Passion Audience Enhancement Guide

Audience Enhancement Guide

Book by James Lapine Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Directed by Terrence J. Nolen Production Co-Conceived by Jorge Cousineau and Terrence J. Nolen

The Inspiration Behind Passion The Novel Fosca

By Iginio Ugo Tarchetti Tarchetti, born in 1839, was a central figure in the Scapigliatura (Italian: “bohemianism”) movement, an avant-garde movement found mostly in Milan. The Scapigliatura were rebellious romantics whose aim was to replace classical and moralistic Italian literature with the more bizarre and pathological variety. They were chiefly influenced by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, along with German Romantic writers, French Symbolist poets, and Baudelaire.

Fosca fictionally recounts Tarchetti’s affair with an epileptic woman while posted as a soldier in a small provincial town. Tarchetti, 29 years old at the time, fell ill and wrote Fosca while dying of tuberculosis. In fact, he died before writing the final chapter. The novel was finished by a friend and published posthumously.

The Film Passione d’Amore Directed by Ettore Scola Premiered at 1981 Cannes Film Festival as an entry from Italy Sondheim saw the film in 1983. He vividly recalls the experience in Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011): “Scola’s camera cuts to the look of shock on Giorgio’s face and it was then, as Fosca started to speak and the camera cut back to her, that I had my epiphany. I realized that the story was not about how she is going to fall in love with him (she’s in love with him already, having watched him from a distance ever since his arrival) but about how he is going to fall in love with her. I was instantaneously upset (that is, moved) and at the same time thinking, ‘They’re never going to convince me of that, they’re never going to pull it off,” all the while knowing that they would, that Scola wouldn’t have taken on such a ripely melodramatic story unless he was convinced that he could make it plausible. And he did. By the end of the movie, the unwritten songs in my head were brimming and I was certain of two things.

First, I wanted to make it into a musical…

Second, I wanted James Lapine to write it.”

The Music There are very few recognizable songs in Passion. The score contains a series of motifs that are expanded upon throughout the musical, and in many instances one ‘song’ carries over into the next. While the recitative-like nature of the score may resemble opera, Sondheim would be the first to tell you that it is not.

“The ‘songs’ in Passion lie somewhere between aria and recitative, with an occasional recognizable song form thrown in… In any event, there’s enough dialogue so that no one could mistake Passion for an opera. I hope.”

“I have successfully avoided enjoying opera all my life…

I’m not as enthralled by the human voice as I would like to be. For me it’s the song, not the singer; I don’t really care who sings ‘Vissi d’Arte,’ I care about what she’s singing.”

- Stephen Sondheim

Passion on Broadway Broadway Production Theatre: Plymouth Theatre Opening Night: May 9, 1994 Director: James Lapine Total Performances: 280 Passion received a total of 10 nominations at the 1994 Tony Awards, winning four. It is the shortest-running musical to ever win the Tony for Best Musical.

Best Musical Best Book of a Musical Best Original Score Best Actress in a Musical (Donna Murphy) Best Actor in a Musical (Jere Shea) Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Marin Mazzie) Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Tom Aldredge) Best Costume Design Best Lighting Design Best Direction of a Musical

A Timeline of Foscas 1993 Workshop – Donna Murphy 1994 Broadway Production – Donna Murphy 1996 London Production – Maria Friedman 1996 Signature Theatre Production – Anne Kanengeiser 1996 Television Production – Donna Murphy 1997 London Concert Version – Maria Friedman 2002 Kennedy Center Production – Judy Kuhn 2003 Ravinia Festival Concerts – Patti LuPone 2004 Bridewell Production – Clare Burt 2005 Lincoln Center Concerts – Patti LuPone 2010 Donmar Warehouse Production – Elena Roger 2013 Off-Broadway Revival – Judy Kuhn

Donna Murphy as Fosca and Jere Shea as Giorgio in the Broadway production.

An Interview with the Arden’s Fosca Liz Filios Previously seen at the Arden in Candide, Sunday in the Park with George, and The Threepenny Opera.

Passion is your fourth production at the Arden and your first since The Threepenny Opera (2010/11).

How did you first become involved with the Arden, and what’s it like to be back?

My first production at the Arden was Candide, in 2008. Back then, I was still new to the Philly theatre community. I had very few connections and limited experience, but I was enamored with the Arden’s work after seeing their production of The Piano Lesson. When I found out they were doing Candide, I went to the library, sat down at a listening station with the original LP, and followed along, note by note with the full orchestral score, until I had learned the entire show.

I auditioned and was cast in the ensemble, originally. Weeks later, they called me in for the role of Paquette, the saucy serving wench. I sang twice for the role, but each time something was off. It just wasn’t clicking, character-wise.

At the end of my second callback, Terry off-handedly asked me if I knew Cunégonde’s aria, “Glitter & Be Gay”? My eyes lit up and I nodded. I figured I’d probably never have a chance to sing this incredible music again, so I gave it my all... In retrospect, I think Terry meant it more as a joke than anything else, but I seized the opportunity. When I finished the aria, Terry sat there for a moment and then said, “...Can you do that again?” So I did.

