PSYCHE

PSYCHE - From the Greek myth "Cupid and Psyche"

Villagers are gathered for a Festival at the Temple of Venus. But rather than worshipping Venus, they now worship Psyche, a beautiful orphan girl who they are convinced is Venus Incarnate.

The Priest of the Temple arrives and chastises the villagers. They leave. Venus arrives. Learns she’s been replaced.

Venus decides to have her son, Cupid, the God of Romantic Love, curse Psyche. But before he can, Psyche’s bitten by a snake and Cupid saves her and takes her to his heavenly abode.

Venus goes to Cupid’s place and discovers Cupid and Psyche in a loving embrace. Enraged, she encases Cupid in a glass vault.

Psyche is horrified. Venus promises to release him if Psyche goes to Hell and brings her the Urn of Eternal beauty.

Psyche succeeds and returns to Cupid’s abode but realizing that her trials have left her disfigured, drinks the potion, which turns out to be just a sleeping spell. Venus already had the real urn of eternal beauty.

Cupid awakes and runs to Psyche. Seeing her condition, he begs his mother to make her beautiful again. She refuses. He runs away. Venus has the Priest bring Psyche back to Earth.

Back on Earth years later, Cupid appears to Psyche, tells her he’s sorry he ran away, and to prove he now understands real love, gives her his arrows and bow. Psyche goes to embrace him. He backs off and produces the real Urn of Eternal Beauty. She refuses it and returns the arrows and bow, saying: “Go, be who you are and be it magnificently.”

Cupid confesses his real love for her. Psyche says: “Alright, then give me the Urn.” Concerned, Cupid says, “What will you do with it?”

Accepting that Cupid still cannot love her the way she is for who she is, says, Psyche begins final song (with cast), “I do not blame you if you remember the way I was....

NOTES

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CAST

Psyche (Soprano) A beautiful orphan girl.

Cupid (Tenor) The God of Romantic Love.

Venus (Soprano) The Goddess of Beauty. Mother of Cupid.

The Priest (Baritone) The Priest of The Temple of Venus.

The Villagers (SATB Chorus) featuring:

Yelena, the fruit lady (S)
The Skeptic (A)
The Baker (T)
The Drunk (B)

Jeff Baker, composer, lyricist and co-author book

Jeffrey Baker is a contemporary classical composer with more than 50 works for soloists, choir, chamber and full orchestra. His piano concerto, Rhapsody for a New Age, was performed at Symphony Space in New York City. The Village Voice called his underscore for “Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha,” an off- Broadway play, “Wonderfully composed; I was amazed by it.” He was honored with a “Meet The Composer” lecture and concert at Western Connecticut State University. His “The Music of the Zodiac,” for chamber orchestra has had thousands of downloads. His choral work “Peace in 25 Languages” was performed at The United Nations. “On Earth as it is in Heaven,” for full orchestra was premiered in 1993 by the National Radio Orchestra of Ukraine.

Sondra Lee, book co-author

Sondra Lee began performing on Broadway in 1947 in High Button Shoes. Other Broadway credits included Tiger Lily in Peter Pan (1954) as well as on NBC (1959), Victoire in Hotel Paradiso (1957), Jerome Robbins' Ballet: U.S.A. (1958), Sunday in New York (1961), and Minnie Fay in Hello Dolly (1964). She also performed Peter Pan in San Francisco in 1954. Lee portrayed Daisy, a maid, in a production of Bloomer Girl at the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (1953) and in 1954, she relocated to France to be the co-star of Ballets de Paris.

Lee taught at the NYU Drama School and Stella Adler Conservatory and was also a member of the Directors and Producers group at The Actor’s Studio for many years.

Music

Script

Score

CAST