Monsters of the Villa Diodati
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Music by Matt Conner
Book by Stephen Gregory Smith Lyrics by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith An electrifying musical that examines the nature of creativity itself and the inner demons that materialized in two of the most iconic monsters in Gothic literature: John Polidori's The Vampyre and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. |
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Synopsis
Mary Shelley sits down at her writing desk to compose the forward to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus (“Prologue”). In assembling her memories of the creation of her famous monster, Mary also conjures figures from her past, all of whom have their own recollection of the summer of 1816 (“Pieces of You”).
We are transported back 15 years, when Mary and her lover Percy Shelley have fled to Europe with her stepsister Claire Clairmont in tow. On the stormy shores of Lake Geneva, the threesome encounter Lord Byron and his personal physician John Polidori, in exile from the conservative moral attitudes of England. Sizing one another up, each wonders whom to distrust and whom to seduce (“What Now, What Next?”).
Byron has rented out the Villa Diodati, a mansion near the lake, and invites the Shelley group to stay so long as they abide by his rules (“What Do You Want”). Polidori tries to interest Mary with tales of stealing from the grave to acquire subjects for medical school. Claire, eager to impress the famous Byron, recites one of Percy’s poems (“Soul Meets Soul”). When Byron takes Claire to his chambers, Mary and Percy are finally able to enjoy a private moment together. Polidori is left alone to pray about the forbidden desires which plague him (“Directions for John”).
The next day, Byron and Percy sail together upon the lake and argue over the merits of free love. Byron presses Percy to talk of the close relationship Percy shared with another man (“Julian and Maddolo”). A storm rolls in and forces everyone indoors, where Byron produces a book of ghost stories to read in the “Darkness”.
Mary Shelley sits down at her writing desk to compose the forward to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus (“Prologue”). In assembling her memories of the creation of her famous monster, Mary also conjures figures from her past, all of whom have their own recollection of the summer of 1816 (“Pieces of You”).