After I left the audition room that day, I jumped into a taxi to get to a babysitting gig. A few minutes later, Terry was calling me on my cell phone saying, “Would you mind coming back in and singing it one more time?”

I shouted “STOP THE CAB!”, and I leapt out and sprinted back to the theatre to sing “Glitter & Be Gay” a third time! That same day, they offered me the lead role. It still sounds like a fairy tale to me, but it’s true! That was how I got my start at the Arden.

The role of Fosca is about as far as you can get from Cunégonde, vocally, physically, and emotionally.

And as gorgeous and challenging as the music of Leonard Bernstein is, the demands of Sondheim’s work are more nuanced, more complex, and much more personal for me. I feel like Terry took a big chance on me with Candide... and now, seven years later, I feel like he’s taking an even bigger chance on me with Passion. I’m deeply honored to have the opportunity to work with him on this piece.

What is your usual process for learning a role, and where did you start with Fosca?

I think each role dictates its own process. I try to stay open to whatever the form and content of the work demands - sometimes it’s more of an intellectual approach, sometimes it’s more physical.

Liz as Cunégonde in the Arden’s production of Sometimes there’s a lot of Candide. Photo by Mark Garvin. analysis involved, and other times I just have to go with my gut. For one show, music may take precedent; for another, it’s all about the words, or the timing, or the voice. Depending on the historical context of the piece, its socio-political backdrop, and the cultural impulse it arises from, I may immerse myself in the art, music or literature of the time. Often, it’s useful to investigate the world of the writer or the composer, to connect to their energy and discover what it was that made them vibrate enough to bring that piece into existence. Hopefully I find something within all of that that resonates in me. If a story is very far outside of my realm of experience, I may conduct interviews, draw on the expertise of friends and fellow artists, or take trips to gain site-specific insights about the world of the character. Other times, I’ll simply delve into the recesses of my imagination and find images to help me leap into a completely new reality. I think what makes Fosca really special is that she is the first character I have ever worked on who has demanded all of these approaches - every last one.

Fosca’s appearance is described in the script as ugly, sallow, and sickly. In the past, you have played older men and forest creatures. How do you work on a character whose physicality is different from your own? What are the challenges?

Forest creatures? Haha! I suppose that’s true. But playing a squirrel or a funny old man is a little different. To find the physical life of those characters, I can focus on a few simple questions: Is the character heavy or light? Fast or slow? Direct or indirect? And what sort of environment do they exist in? I might also play around with the gaze, or the breath or the heartbeat, but most of that tends to fall into place naturally in service of the script.

Embodying the physical life of a character like Fosca, however, is a bit more complex.

The biggest challenge of inhabiting Fosca’s body is understanding what it really feels like to be her. There is no easy answer to this question. It requires some sleuthing: According to the script, Fosca suffers from “a collection of many ills.” We know that her disease is chronic, and deadly, but that it can be managed, to a certain extent. We know that it manifests both mentally and physically - and that these two Ben Michael as Giorgio and Liz as Fosca. aspects of her being are Photo by Mark Garvin. inextricably linked. We learn that her mood changes rapidly, that she suffers “hysterical convulsions” and that she has been going through “a period of deep melancholy.” Halfway through the show we also learn that she has suffered tremendous grief and betrayal before the play even begins.

The doctor describes Fosca as having “all of her nerves exposed,” and the source material that points to an historical figure who suffered from epileptic fits. One condition I have been reading a great deal about during this process is Lupus, which is an auto-immune disease where the immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal healthy cells. Lupus is most commonly found in women between the ages of 15 and 45, and it affects the heart, brain, lungs, skin and kidneys. Back in the 1800’s, Lupus had not yet been discovered, so women like Fosca would have gone undiagnosed and suffered a great deal without effective treatment. Though there is no mention of this specific disease made in the book or the play, researching it has shed light on the physical reality of the character for me. Many of Fosca’s symptoms seem to align with those of an individual living with Lupus, and when the reality of this kind of existence really sinks in, it can be extremely weighty. I suppose that brings me to another big challenge of inhabiting Fosca: which is letting her go at the end of the night.

Do you have a favorite moment or scene in the show?

This question gets harder every day. There are so many moments... Right now, I’m especially moved by the end of the show. When we staged it the other day, I just cried, because it was so simple, so elegant, and so profound. I’m not sure I can say much more without giving anything away, but it reminds me of the people who have come into my life and cracked me open. Even if you lose a person like that, they leave a mark on your soul forever. I think the ending captures that truth so beautifully.

What have you learned from Fosca?

Oh, I don’t think I’ll ever be done learning from her! She has taught me so much about love, strength and survival. She finds courage even in the face of death. She is brutally honest and fearless in love. She doesn’t waste a single moment of her life with lies, doubts or inhibitions. She is not beholden to any system of beliefs, or any limitations that society might place on her. She’s fiercely intelligent, confident and daring; she acknowledges her flaws, and she understands the meaning of true beauty. I know on the surface she may seem repulsive in many ways, but I think she is also teaching me to be a more courageous, insightful, and compassionate person. At least I hope.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audiences?

