GOTHIC OPERA
Music by Stacy Garrop
Libretto by Jerre Dye
Performed by Alice Usher and Laurence Panter
Gothic Opera presents the exclusive digital premiere of Stacy Garrop's The Goth Chapters, recorded in isolation during the coronavirus crisis in 2020.
Our hero, Penelope, works in a comic book store. She’s in her 20s/early 30s. She was a total outcast in high school and found her escape inside Goth culture. She was a wild child. She loves all things Victoriana (with a decidedly dark twist). The comic book store is her sanctuary, now. Though she’s a little more set in her ways now, she still has trouble divorcing herself from her more wild and carefree youthful days.
Chapter 1 - Heedless / Headless
Penelope has stepped outside the comic book store on an emergency coffee break. She has just met a dashing stranger while checking them out at her register. She paces excitedly while drinking a Kombucha and eating Red Vines. It’s late summer. It’s hot. She is invigorated by this chance encounter.
Chapter 2 - Bitten
One week passes....
Penelope has just walked into her house after another clandestine date with the stranger from the comic book store. She might be a little tipsy. She carries a bundle of black roses. As she sings, she removes her coat and puts on her robe and fuzzy house slippers.
Chapter 3 - Our insides
One week passes....
This scene takes place in the morning. Penelope’s lover is asleep beneath the blanket next to her. She realizes for the first time that she is in way too deep. She knows that it must end. At the end she gets dressed and leaves for work.
Chapter 4 - Keepsake
One week passes....
Penelope walks home from work. The scars of the break-up still linger. It’s getting dark. She wears an overcoat and a scarf. It’s cold, now.