1990 Cast and synopsis on following pages
An original musical drama
based on Mary Shelley's
"Frankenstein"
by
Eric B. Sirota
cover by Jesse Vezza
Day of Wrath
An original musical drama based on Mary Shelley's
"Frankenstein"
Music by Eric B. Sirota
Libretto by Eric B. Sirota and Sharon Sudol
R. Centolonza
Pat McCall
Evelyn Drake
Thomas Milburn
Jack Johnson
Kimberly Fallon
Matt Tolbert
Mary Homan
Kimberly Homan
Eric Sirota
Cheryl Church
Hubert King
Andrew Jannetti
Michelle Modrick
Gerry Hughes
Ned Corcoran
John Bradley
Mike Pluchinsky
Rob Woiccak
Mary Belfatto
Ingrid Pickering
C. X. MacIntosh II
The Creature
Victor Frankenstein
Elizabeth Lavenza
Henry Clerval (Victor's Friend)
Victor's Father
Justine (William's nanny)
Innkeeper
Innkeeper's Wife
William (Victor's Brother)
Producer & Music Director
Director
Choreographer
Choreographic Consultant
Assistant Producer
Set Construction Manager
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
A/V Manager
Lighting Design
Makeup design
Publicity
Conductor
Set construction, curtains and props - Marcelino Bernardo, Jim
Chludzinski, Carlyn Coe, Kathleen Creegan, Dave Goshorn, Don
Melochic, Judy Meyer, Frank Paciullo, Al Ruppert, Steve Russell,
Norma Tindall, Paul Tindall, Wan K. Wan.
Stage and lighting crew - Marcelino Bernardo, Shean-Jer Chen,
Mark Disko, Steve Hinton, Marjorie Holmes, Jackie Hom, Cruise
Jones, John Lau, Livia Periu, John Petrozelli, Robert Plano, Manese
Rabeony, Yi Shen, Jim Stokes.
Makeup - Dawn Elliott, Bonnie Godfrey, Liza Kinney, Betty
Mahoney, Dee Redd.
Publicity - Barbara Balak, Karen Dobson, Art Van Mil, Christine
Varges, Jesse Vezza.
Special thanks to the following - Lou Furlong (for his enthusiastic
support), Joe Eggert (for facilitating the production at this location),
Kent Cottingham and North Hunterdon High School (loan of
spotlights), Chuck Daniels, Greg Kost and Eddie Socha (electrical
aspects and footlights), Jesse Vezza (logo and artwork) and the
following Exxon groups: Clinton Social Club, Laboratory Advisory
Committee, Laboratory Management Committee, Facilities
Engineering Division (especially Hans Pfister and Jenny
McLatchie), and to many others, too numerous to mention.
Eric produced the piano score for Day of Wrath using
Professional Composer ® software, and orchestrated it for 64 voices
on Roland D-10 and D-110 multitimbral synthesizers. The
sequencing was done using Mark of the Unicorn's® Performer ®
software on a Macintosh.
We request that you observe the following whilst in the auditorium:
No audio or video recording, no cameras.
No smoking.
Day of Wrath - Synopsis
Late 1700's, outside Geneva.
Scene 1: Parlor of the Frankenstein home.
In Victor's Coming Home, everyone excitedly anticipates Victor's
arrival from the university. Victor's father, younger brother William and nanny
Justine are present, along with Elizabeth, Victor's childhood sweetheart who was
orphaned and raised in the Frankenstein home; and Henry, Victor's best friend,
who has an interest in Justine. Victor's entrance is followed by Here, In My
Heart, a love duet with Elizabeth. All drink a toast to Victor (I've Returned to
You), while Victor anticipates setting up his own laboratory to carry out his
work.
Scene 2: Victor's laboratory. A short time later.
Victor contemplates the quest for the secrets of life, believing he has
found the answer (Once in a Dream). He then tries to vitalize the creature using
storage batteries, during Working Music, but is unsuccessful. The sound of
thunder in the distance gives him a idea. In God in Heaven, he calls on the
Almighty to deliver the final stroke needed to create life. The lightning strikes
and the creature slowly comes to life. In Heartbeat, Victor sees his creation
become hideous looking, as life overtakes him and his muscles spasm. Victor
flees his laboratory in horror, leaving the creature alone.
