian Potash.