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Svengali (musical)
Encyclopedia
Svengali is a musical
with a book and lyrics by Gregory Boyd and music by Frank Wildhorn
. It is based on the 1894 novel Trilby
by George du Maurier
.
The title character
in this Gothic
tale is a vocal coach who uses hypnotism to transform the tone-deaf
Trilby into an acclaimed singer and steals her away from Little Billie, a sculptor
for whom she has posed. At first the girl can remember nothing about her past, but as her memory slowly returns, she attempts to break free from her possessive mentor
.
The musical has been staged twice, both times with Chuck Wagner
as Svengali and Linda Eder
(Wildhorn's then future, now ex-wife) as Trilby. It premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas
in April 1991 and won the Alton Jones Foundation Award for New American Musicals. It was then produced at the Asolo Repertory Theatre
in Sarasota, Florida
in October 1991 through November 2, 1991.
The director was Gregory Boyd. The scenic design by Jerome Sirlin used a bank of slide projectors, creating "enigmatic images against the backdrop of the stage: the pensive face of a young woman, gargoyles, a cafe scene, brilliant color fields of red, blue, green and gold." The costumes were by Jane Suttell and lighting by Howell Binkley
. The cast featured Philip Hoffman, Molly Scott as Zou Zou.
Of it Wildhorn has said, "It was great working on it and I hope it will have its day."
Although a complete cast album has not been released, three of the show's songs have been recorded. Danny de Munk
and Vera Mann dueted on "So Slowly" for his CD Danny, and Eder included "If He Never Said Hello" and "Vole Mon Ange" on her 2003 release Storybook.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book and lyrics by Gregory Boyd and music by Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn is an American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs. He is most known for his musical Jekyll & Hyde, which ran four years on Broadway, and for writing the #1 International Hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" for Whitney Houston.-Early years:Wildhorn was born in...
. It is based on the 1894 novel Trilby
Trilby (novel)
Trilby is a novel by George du Maurier and one of the most popular novels of its time, perhaps the second best selling novel of the Fin de siècle after Bram Stoker's Dracula. Published serially in Harper's Monthly in 1894, it was published in book form in 1895 and sold 200,000 copies in the United...
by George du Maurier
George du Maurier
George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier was a French-born British cartoonist and author, known for his cartoons in Punch and also for his novel Trilby. He was the father of actor Gerald du Maurier and grandfather of the writers Angela du Maurier and Dame Daphne du Maurier...
.
The title character
Svengali
Svengali is a fictional character of George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby. Svengali "would either fawn or bully and could be grossly impertinent. He had a kind of cynical humour that was more offensive than amusing and always laughed at the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place...
in this Gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
tale is a vocal coach who uses hypnotism to transform the tone-deaf
Tone deafness
Tone deafness is the lack of relative pitch, or the inability to distinguish between musical notes that is not due to the lack of musical training or education...
Trilby into an acclaimed singer and steals her away from Little Billie, a sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
for whom she has posed. At first the girl can remember nothing about her past, but as her memory slowly returns, she attempts to break free from her possessive mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
.
The musical has been staged twice, both times with Chuck Wagner
Chuck Wagner
Chuck Wagner is an American actor, Director, Musical Theatre Historian, and Teacher.-Education and early career:Wagner was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Hartsville, Tennessee. He attended public school in Gallatin, TN...
as Svengali and Linda Eder
Linda Eder
Linda Eder is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which she received 1997 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, as well as the Theatre World Award for Best Actress in a Musical...
(Wildhorn's then future, now ex-wife) as Trilby. It premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in April 1991 and won the Alton Jones Foundation Award for New American Musicals. It was then produced at the Asolo Repertory Theatre
Asolo Repertory Theatre
The Asolo Repertory Theatre or Asolo Rep is a professional theater in Sarasota, Florida. It is the largest Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory theatre in the Southeastern United States. Asolo Rep is a resident regional theatre company which also invites in guest artists...
in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
in October 1991 through November 2, 1991.
The director was Gregory Boyd. The scenic design by Jerome Sirlin used a bank of slide projectors, creating "enigmatic images against the backdrop of the stage: the pensive face of a young woman, gargoyles, a cafe scene, brilliant color fields of red, blue, green and gold." The costumes were by Jane Suttell and lighting by Howell Binkley
Howell Binkley
Howell Binkley is a professional lighting designer in New York City. He received the 2006 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a musical for Jersey Boys....
. The cast featured Philip Hoffman, Molly Scott as Zou Zou.
Of it Wildhorn has said, "It was great working on it and I hope it will have its day."
Although a complete cast album has not been released, three of the show's songs have been recorded. Danny de Munk
Danny de Munk
Dennis de Munk is a Dutch actor, singer, musical actor and former child star.De Munk started acting at the age of 12 as the leading role in the film Ciske de Rat , directed by Guido Pieters, starring Herman van Veen as teacher and Willeke van Ammelrooy as mother...
and Vera Mann dueted on "So Slowly" for his CD Danny, and Eder included "If He Never Said Hello" and "Vole Mon Ange" on her 2003 release Storybook.