|
|
|
Shanghai, 1931. Lady Sylvia Allington is the beautiful, young American born wife of an aged British diplomat. She and her husband travel to Shanghai to persuade a notorious Chinese warlord, General Gong Fei, to donate a priceless antique jade bust to the British Museum. Lady Sylvia, a former carnival cooch dancer from Chicago, falls headlong into a fatal love affair with the mysterious Gong Fei, getting hooked on opium and antagonizing the General’s chief adviser, the elderly Doctor Wu and his enigmatic mistress, Mah Li. A scandal involving a local bordello madame, Mrs. Carroll and a cockney drug runner named Pug Talbot, leads to tragedy. Gong Fei blames Sylvia for his troubles and in a mad fit, brands her on the buttocks. She shoots him and finds herself on trial for his murder. She is acquitted but still imprisoned in her loveless marriage, knowingly sniffs a poisoned chrysanthemum and dies. “Shanghai Moon” is an homage to movie and stage melodramas such as “The Bitter Tea of General Yen”, “The Letter”, “The Green Hat”, “The Cheat” and “Shanghai Express.” Stock and amateur rights available through Samuel French, Inc. 45 West 25th Street, NY, NY 10010. For all other inquiries, please contact Marc Glick, Glick and Weintraub, 1501 Broadway, suite 2401, NY, NY 10036 CREDITS Written by Charles Busch; directed by Carl Andress; scenic design by B.T. Whitehill; costume design by Michael Bottari and Ron Case; wig design by Elizabeth Katherine Carr; Charles Busch's wig by Paul Huntley; lighting design by Michael Lincoln; sound design by Michael Lincoln; make-up design by Cassandra Saulter; production stage manager, John F. Sullivan; press representative, Keith Sherman & Assoc. Presented by Theatre for the New City, Executive Director, Crystal Field and Mark Christian Subias. CAST Charles Busch (Lady Sylvia Allington), Sekiya Billman (Mah Li), Becky London Pug Talbot/Lord St. John Allington), Jodie Lynne McClintock (Mrs. Paula Carroll/Sir Geoffrey), Marcy McGuigan (Dr. Wu/Sir Lionel), James Saito (General Gong Fei). |
