''Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens'' is a musical with music by Janet Hood and lyrics and book by

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most V ...

. The work features songs and monologues inspired by the

NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, often abbreviated to AIDS Memorial Quilt or AIDS Quilt, is an enormous memorial to celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece o ...

and

Edgar Lee Masters Edgar Lee Masters (August 23, 1868 – March 5, 1950) was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of ''Spoon River Anthology'', ''The New Star Chamber and Other Essays'', ''Songs and Satires'', ''The Great V ...

' ''

Spoon River Anthology ''Spoon River Anthology'' (1915), by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free verse poems that collectively narrates the epitaphs of the residents of Spoon River, a fictional small town named after the Spoon River, which ran near Masters' ...

''. Each of the monologues is written from the perspective of characters who've died from AIDS and the songs represent the feelings of friends and family members dealing with the loss. The piece was developed in the late 1980s and was originally titled "The Quilt." It was originally produced in 1989 by the

TWEED Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...

br>New Works Festival
at the Ohio Theatre in Soho in NYC, where the new title was adopted. It was subsequently produced off-off Broadway in 1990 by

's artistic director Kevin Malony and Justin Ross at RAPP Arts Center in Manhattan's East Village. In 1992, it was produced by Giacomo Capizzano at the

King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where it played for several months. In June 1993, the production was transferred by Mr Capizzano to the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

in London's West End, where it played until July of the same year. The London cast included

Miquel Brown Miquel Brown (born Michael Brown February 8, 1945) is a Canadian actress, disco/soul singer, former dancer and music video director, in the 1970s and 1980s, most popular for the songs "Close to Perfection" and the Hi-NRG songs " So Many Men – ...

Kim Criswell Kim Criswell (born July 19, 1957) is an American musical entertainer and actress. Life and career Criswell was born in Hampton, Virginia, United States, and grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After she graduated from Hixson High School in subur ...

Kwame Kwei-Armah Kwame Kwei-Armah (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967 in Hillingdon, London) is a British actor, playwright, director, singer and broadcaster. He is best known for playing paramedic Finlay Newton in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty'' from 1999 unti ...

James Dreyfus James Dreyfus (born 9 October 1968) is an English actor most notable for roles on television sitcoms ''The Thin Blue Line (British TV series), The Thin Blue Line'' as Constable Kevin Goody, and ''Gimme Gimme Gimme (TV series), Gimme Gimme Gimme ...

Simon Fanshawe Simon Hew Dalrymple Fanshawe OBE (born 26 December 1956, in Devizes, England) is a writer and broadcaster. He contributes frequently to British newspapers, television and radio. He is also now a consultant and non-executive director of public a ...

and legendary drag queen

Regina Fong Reginald Sutherland Bundy (26 May 1946 – 15 April 2003) was a British dancer, actor and television presenter best known for his drag persona H.I.H. (Her Imperial Highness) Regina Fong. Bundy first developed Regina Fong in 1985, and quickly ...

. In addition to the New York and London productions of the piece, there have been professional productions in Australia, Germany and Israel, among other countries.

Subsequent production history

2001 New York

"Elegies" was again performed in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on April 2, 2001 in the Haft Theatre at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It ...

as a benefit for the Momentum AIDS Project. The cast for that performance included numerous well known performers including

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Next to Normal'' (2009 T ...

, Emily Skinner, Brian d'Arcy James,

Christopher Durang Christopher Ferdinand Durang (born January 2, 1949) is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in the late 1990s. ...

Mario Cantone Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and singer with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including ''Chappelle's Show''. He also played Anthony Marentino in ''Sex and the City'' and Terri in ''Men In T ...

Joe Piscopo Joseph Charles John Piscopo ( ; born June 17, 1951) is an American actor, comedian and conservative radio talk show host. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1980 to 1984, where he played a variety of recurring characters. His f ...

and

Norm Lewis Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in Europe, on Broadway, in film, television, recordings and regional theatre. Productions that he has been involved in include '' Dessa Rose'', ''Miss Saigon'', '' T ...

. The concert was recorded, and the recording was released by Fynsworth Alley in 2001.

2004 Minneapolis

On November 3, 2004, Minneapolis Musical Theater, directed by Steven Meerdink and Kevin Hansen, premiered a One-Night-Only Benefit Performance of "Elegies" in collaboration with the Minnesota Aids Project. The cast in included Prudence Johnson, Mary Jane Alm, Dennis Spears, Christopher Hopkins, Esera Tuaolo, and Cookie Coleman among others with special guest appearance by Bill Russell.

2008 London

On December 1, 2008, there was a West End Gala performance of the show at

Soho Revue Bar The Raymond Revuebar (1958–2004) was a theatre and strip club at 11 Walker's Court (now the location of The Box Soho nightclub), in the centre of London's Soho district. For many years, it was the only venue in London that offered full-fron ...

, produced by Oliver Wood and directed by Simon Pollard. The cast included

Anna Chancellor Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is a British actress who has received nominations for BAFTA and Olivier Awards. Background and early life Chancellor was born in Richmond, England to barrister John Paget Chancellor, eldest son of ...

David Bedella David Bedella (born September 25, 1962) is an American actor. He is currently based in London and is best known for his Olivier award-winning roles in ''Jerry Springer – The Opera'', ''In The Heights'' and ''& Juliet''. Early life Bedella wa ...

