A Shoggoth on the Roof
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''A Shoggoth on the Roof'' is a
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
of the 1964
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
''
Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...
'' based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Published by the
H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society or HPLHS is the organization that hosts Cthulhu Lives!, a group of live-action roleplayers for the '' Cthulhu Live'' version of '' Call of Cthulhu''. Founded in Colorado in 1984, it is now based in Glendal ...
, it is credited to a member of the society who is referred to only as "He Who (for legal reasons) Must Not Be Named". In a fictional backstory created by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society, ''A Shoggoth on the Roof'' was originally attempted by The Other Gods Theatre Company in 1979 in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The production was abandoned for reasons that are not entirely clear. The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society have a mockumentary of this production on their website. The musical makes use of ''Fiddler on the Roofs original score. As a result, attempts to stage ''A Shoggoth on the Roof'' are open to legal challenges and hence rare.


Story

The "
Tevye Tevye the Dairyman, also translated as Tevye the Milkman ( yi, טבֿיה דער מילכיקער, ''Tevye der milkhiker'' ) is the fictional narrator and protagonist of a series of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, and various adaptations of th ...
" of this parody is Professor Henry Armitage, the librarian at the fictional
Miskatonic University Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in Arkham, a fictional town in Essex County, Massachusetts. It is named after the Miskatonic River (also fictional). After first appearing in H. P. Lovecraft's 1922 story "Herbert West–Rea ...
. It is set in 1920s
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The action is set in the fictional town of Arkham,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. The action opens in a manner reminiscent of ''Fiddler'', with a
shoggoth A shoggoth (occasionally shaggoth) is a fictional monster in the Cthulhu Mythos. The beings were mentioned in passing in H. P. Lovecraft's sonnet cycle ''Fungi from Yuggoth'' (1929–30) and later described in detail in his novella ''At the Moun ...
on the roof of the Miskatonic library building. Armitage addresses the audience, speaking of all the strange things in Arkham and its horrific history. He then explains how a shoggoth can stay up on "such a pointed roof": Tentacles! ("Tentacles") Back at Armitage's house, his three daughters, Prudence, Asenath and Jill, along with their mother Marion, are cleaning. The three daughters begin chatting and Prudence reveals that she has fallen in love with
Herbert West Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...
, a doctor and assistant professor at the university. Meanwhile, Armitage arrives home, and he and Marion discuss finding a suitable husband for Prudence. Marion suggests Wilbur Whately, and Armitage agrees to ask him to lunch. ("Arkham, Dunwich") Prudence hears this and rushes off to see Herbert. The action then moves to a graveyard, where
Randolph Carter Randolph Carter is a recurring fictional character in H. P. Lovecraft's fiction and is, presumably, an alter ego of Lovecraft himself. The character first appears in "The Statement of Randolph Carter", a short story Lovecraft wrote in 1919 bas ...
and Harley Warren are discussing how best to enter an ancient tomb. A ghoul spies on them as they break in. Prudence and Herbert meet outside the library, and she confides in him about her parents' plans. He exclaims that he "needs her too much," and will ask her father for her hand in marriage. Later that night, Jill and Asenath sneak out to visit the library, and it is revealed that Asenath has plans to summon an incubus. They take the Book of Eibon from the library and summon a byakhee. ("Byakhee, Byakhee") However, the creature frightens them and they run away. Meanwhile, Carter and Warren are opening the tomb, and Warren arranges to go down and relay information to Carter via the telephone equipment they have. He then seems nervous of actually entering the tomb, so Carter pushes him in. In a scene that appears to take place a few days later, Jill and Asenath attend a ceremony at the
Esoteric Order of Dagon The Deep Ones are creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. The beings first appeared in Lovecraft's novella ''The Shadow over Innsmouth'' (1931), but were already hinted at in the early short story " Dagon". The Deep Ones are a race ...
. The head cultist intones a prayer to
Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pan ...
and sacrifices a victim. ("Shoggoth Prayer") Asenath seems attracted to the cultist, and asks Jill to follow her down to the beach to watch him. Jill, however, decides to stay, and watches Obed Marsh, a decrepit old man, clean up the hall. He sings to himself, wishing he were a Deep One. ("If I Were a Deep One") Jill then comes out from her hiding place and chats to him. He is attracted to her, but Jill plays hard to get, going to join her sister. A few days later, Armitage encounters Wilbur Whately at the library, and asks him to go on a date with Prudence. Wilbur accepts. ("Arkham, Dunwich - reprise") After Wilbur leaves, however, Prudence and Herbert West come to see Armitage, and Herbert asks his permission to marry her. He explains to Armitage about his "great work," the reanimation of dead tissue. ("To Life") Overwhelmed, Armitage gives his consent. The action then returns to Carter and Warren. Carter is being chased by a ghoul, while Warren discovers the tomb is actually empty, except for an inscription saying "Asenath was here". They decide to head home, but encounter Armitage on the way, who is being attacked by ghouls on his way home. Carter and Warren fight them off, but Armitage is still worried about how to break the news of Herbert and Prudence's marriage to his wife. A chance remark by Carter gives him the idea to tell his wife about a nightmare to get her consent. That night, Armitage and his wife are in bed, when Armitage starts screaming and tells his wife about a nightmare he had, featuring her Grandma Prudence and Lavinia Whately, saying that Prudence should marry Herbert West. ("The Nightmare") Marion is impressed by this and agrees to marry Prudence to Herbert. The next day, Jill goes to visit Marsh in his shack. The two of them talk about the Deep Ones, and they end up staring into each other's eyes. Meanwhile, Asenath finally talks to the head cultist at the beach, and he confesses he has fallen in love with her. ("Victim of Victims") They agree to ask Armitage's permission to marry. Obed Marsh and Jill ask Armitage for his blessing for them to marry, explaining that they have fallen in love. Armitage is horrified at the concept, but Jill explains her feelings ("Very Far From the Home I Love"). Armitage eventually gives them his blessing. Asenath and the head cultist then come to ask his blessing. However, Armitage has a violent prejudice against the cultists and refuses absolutely. The scene then changes to Prudence and Herbert's wedding, with almost everyone in the town present. Carter and Warren turn up, and head to the buffet table. Asenath and the head cultist then turn up, and they try to explain to Armitage how they are part of the same community. ("Arkham, Dunwich - second reprise") The song is interrupted by Wilbur Whateley, who is enraged at both being denied Prudence and at not being invited to the wedding. He vows revenge, and reads an incantation from the ''
Necronomicon The ', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original Arabic title of ', is a fictional grimoire (textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first menti ...
'' to summon Cthulhu, who appears behind the library and crushes many of the villagers. He then eats Wilbur, and demands to know what is going on. ("Do You Fear Me?") Cthulhu goes on a rampage, destroying the university and killing the entire cast. He then departs, and Herbert West uses his reanimating formula to return himself to life, as well as the rest of the cast. They discuss what to do, now that the Great Old Ones have returned. Armitage explains that no matter what the Old Ones do, they cannot kill knowledge, and that knowledge is the only weapon against them. ("Miskatonic")


