THE WOMAN IN QUESTION
Book and Lyrics by Cheryl Coons
Music by Peter Eldridge
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Two women on the brink of independence, and the notorious artist driven to capture them both.
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1943, Vienna. Summoned by a Nazi museum director, retired couture designer Emilie Flöge comes to the Exhibition Hall to authenticate a sketch by her soul-mate, the controversial painter of women, Gustav Klimt. As she waits in the gallery, Emilie sees dozens of sensuous portraits of women by Klimt, looted by the Nazis. One painting in particular disturbs her... Woman in Gold, the iconic portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer, a socialite with a deformed hand who was Emilie’s greatest rival for Klimt’s affection. As she stares at Adele, Emilie transforms to her younger self and relives the drama of the love triangle, finally learning the secret of the identity of the woman in Klimt’s sensual masterpiece, The Kiss.
THE AUTHORS
Cheryl
Coons
Cheryl is an award-winning librettist and lyricist who has co-written more than a dozen musicals, including River’s End (ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Musical Theatre Award, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Original Script and Score, Theatre for the American Musical Award, NAMT and NYMF), At Wit’s End (Carbonell Award for Best New Work), Sylvia’s Read Good Advice (Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work), Female Problems (After Dark Award for Best Music and Lyrics) and Phantom of the Country Opera, published by Music Theatre International. She contributed lyrics to Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s productions of Merry Wives of Windsor and Measure for Measure. Her musicals have been developed and showcased at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Music Theatre Conference, and the National Alliance of Musical Theater’s Festival of New Works, and the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF). Projects she’s written have twice been selected for the ASCAP Workshops in Los Angeles and Chicago. Cheryl has appeared at Carnegie Hall, performing her original material in an evening sponsored by ASCAP and hosted by Michael Feinstein. She serves on the National Council of the Dramatists Guild, the professional trade association for playwrights, lyricists and librettists.
Peter
Eldridge
For many years Peter Eldridge has remained at the forefront of both the singer-songwriter and
jazz realms as a vocalist, pianist, composer, and arranger. He has released five critically acclaimed albums: Fool No More, Stranger in Town, Decorum, Mad Heaven and Disappearing
Day, which made many ‘best of the year’ lists, including Downbeat, Jazziz, and NPR. Peter and
legendary jazz pianist and composer Kenny Werner recently joined forces on Somewhere, a
collection of lush ballads for voice, string orchestra and jazz trio. Peter is a founding member of acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices, which tours internationally, performing in some of the world’s preeminent venues, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Kennedy Center. Peter is also a member of the vocal group MOSS, alongside Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, Lauren Kinhan, Luciana Souza, and Jo Lawry. His notable collaborations include Becca Stevens, Bobby McFerrin, Fred Hersch, Chanticleer, the late Michael Brecker, David Byrne, Jonatha Brooke, Kurt Elling, the New West Guitar Trio, Jane Monheit, the Swingles, Anat Cohen, Betty Buckley, Janis Siegel, Zach Galafinakis, and the late Jon Hendricks and Mark Murphy. His music
was featured in Playwright’s Horizon’s production of the play This, by Melissa Gibson.
THE MUSIC
Prologue/Come Away With Me
So Much to Talk About
A Little Chaos
Close
Something More
Shine
INFO/CONTACT
The Woman In Question
Book and Lyrics by Cheryl Coons | Music by Peter Eldridge
Cast: 9 (5 Female, 4 Male)
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For production information please contact