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Creator
LaChiusa, Michael John
Call number
*T-Mss 2015-017
Physical description
31.95 linear feet (79 boxes, 3 volumes, 1 tube); 237.1 mb (972 computer files)
Preferred Citation

Michael John LaChiusa papers, *T-Mss 2015-017. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Sponsor
The Michael John LaChiusa papers were acquired in part through the generosity of the Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund.
Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply
Status note
Electronic records currently unavailable.

Michael John LaChiusa is an American composer, lyricist, and librettist working in musical theater and opera. His papers (1970s-2015) document the development and performance of his original operas and musicals, his collaborations with other writers and composers, and his contributions to revues and other shows. The collection contains scores, scripts, librettos, notes, recordings, press clippings, and other materials.

Biographical/historical information

Michael John LaChiusa is an American composer, lyricist, and librettist working primarily in musical theater and opera. Born in 1962 in Chautauqua, New York, LaChiusa moved to New York City in 1980. He worked as a songwriter and accompanist for cabarets and Off-Off-Broadway theater, including shows by comedian and playwright Jeffrey Essmann. He also participated in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

In the early 1990s, LaChiusa had four shows produced Off-Broadway: Four Short Operas (1991) and First Lady Suite (1993), both directed by Kirsten Sanderson; Hello Again (1993), the first of many collaborations with director and choreographer Graciela Daniele; and The Petrified Prince (1994), with a book by Edward Gallardo.

From 1998 to 1999, LaChiusa held a residency at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the outcome of which was the opera Lovers and Friends (Chautauqua Variations) (2001). In the 1999 to 2000 season, two of LaChiusa's shows were produced on Broadway: Marie Christine, written for and starring Audra McDonald; and The Wild Party. Both productions were nominated for Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Musical Score.

LaChiusa's subsequent Off-Broadway productions included Little Fish (2003), based on short stories by Deborah Eisenberg, and See What I Wanna See (2005), based on stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

LaChiusa's musical Giant, based on the Edna Ferber novel, was commissioned by the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia and produced Off-Broadway in 2012. In 2015, First Daughter Suite, LaChiusa's follow-up to his First Lady Suite, was produced at the Public Theater.

Scope and arrangement

The Michael John LaChiusa papers date from the 1970s to 2015 and document his work as a composer, lyricist, and librettist. The collection concerns the development and performance of LaChiusa's original theatrical works, collaborations with other writers and composers, and work he contributed to revues and other shows. The bulk of the material is scores, scripts, and librettos, including early drafts, final drafts, fragments, and unused material. The collection also contains recordings, notes, correspondence, press clippings, programs, and other materials. Some of the records are electronic.

The Michael John LaChiusa papers are arranged in six series:

  • Series I: Productions
    1980-2015

    Most production files contain complete and partial drafts of music and scripts; cut songs and discarded ideas; notes and research material; scripts and scores used in workshops, readings, performances, and cast recordings; and audio and video recordings. Files may also include programs, press clippings, promotional material, correspondence, rehearsal schedules, cast lists, and other production papers. Among the best-documented works are First Lady Suite, Lovers and Friends (Chautauqua Variations), Marie Christine, The Petrified Prince, See What I Wanna See, and The Wild Party. LaChiusa's early produced work includes music for Jeffrey Essmann shows, librettos for Robert Moran operas, and work with the Terrapin theater company, the Soho Repertory Theatre, and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.

  • Series II: Unproduced and Unfinished Work
    1979-2007

    Unproduced and unfinished works are documented in varying levels of detail: some projects are represented only by notes, correspondence, or programs, while for others there are scores and recordings. The most extensive files are for works that were performed in readings or workshops: Ballad of the Sad Cafe, The End of Day, Henry and Ellen, Therese Raquin, and Zorro. Some material related to unproduced work can also be found in Series III: Songs.

  • Series III: Songs
    1970s-2010

    Song files contain scores, lyrics, notes, correspondence, recordings, and other documentation of individual songs by LaChiusa, many of which were commissioned as contributions to shows. This series also contains music for LaChiusa's early songs from the 1970s and 1980s.

  • Series IV: Press, Publicity, and Essays
    1981-2014

    This series contains clippings, interviews, and other publicity material for LaChiusa and his work. Drafts and clippings of essays written by LaChiusa are also in this series.

  • Series V: Correspondence and Personal Material
    1992-2003
    1,121 Kilobytes (77 computer files)

    This series contains letters to and from LaChiusa regarding his work, and miscellaneous personal records including financial records and personal photographs.

  • Series VI: Miscellaneous Recordings
    circa 1990s

    Miscellaneous recordings include music by others and unidentified recordings.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Purchased from Michael John LaChiusa, 2016.

Processing information

Compiled by Kit Fluker, 2016.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.

Access restrictions

Sound and video materials are unavailable pending digitization.

Other finding aid

An incomplete inventory of the collection is available under "Additional Resources." The inventory gives further details concerning the types of material present for each production. Note that this inventory does not list all material contained in the collection; most notably, it does not include audio and video recordings, electronic records, or First Daughter Suite.

Additional resources