Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is a song cycle with music by Janet Hood and lyrics and additional text by Bill Russell. The work features songs and monologues inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology. Each of the monologues is written from the perspective of characters who've died from AIDS and the songs represent the feelings of friends and family members dealing with the loss. The piece was developed in the late 1980s and was originally titled "The Quilt." It was produced first at the Ohio Theatre in Soho in NYC in 1989, where the new title was adopted, and then again Off-off-Broadway in Manhattan's East Village in February 1990. In 1992, it was produced by Giacomo Capizzano at the King's Head Theatre in London, where it played for several months. In June 1993, the production was transferred by Mr Capizzano to the Criterion Theatre in London's West End, where it played until July of the same year. The London cast included Miquel Brown, Kim Criswell, Kwame Kwei-Armah, James Dreyfus, Simon Fanshawe and legendary drag queen Regina Fong. In addition to the New York and London productions of the piece, there have been professional productions in Australia, Germany and Israel, among other countries.
In Ireland, the premiere production in Northern Ireland was on 30 August 2010 at The Black Box in Belfast. The production featured a cast of 35 actors and singers, including a special video appearance by Graham Norton. A cast recording was released on 14 December 2010. All profits from the production and the recording were donated to the Rainbow Project. The premiere production in the Republic of Ireland was in September 2010 and was produced by Limerick's Bottom Dog Theatre Company.
2013 Kansas University
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens was revised and performed at Kansas University in early 2013.
2014 New York
The performance piece was again produced in New York City by Marymount Manhattan College in January 2014. With a cast consisting of over 40 current students, recent alumni, and distinguished faculty, and helmed by Tony Award-nominated book writer and lyricist Bill Russell and music director Paul Jacobs, the song and poetry cycle played 4 total performances at the National Dance Institute in Harlem. This production marks the first time that the show was used as an educational course for students. After auditions were held and the piece was cast, it was announced that students would be able to earn credit towards their degrees provided they followed the course outline in the syllabus, which included daily reflections in the form of journals, analysis of poetry from Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology, extensive research on differing topics pertaining to HIV/AIDS, and a small, formal writing assignment at the end of the production process.
2015 West End
The show returned to the Criterion Theatre in London's West End on Sunday 31st May 2015 to raise money for the MAD Trust, with a cast including Emma Hatton, Fra Fee, Emma Williams, Michael McKell and Madalena Alberto. It was Directed by Stephen Whitson with Choreography by Ewan Jones and Musical Direction by Dean Austin. Bill Russell was in attendance and made an appearance on stage during the curtain call.
2019 London
"Elegies" ran at the Union Theatre, Southwark in a professional Off-West End production until June 8th, 2019. Produced by Sasha Regan and Directed by Bryan Hodgson. The cast includes Fraser Leigh Green, Michiel Janssens, Marcus Ayton, Calum Gulvin, Aidan Harkins, Chris Cahill, Althea Burey, Jackie Pulford, Jade Marvin, Charlie McCullagh, Ailsa Davidson, Jade Chaston, Paige Fenlon, Kristine Kruse, Matthew Grove