I’m interested to hear what people’s journey will be when they see this play. I wonder how Fosca will be received. I wonder if the audience will hate her, and if they’ll eventually change their minds. I’m curious, how many of them will venture to go deeper and perhaps discover something of themselves in her? I really have no idea what the response might be. Every night when we begin the play, it feels like we’re standing at the base of Mount Everest. I stare up and I can’t help thinking, “This is the most impossible love story that ever was. It’s completely ludicrous that a man like Giorgio and a woman like Fosca would ever fall in love. Unthinkable.” And yet, every night, I take this journey from absolute wretchedness to a state of total peace and love... and as impossible as it seemed at the start, each night, somehow, I end up in his arms, and it’s totally right. I think there’s a lot to be learned in that journey, and I’m excited Liz as Fosca. Photo by Mark Garvin. to share it with others.

Sondheim and The Arden Passion is the 13th musical by Stephen Sondheim that the Arden has produced in its 27 years (the 14th if you count Candide, to which he contributed lyrics).

He is the most-produced writer in the Arden’s history, followed by Michael Hollinger and William Shakespeare.

Sondheim has called the Arden the preeminent producer of his work in Philadelphia. “No one knows better than I their passion and commitment to contemporary musical theatre,” says Sondheim. “The Arden has always been the leading producer of my work in Philadelphia.”

Clockwise from top left: the cast and set of Sweeney Todd; Jeff Coon (George) and Krissy Fraelich (Dot) in Sunday in the Park with George; the cast of Sunday in the Park with George; the cast of Assassins. Photos by Mark Garvin.

Sondheim and The Arden Timeline of The Arden’s Sondheim Productions Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1993) Sunday in the Park with George (1994) A Little Night Music (1995) Company (1997) Merrily We Roll Along (1998) Into the Woods (2000) Pacific Overtures (2003) Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2005) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2006) Assassins (2007) Sunday in the Park with George (2010) A Little Night Music (2013) Passion (2015) Clockwise: Alex Keiper (Petra) in A Little Night Music; Grace Gonglewski (Desiree) in A Little Night Music; the ensemble of A Little Night Music in silhouette.

Photos by Mark Garvin.

Designing Passion The set design for Passion, co-conceived by Jorge Cousineau and Terrence J. Nolen, features 13 very tall and prominent panels, or “shutters,� which are able to move from side to side, forming different configurations and acting as windows into the beyond.

The second component of this design is the projections. Four projectors shoot video onto two giant screens from behind. From Milan to the mountains, from raging storms to the tranquil sea, the set of Passion can take us wherever it needs to in an instant.

Left: a sketch of one of the thirteen individual panels Above: a simulation of the panels and projections Below: the final product

Liz Filios as Fosca and Ben Michael as Giorgio. Photo by Mark Garvin. of

Questions for Discussion

Ben Michael as Giorgio, Jennie Eisenhower as Clara, and Liz Filios as Fosca. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Who is the protagonist in this story? Who do you root for the most?

In Sondheim’s Look, I Made a Hat (Collected Lyrics, 1981-2011), he writes, “Giorgio’s transformation during the course of Passion has always been a source of audience contention: some have accepted it and been moved by it, some have found it impossible to believe.” What do you think about Giorgio’s transformation?

Given Fosca’s unfortunate past, which isn’t revealed until late in the play, is her behavior justified? Is she right to feel so ruined? Who is most to blame for her tragic existence: her ex-lover, herself, or the society in which she lives?

The soldiers sing: “A woman is a flower whose purpose is to please.” To what extent does that sentiment persist today? Does Fosca exist in the 21st century?

Fosca dies within days of finally consummating her love with Giorgio. Had she lived, do you think their love would have continued to grow, or was it a fleeting passion? Is Giorgio’s “love without reason” actually sustainable?

Sondheim writes, “... we are all Fosca, we are all Giorgio, we are all Clara.” How have you experienced each character in your own life?

Sources Sondheim Quotes, Insights, and Notes on the Inspiration: Sondheim, Stephen. Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011). Knopf (2011).

Additional Scapigliatura Information: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/526627/scapigliatura Passione d’Amore Information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082883/?ref_=ttmd_md_nm Passione d’Amore Image: http://www.moviepostershop.com Passion Score Background Image: Sondheim, Stephen. Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011). Knopf (2011).

Stephen Sondheim Photo: http://www.goodmantheatre.org/artists-archive/creative-partners/playwrights/stephen-sondheim/ Awards/Production History: http://www.sondheimguide.com/passion.html Original Broadway Production Info: http://www.broadwaymusicalhome.com/shows/passion.htm Passion Playbill Image: http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/9555/Passion Tony Award Image: http://www.ew.com/article/2013/06/08/this-week-on-stage-its-tony-weekend Donna Murphy/Jere Shea Photo: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unequallyyoked/2012/08/nobody-human-can-stand-all-that-everlastingaffection.html Additional Photographs: Mark Garvin/Arden Theatre Company

Audience Enhancement Guide

Compiled and Designed by Case Nafziger Supervised by Sally Ollove, Jose Aviles, and Maura Roche