Songs

(As they are listed on the original cast recording) * "Tentacles" (7:04) ("Prologue: Tradition") * "Arkham, Dunwich" (3:32) ("Sunrise, Sunset") * "Byakhee Byakhee" (3:46) ("Matchmaker") * "Shoggoth Prayer" (1:54) ("Sabbath Prayer") * "If I Were a Deep One" (4:30) ("If I Were a Rich Man") * "To Life" (3:35) ("To Life") * "The Nightmare" (7:19) ("Tevye's Dream") * "Victim of Victims" (1:57) ("Miracle of Miracles") * "Very Far From The Home I Love" (2:09) ("Far From the Home I Love") * "Do You Fear Me?" (2:46) ("Do You Love Me?") * "Miskatonic" (2:47) ("Anatevka")


Productions

The musical makes use of ''Fiddler on the Roofs original score, which has led to legal challenges to attempts to stage ''A Shoggoth on the Roof''. In 2002 Chicago's Defiant Theatre considered a production, but cancelled the plans after being threatened with litigation. Performances have also been contemplated, attempted and/or abandoned at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
's Tisch School of the Arts,
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...
,
University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
,
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
,
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
, St. John's College. The musical was staged for the first time, in a Swedish translation, at Miskatonicon, an H. P. Lovecraft convention in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, on November 4, 2005. The first English-language production was staged at the
Leprecon LepreCon is an annual science fiction convention with an emphasis on art held in and around Phoenix, Arizona usually in May around Mother's Day weekend. It is the second oldest science fiction convention in Arizona. It is sponsored by LepreCon ...
gaming convention in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
on February 23, 2007. The production was organised by the Trinity College Dublin Gamers Society. They avoided the legal issues by using a completely new score written for the musical by Aidan Marsh. The 2014 GothCon in
Gothenburg, Sweden Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a ...
included three performances by ShogGoth.


Lovecraftian references

*Dr. Armitage and the Whateley family are characters from the Lovecraft short story " The Dunwich Horror". *Herbert West is the title character of the Lovecraft short story "
Herbert West–Reanimator "Herbert West–Reanimator" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was written between October 1921 and June 1922. It was first serialized in February through July 1922 in the amateur publication ''Home Brew''. The stor ...
". *Obed Marsh, the Esoteric Order of Dagon, and the Deep Ones are central to the plot of the Lovecraft novella " The Shadow over Innsmouth". *Randolph Carter is featured in a number of stories by Lovecraft, while Harley Warren's adventure into the tomb forms the plot of the story " The Statement of Randolph Carter". *Asenath shares her given name with Asenath Waite, one of the principal characters of the Lovecraft short story "
The Thing on the Doorstep "The Thing on the Doorstep" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Cthulhu Mythos universe. It was written in August 1933, and first published in the January 1937 issue of ''Weird Tales''. Inspiration The ide ...
". *The ''
Necronomicon The ', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original Arabic title of ', is a fictional grimoire (textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first menti ...
'' and the ''Book of Eibon'' are referenced in numerous
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
stories.


References


External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20060528201704/http://www.cthulhulives.org/shoggoth/ - The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society's page about ''Shoggoth''
http://www.miskatonicon.com/eng_index.html
- Miskatonicon official website *https://leprecontcd.wordpress.com/ - Trinity Gamers' Leprecon website {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoggoth On The Roof, A Cthulhu Mythos music Musical parodies Fiddler on the Roof