Monthly Archives: August 2023

“Respectfully Yours, Julia Sand”

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I am thrilled to announce I have completed another play (one of two in six months) – a historical drama – “Respectfully Yours, Julia Sand.”

As a lover of history, I have often used my theatrical writing to resurrect little-known or under-reported stories from the past, and this story in particular is one that I find very touching, very hopeful, and very relevant, especially in an age where, regardless of political persuasion – right, left, or in-between – Americans have lost faith in our leaders and our institutions.

Considering that rather depressing situation, it helps to turn back the clock to a man who, though widely decried at the time as pleasure-seeking and corrupt, rose to the greatest of challenges and aimed to restore faith in the American government and in American institutions – and all the time being encouraged by a most unlikely, yet remarkable woman.

This is “Respectfully Yours, Julia Sand”…

Chester Alan Arthur and his unlikely penpal, Julia I. Sand

In the year 1880, James A. Garfield is elected President of the United States, with Chester Alan Arthur as Vice-President – but while Garfield is generally well-regarded, Arthur is a creature of the New York political machine and a participant in the rankest corruption. As a devotee of soirees above all, he is content to remain in the largely ceremonial role of Vice-President – until, that is, President Garfield is suddenly shot and killed by a deranged office-seeker. Propelled into history, Arthur has to choose between feeding the corrupt impulses of his friends and doing what is right for the country. He waffles, he wavers – and then suddenly he receives an inspiring letter from a mysterious woman who gives him the courage to stand up for himself and for what he knows is right.

A brisk-paced, two-act drama – funny in parts, heartfelt in others, and even tragic in some – “Respectfully Yours, Julia Sand” is a play about hope and redemption – and specifically, the hope and redemption of the unlikeliest people from the unlikeliest sources. 

Classical, yet avant-garde in style, the play requires as few as 6 performers and takes place entirely in an English garden, as Arthur relives his life in memory, and is performed, aside from the actor playing Arthur, entirely by young women of all races, who play over 20 different roles.

You can read an excerpt of the play here!

Throwback Thursday – “Memory”

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In this Throwback Thursday, I am revisiting my one (and so far, only) experience with rock opera with an interesting work called “Memory” – a collaboration with the modern classical composer Andrew Seligson.

While I wish I could claim credit, the genesiss for “Memory” was all Andrew, who was in the final stages of studying for his composition degree and was looking for a collaborator for a one-act rock opera.

Through the magic of cyberspace, Andrew and I came into contact and met in New York City, with Andrew having a score about 75% composed and the genesis of an idea about a man, a woman, and a figure who meet under a giant tree – and oh yes, a name: “Memory” – and from there, the ball was in my court to sketch out a broader narrative.

While initially unsure, I found the rather mystical concept intriguing and Andrew’s music lovely and eventually crafted a story out of the basic concept – namely, a man and a woman who mysteriously meet in a blissful, serene dream and then, later, come face-to-face in the flesh underneath a majestic spruce – but while the woman remembers the dream and the utopian peace it bestowed on her life, the man remains in ignorance, eventually causing a rupture between the two, the healing of which ultimately leads the man to a relationship of greater peace with the world and with his own place in it.

Courtesy of Andrew, “Memory” was given a concert presentation at the DiMenna Center in New York City with an extremely talented trio of actors.

The recording below is the key song sung by the young woman, explaining to the young man the peace her dream of him has bestowed on her mind.

THERE’S A PLACE
WE CANNOT SEE.
IT EXISTS
BETWEEN EACH MOMENT.
IN THAT PLACE
YOU AND ME
WE WERE ONE…

You can listen to more excerpts from “Memory” here!