In Wandering, the creature awakens and ventures out into the world
alone. He is either shunned or attacked by everyone. By watching a family, he
learns the language and how people live. He then returns to his birthplace to
seek out his maker. He encounters William and while trying to silence his
screams, accidently kills him. Justine is convicted of William's murder and
hanged.
Scene 3: Parlor of the Frankenstein home. A year and a half later
Following the deaths of William and Justine life has eventually returned
to some degree of normalcy for everyone but Victor who knows that his creation
was responsible for these tragedies and is still wandering around. Nevertheless,
Victor and Elizabeth have announced their wedding plans. The father enters with
the guest list and in a reflective moment (More Than a Mother) Elizabeth
recalls how Victor's mother had brought her into their home, and died from an
illness she caught while tending Elizabeth during childhood. The father exits and
Henry bounds in. He notices all the eligible girls on the list and then makes fun
of the various notables who are to be invited (Guest List). Elizabeth sings of her
concern over Victor in When Will It End and then leaves to call Victor. Victor
enters looking depressed and in Life Must Go On, Henry tries to cheer him up.
Elizabeth calls them for dinner and they exit.
Night falls. The creature enters through the patio door. Victor returns
from dinner and the creature forces Victor to hear his story (Narrative) of what
transpired after being abandoned. The duet Why Have You Created Me
follows, and they are interrupted by Elizabeth at the door. The Creature hides
and in the Trio, Victor and Elizabeth sing a love duet with the Creature
contrasting their happiness with his loneliness. After Elizabeth leaves, the
creature enters and in Day of Wrath, convinces Victor to create him a mate.
Intermission (15 minutes)
Scene 4: Victor's Laboratory. A short time later.
Victor is working on creating a female companion while the Creature
anticipates his bride awakening (I Can Dream Too). Victor weighs his
responsibility to his creation over that to mankind and fears the creation of a race
of monsters. He stops work on the female and an altercation ensues. Henry hears
noise from the lab and does not heed Victor's calls to stay out . Upon seeing the
Creature he draws his gun and the Creature throws him against the wall where he
hits high-voltage equipment and is electrocuted. Victor then flings the
unfinished bride from the table and tells the Creature to leave. As the creature
departs he vows to return on Victor's wedding night.
Victor, exhausted falls asleep beside Henry's body and the tone poem
Nightmare depicts his dream.
Scene 5: Bridal Suite at an Inn. A few months later.
The Innkeeper and his Wife are readying the room for the couple
(Wedding Night). Elizabeth and Victor enter and sing a reprise of their duet
now as a Quartet along with the innkeeper and his wife. Elizabeth changes her
clothes as Victor, remembering the Creature's threat, leaves to look around.
Elizabeth sings a Reprise of When Will It End and the Creature enters through
a window. Elizabeth is not afraid of him, as she sees her Victor inside of him. In
the duet Elizabeth Forgive Me the Creature, though realizing that she has not
wronged him, is compelled to kill Elizabeth in order to wreak vengeance on
Victor. The creature leaves and Victor rushes in throwing himself in despair
over her lifeless body.
Scene 6: Victor's laboratory, A short time later.
In the Prelude to Scene 6 Victor's sorrow turns to contemplation. The
only thing left is to destroy his creation and evidence of his experiment, even
though he realizes (I Tried to Fly) that man's quest for knowledge and eternal
life will one day lead another along the same path. The creature enters and in the
duet, Evil Fiend, the creature mocks Victor's suffering. Victor shoots and
wounds the Creature, who strangles him. The creature first addresses his lifeless
creator and then the Almighty in Creator's Creator. Not wanting anyone to
continue Victor's work, he destroys the lab and himself.
Day of Wrath - Who's Who
Pat McCall (Victor Frankenstein) has sung in concerts and stage productions,
mostly in Monmouth County, for many years. With the Monmouth Civic Chorus,
he played Leonard Merrill in Yeoman of the Guard, the mailman in Most Happy
Fella and Baron Mirko Zeta in The Merry Widow. He is currently an active
member of the Garden State Singers. At CR, Pat will be remembered for his role
as Milton Milton, the offstage radio announcer in Don Pietro, which he also coauthored.
Evelyn Drake (Elizabeth Lavenza) is a research associate in the Polymers and
Fluids Laboratory of CR. She has enjoyed singing ever since her first
performance as an angel in a Christmas play when she was 4 years old. Although
singing comes naturally to her, she has studied voice with Catharine Akos at
Southern Methodist University and Garyph Nair in New Jersey. She currently
performs as a soloist for several area churches and choral groups. She also gives
recitals of period music for special occasions and social clubs. Her role as
Elizabeth in Day of Wrath is her first major acting experience.
