By Gianna Barberia, news staff
You have probably heard of life imitating art, but how about art imitating art? That is exactly what “The Kiss,” an original musical premiering at Berklee College of Music, intends to do.
The musical, based off Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s life and paintings, will open April 26 at the Berklee Performance Center.
The show’s story originated from a simple greeting card. Cheryl Coons, a Chicago-based playwright and lyricist, stared at the card, which displayed Klimt’s magnum opus “The Kiss,” on her desk every day for seven years.
After reading about the record sale of another painting by Klimt, “The Woman in Gold,” in 2006, Coons began researching the artist’s life. More than 10 years later, the show is on its way to the stage.
“I’m interested in women’s stories, and I have strong women roles in all of my shows,” Coons said. “I’ve written a few pieces that share a love triangle, but what makes ‘The Kiss’ unique is because the subject of women’s identity is at the heart of this one.”
The story follows two women fighting for Klimt’s affection and Klimt’s desire to make them immortal through his art, according to the show’s website. Taking place in the 1940s in the midst of the Holocaust, Klimt’s soulmate, Emilie Flöge, is tasked with authenticating a sketch by Klimt for a Nazi museum director. While there, she is reminded of the women she had to battle for Klimt’s attention.
It then flashbacks to Flöge’s younger self and follows the love triangle between her, Klimt and the woman in gold, Adele Bloch-Bauer. The musical aims to answer the question: “Who is the woman in ‘The Kiss’?”
“When I first heard about Klimt, I knew there was a story behind it,” Coons said. “The visuals of Klimt’s paintings have a very musical quality. There’s a mystique and motion to them.”
Coons reached out to longtime friend and Boston-based composer Peter Eldridge to create the musical.
“Klimt was a real provocative artist for his time and lived a pretty open life,” Eldridge said. “He was one of the people that really shook things up, both artistically and as a person. We just found the story compelling.”
Eldridge, who is a voice professor at Berklee, decided to produce the musical with the Berklee’s Making Musical Theater Initiative (MMTI). The MMTI is a new curriculum that combines three classes – musical theater ensemble, musical theater orchestra and elements of theater production – to allow students, alumni and faculty to present original works, according to a Berklee press release. The initiative plans to produce a different original musical every year, Eldridge said.
Berklee students, such as Jacklyn Riha, a junior vocal performance and contemporary writing and production dual major, have been an integral part of putting the production together. Riha serves as music director and conductor for “The Kiss,” leading a musical theatre ensemble of 13 students and an orchestra of 15 students.
“[Theatre] is all about collaboration, and the students have been making the musical come alive,” Riha said.
Joey Epstein, a senior composition and film scoring double major at Berklee, is assistant conductor for the show. He said that although the show is indistinguishable from an already established musical, there have been challenging aspects in putting it together.
“This show is unique in that it’s a brand new musical, so there isn’t much for us to refer to in terms of how certain parts of the music should be phrased,” Epstein said.
Typically, Epstein said he and Riha have only one night to learn new orchestrations. However, Coons said that despite these hardships, it is extremely rewarding to see their work live. She said this is especially true for her since she is not able to attend every rehearsal due to her Chicago residency.
“I came in a few weeks ago to see a run through of act one, and it was amazing to see the work that was done in my absence,” Coons said. “I think that working on a new work with young artist is a really unique experience. The fact that a student cast is creating these roles is amazing.”
This is the first musical that Eldridge has written, so he said it is particularly meaningful to see his work in action.
“I’ve been really impressed by the students,” Eldridge said. “They’re hungry to learn more, and they’ve jumped into the world. The first time I heard the actors sing with the orchestra, I got choked up.”
Tickets are $8 in advance and $12 the day of show. They can be bought on the Berklee Performance Center’s website.