Leanne Jones Leanne Jones (born 21 March 1985) is a British actress best known for her role as Tracy Turnblad in the West End production of the musical ''Hairspray''. In 2008, she won both the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the ...

Les Dennis Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor, and comedian. He presented ''Family Fortunes'' from 1987 until 2002. Early life Dennis was born Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liverpoo ...

, Adele Anderson and

Debbie Chazen Deborah Chazen (born 1 September 1971) is an English actress. She is best known for portraying Annie in the BBC comedy ''The Smoking Room'', Big Claire in ''Mine All Mine'', and various roles in the BBC sketch show ''Tittybangbang''. Alongside t ...

. All proceeds from the performance went to the UK charity

Terence Higgins Trust Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns about and provides services relating to HIV and sexual health. In particular, the charity aims to end the transmission of HIV in the UK; to support and empower people living with HIV, to ...

2010 Ireland

In Ireland, the premiere production in Northern Ireland was on 30 August 2010 at The Black Box in Belfast. The production featured a cast of 35 actors and singers, including a special video appearance by

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...

. A cast recording was released on 14 December 2010. All profits from the production and the recording were donated to the

Rainbow Project The Rainbow Project is a non-profit organization based in Northern Ireland that promotes the health and wellbeing of the LGBT people and their families in Northern Ireland. The Rainbow Project is the largest LGBT organisation (by number of sta ...

. The premiere production in the Republic of Ireland was in September 2010 and was produced by Limerick's Bottom Dog Theatre Company.

2013 University of Kansas

Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens was revised and performed at the University of Kansas in early 2013, directed by Bill Russell, musical direction by Janet Hood.

2014 New York

The performance piece was again produced in New York City by

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of New York City. As of 2020, enrollment consists of 1,571 undergraduates with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. The college was founded in 1936. Hi ...

in January 2014. With a cast consisting of over 40 current students, recent alumni, and distinguished faculty, and helmed by

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-nominated book writer and lyricist

and music director

Paul Jacobs (composer) Paul Ross Jacobs is an American composer and musician. Most known for his work with Late Singer Meat Loaf and his band the Neverland Express. Biography Paul Ross Jacobs was born in New York City. He attended the Juilliard School and as a child, ...

, the musical played 4 total performances (1 preview and 3 regular performances) at the

National Dance Institute National Dance Institute (NDI) was founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d'Amboise. NDI works with mainstream, bilingual, and special education classes. NDI classes are taught by professional artists, who work with 6,50 ...

in Harlem. This production marks the first time that the show was used as an educational course for students. After auditions were held and the piece was cast, it was announced that students would be able to earn credit towards their degrees provided they followed the course outline in the syllabus, which included daily reflections in the form of journals, analysis of poetry from

' ''

'', extensive research on differing topics pertaining to

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

, and a small, formal writing assignment at the end of the production process.

2015 West End

The show returned to the

in London's West End on Sunday 31 May 2015 to raise money for the MAD Trust, with a cast including

Emma Hatton Emma Hatton (born 6 April 1983) is a British actress and singer, who played the role of Elphaba in the West End production of ''Wicked''. She has also understudied the roles of Meat and Scaramouche in ''We Will Rock You'' and has a number of ...

Fra Fee Francis Martin "Fra" Fee (born 20 May 1987) is an Irish actor and singer. He is known for portraying Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of ''Les Misérables''. He portrayed the role of Michael Carney in Jez Butterworth's ''The Ferryman ...

, Emma Williams,

Michael McKell Michael McKell (born 10 February 1959, in Bethnal Green, London) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Inspector Trevor Hands in ''Murder Investigation Team'' (2003-2005), Dr. Nick West in ''Doctors'' (2006-2008) and DS Nicholas "N ...

and

Madalena Alberto Madalena Alberto is a Portuguese actress, singer and composer who has developed her career in the West End. Alberto received rave reviews for her role as Eva Perón in ''Evita'' in the West End (16 September - 1 November 2014), where the show arr ...

. It was Directed by

Stephen Whitson Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

with Choreography by Ewan Jones and Musical Direction by Dean Austin.

was in attendance and made an appearance on stage during the curtain call.

2019 London

"Elegies" ran at the Union Theatre, Southwark in a professional Off-West End production until June 8, 2019. Produced by

Sasha Regan Sasha Regan (née Leask) is an English theatre director. In 1998, she founded the Union Theatre, London, a small fringe venue on the premises of a disused paper warehouse on Union Street in the London borough of Southwark. As of November 2020, s ...

and Directed by Bryan Hodgson. The cast includes Fraser Leigh Green, Michiel Janssens, Marcus Ayton, Calum Gulvin, Aidan Harkins, Chris Cahill, Althea Burey, Jackie Pulford, Jade Marvin, Charlie McCullagh, Ailsa Davidson, Jade Chaston, Paige Fenlon, Kristine Kruse, Matthew Grove

Songs from the show

# Angels, Punks And Raging Queens # I'm Holding On To You # And The Rain Keeps Falling Down # I Don't Do That Anymore # I Don't Know How To Help You # Celebrate # Heroes All Around # Spend It While You Can # My Brother Lived In San Francisco # Learning To Let Go The 2013 University of Kansas revision does not include "Heroes All Around."

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Elegies'' on Bill Russell's WebsiteProduction information at Samuel French Inc., the author's representatives
LGBT-related plays Song cycles 1989 musicals Musicals based on poems Off-Off-Broadway West End musicals HIV/AIDS in theatre