See What I Wanna See
Book, Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa
Based on short stories by Rynosuke Akutagawa

Synopsis

See What I Wanna See is a musical in two acts written by composer/lyricist Michael John LaChiusa (Wild Party, Marie Christine, Hello Again) and based on three short stories by the late Japanese author Rynosuke Akutagawa. One of these, In The Grove, was the inspiration for Akira Kurasowa’s acclaimed 1950 motion picture Rashomon, which tells the story set in feudal Japan of a samurai’s death and the different perspectives from the five people who were involved about what had happened.

LaChiusa’s musical consists of three parts:

The Prologues: Kesa and Morito

Based on the short story of the same name, the prologues to Act I and Act II tell of two lovers who have both decided to end their affair. Prior to Act I, Kesa’s story is told, and then before Act II, Morito’s story is seen. In each prologue, the lovers meet and sing of what is going to happen. The stories and lyrics are almost exactly the same even as they are told from two opposite perspectives. At the end of each prologue, the protagonist of that story prepares to end the lover’s life, but a blackout makes it impossible to know precisely what happens.

Act I: R Shomon

As with the famous Kurosawa film, Act I is based on the Akutagawa story In The Grove. However, this version is set in New York City in 1950 at time of the premiere of Kurosawa’s film. At a downtown theater where the story takes place, the A has been stolen from the theater’s marquee, leaving the title of the film to read “R SHOMON”. In this version, which closely parallels the Akutagawa narrative as well as the film Rashomon, a murder has taken place in Central Park, and the stories of the janitor, the thief, the wife and the dead husband (as told through the eyes of a medium) are intertwined and illustrate how hard it is to fully comprehend the “truth”.

Act II: Gloryday

Based on Akutagawa’s short story The Dragon, the final act is set in immediate post-9/11 New York City, where a priest has given up the collar after what he perceives as failings of both himself and humanity during the tragedy that previous September. Spurred by his renegade communist/atheist aunt as well as the disappearance of his own faith, he decides to play a prank on the people of New York and the world by announcing the second coming of Jesus which he says will happen at the Central Park Lake in three weeks. As the day of the miracle draws closer, he meets a CPA who has abandoned his family, then a young actress who is seeking redemption and finally a reporter who also was seriously affected by the events of 9/11. Ultimately, thousands of people gather in the park to witness the “miracle” and even though the priest finally decides to tell everyone of his prank, no one believes him. As the play nears its end, a huge storm rises up in the park and threatens people so ominously that they all flee, leaving the priest as the only one facing the lake. And indeed, the Lord makes an appearance that only the priest himself can see. Or can he? The story is not fully resolved, but the priest regains his faith enough to put on the collar again, although he is not sure when he will be ready to say mass.

Conclusion

These three remarkable stories are woven together in LaChiusa's unique and extraordinary style. There are musical and dramatic motifs that cross over between the acts and prologues, and at its heart, the issue of what exactly is “the truth” permeates the entire production.

Individual Songs (mp3 format)

ACT I

01 - Prologue - Kesa
02 - The Janitor's Statement
03 - The Thief's Statement
04 - See What I Wanna See
05 - Big Money
06 - The Park
07 - Go Away With Me
08 - Murder
09 - Best Not To Get Involved
10 - Louie
11 - The Wife's Statement
12 - The Medium's Statement
13 - Go Away With Me Quartet
14 - No More
15 - Simple As This
16 - Act I Finale

ACT II

17 - Prologue - Morito
18 - Last Year
19 - The Greatest Practical Joke
20 - First Message
21 - Central Park
22 - Second Message
23 - Coffee
24 - Gloryday
25 - Curiosity/Prayer
26 - Feed The Lions
27 - There Will Be A Miracle
28 - Prayer Reprise
29 - Act II Finale