''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 Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...

. 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 a memorial to celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece of communit ...

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'' is a 1915 collection of short free verse poems by Edgar Lee Masters. The poems collectively narrate the epitaphs of the residents of Spoon River, a fictional small town named after the Spoon River, which ran near Maste ...

''. 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. The original venue was the oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2024, the pub theatre, and the King's Head Theatre now operates from a purpose-b ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 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 developmen ...

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 Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particular ...

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 subu ...

Kwame Kwei-Armah Kwame Kwei-Armah (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967 in Hillingdon, London) is a British actor, playwright, director and broadcaster. In 2005, Kwei-Armah became the second black Briton to have a play staged in London's West End when his award-w ...

James Dreyfus James Louis de Zogheb Dreyfus (born 9 October 1968) is an English actor most notable for roles on television sitcoms '' The Thin Blue Line'' as Constable Kevin Goody, and '' Gimme Gimme Gimme'' as Tom Farrell. Dreyfus is most recently known for ...

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

and legendary drag queen Regina Fong. 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on April 2, 2001 in the Haft Theatre at the

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

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 Brian d'Arcy James (born June 29, 1968) is an American actor and musician. He is known primarily for his Broadway roles, including Shrek in '' Shrek the Musical'', Nick Bottom in '' Something Rotten!'', King George III in '' Hamilton'', and T ...

Christopher Durang Christopher Ferdinand Durang (January 2, 1949 – April 2, 2024) was 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 th ...

Mario Cantone Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959) is an American comedian, writer, actor, singer, and television host. He is best known for his numerous stage shows. He played Anthony Marentino in '' Sex and the City'' and Terri in '' Men in Trees'' (2006– ...

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 baritone singer. He has appeared on Broadway and in London's West End, film, television, recordings and regional theatre. He is also noted for his wide vocal range. Lewis was the second ...

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

Anna Chancellor Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is an English actress who has appeared widely on TV, film and in the theatre. She received a nomination for BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lix Storm in '' The Hour'' (201 ...

, David Bedella, Leanne Jones,

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

, Adele Anderson and Debbie Chazen. All proceeds from the performance went to the UK charity Terence Higgins Trust.

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), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for the comedy chat show ''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present) ...

. A cast recording was released on 14 December 2010. All profits from the production and the recording were donated to the Rainbow Project. 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 Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. Columbia University Masters ...

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 a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-nominated book writer and lyricist

and music director Paul Jacobs (composer), 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 (dancer), Jacques d'Amboise. NDI works with mainstream, bilingual, and special education classes. NDI classes are taught by professional ...

in Harlem. This production marked 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 The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, 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,

Fra Fee Fra Fee (born 20 May 1987) is a Northern Irish actor and singer. He is best known for playing Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's 2012 film adaptation of ''Les Misérables'', and for his role as Kazi in the Disney+ series ''Hawkeye'', which is set in ...

, Emma Williams,

Michael McKell Michael McKell (born 10 February 1959) is an English actor and singer. His career began in music, co-writing various songs for Toyah Willcox, Dollar and Julien Clerc, as well as embarking on a brief solo career. McKell then focused on acting and ...

and

Madalena Alberto Madalena Alberto is a Portuguese actress, singer and composer who has developed her career in London's West End. Alberto received rave reviews for her role as Eva Perón in '' Evita'' in the West End (2014), where the show arrived after its UK Tou ...

. It was Directed by Stephen Whitson 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 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
LGBTQ-related plays Song cycles 1989 musicals Musicals based on poems Off-off-Broadway West End musicals HIV/AIDS in theatre