R. Centolonza (The Creature). He was last seen...probably painting your office!
He is the foreman painter here at the Clinton site. Actually, he was last seen as
Guido in the musical production of Nine at the New Jersey Public Theatre in
Berkley Heights. His theatrical experience spans 23 years throughout New Jersey
local and professional playhouses. You may recognize him from last year's Exxon
Christmas party as Mr. Bunny in the Holiday Toy Store. He describes his
character in Day of Wrath as 'Bunny gone bad'.
Jack Johnson (Victor's father) is an inorganic chemist at Exxon Research and
Engineering's Clinton facility. Day of Wrath is his first theatrical production since
1972, when he played the title role in Peter Pan at Carleton College in Northfield,
Minnesota. He sings in the Hunterdon Choral Union and the Clinton Presbyterian
Church choir.
Thomas Milburn (Henry Clerval) is an attorney with his own practice in
Cranbury, New Jersey, and is married to Michelle Modrick of CR. Tom is a
member of the church choir at Mary, Mother of God in Hillsborough Township.
He is currently studying voice at Westminster Choir College in Princeton.
Kimberly Fallon (Justine) is presently an office assistant with the Clinton
Telecommunications Division. While attending Phillipsburg High School she was
a member of their drama club and the International Thespians. Performances
included: Once Upon a Mattress, Sugar, and Pippin. She is a member of St.
Anthony's Church Choir in Easton, PA and has just begun cantoring Mass there as
well.
Matt Tolbert was destined for the role of Innkeeper when he told Eric "I used to
sing in my church's junior choir back in '72..." Matt had several acting
experiences in high school, including the role as Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! and as
Marco the Magnificent in Carnival. Sadly, on entering college, Matt gave up all
participation in theatre, because "staunch Republicans don't get involved with
those singing types." His fiancée, however, claims that she occasionally hears him
singing Gilbert and Sullivan during his morning showers. Matt works with
ER&E's Technical Computing Division as a supercomputing and scientific
visualization computer analyst.
Mary Homan (Innkeeper's Wife) is an associate chemist at FMC Corp.,
Princeton and lives with her husband Howard (CR) and two children in
Piscataway. Since her early teens she has been a soloist in church and school
choirs, and began studying voice a few years ago. This summer she sang solos
from The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro and Orpheus and Eurydice in a
Rutgers' opera workshop performance. She is a soloist in area churches and sings
with Cantabile, a Middlesex County Chamber Chorale.
Kimberly Homan (William Frankenstein) is in seventh grade at Conackamack
School in Piscataway. She has studied piano and enjoys singing in school chorus
performances.
Eric Sirota (Composer, lyricist, Producer and Music Director). Eric is a
physicist in Corporate Research. He studied piano with Dorothy and Sidney
Morrow in Brooklyn and musical composition with Shep Shapiro and Ron Nelson
at Brown University. He began work on Day of Wrath in 1981, making slow
progress with it while in graduate school. In 1988 he began collaborating with
Ms. Sudol and the work was completed this year.
Sharon Sudol (Co-lyricist). Starting as House Manager of The Whole Theater
Company, she has pursued a career as a freelance writer and special events
coordinator, most recently for the Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. She has also
written songs for various groups, including the 1990 recruitment song for the
Fresh Air Fund in New York City. Ms. Sudol currently resides in Montclair.
Cheryl Church (Director). "Love for the Theater never dies...". Cheryl can
remember taking tap lessons, and being Ole King Cole in first grade... Since then
she has been involved in various shows, acting, dancing or in the orchestra;
however her biggest accomplishments were writing two One Act Plays as well as
directing/co-directing three additional plays in college. Day of Wrath is the first
full length musical that she has directed.
Hubert King (Choreographer) Hubert is a physicist in Corporate Research who
has watched dance for years but is here making his choreographic debut. He
currently takes dance classes at Studio 400 in New York and is on the Board of
Directors of a NYC-based dance company.
Andrew Jannetti (Choreographic Consultant) Andrew is a dancer and
choreographer who regularly performs and teaches in New York and New Jersey.
He has danced with several modern dance companies and currently has his own
company, Andrew Jannetti and Dancers.