“Turn of the Screw” original cast recording
Earlier this year, the Virginia theater company Creative Cauldron presented a world premiere musical adaptation of The Turn of the Screw — Henry James’s classic gothic novella about a governess who uncovers dark secrets about the two young orphans in her care — from Matt Conner (music) and Stephen Gregory Smith (lyrics/book). The original cast recording features Sherri Edelen and Susan Derry reprising their roles.
The recording can be purchased as part of a $35 donation to Creative Cauldron’s Bold New Works for Intimate Stages.
Synopsis: In an abandoned old mansion, two shadowy figures appear and invite us to enter (“Prologue Waltz”). A woman named Giddens appears and begins to recount the time she first visited the House of Bly, which stood “High on a Hill.” Grose, the estate’s housekeeper, introduces Giddens to Flora, the young girl who will be her responsibility as governess. After a day of exploring the house, Flora teaches Giddens the lullaby that her former governess, Miss Jessel, used to sing her to “Sleep.” In a letter to her friend, Giddens describes the new adventure she’s about to take (“Letter One”).
The next day, Giddens tells Grose about the strange conditions placed upon her by the child’s uncle during “The Interview” he conducted with her, namely that he was not to be contacted under any circumstances. Flora takes Giddens to the nearby lake, describing how after her parents died of cholera in India, she and Miss Jessel would pretend they were sailing “On the Sea” to visit them. Giddens sees the figure of a woman on the other side of the lake, which Flora claims not to see. Giddens sums up the events of the day in another letter (“Letter Two”).
Upon receiving notice that the young master of the house, Miles, has been expelled from school without explanation and will be returning immediately to Bly, Giddens and Grose prepare his bedroom for his return. Giddens is shocked to discover that the walls of Miles’ room are covered in photographs of the woman from the lake (“Black and White”). Grose explains that the woman is Miss Jessel, and that she drowned herself after being shunned by the valet, Mr. Quint. The entire house eagerly awaits Miles’ return (“Miles and Miles”).
Grose tells Giddens that the children had inadvertently witnessed an intimate moment between Jessel and Quint while under Jessel’s care, and that Miles was left alone with the drunken Quint in the horse stables (“Fast and Loose”). Giddens accuses Grose of negligence, but Grose defends her inaction as the only possible response during the “Moment.” While writing another letter (“Letter Three”), Giddens falls asleep and dreams of being danced around the house by a shirtless Quint while Miles and Flora watch. She awakens to find Miles standing over her with a camera.To discover the true reason Miles was expelled from school, Giddens agrees to play “Make Believe” with the children. As a storm brews outside, Miles and Flora seem to be conspiring against their new governess, leading her out to the stables into the rain (“Letter Four”). To pass the time the next day, Miles shows Giddens how to put together a “Puzzle.” During the children’s lesson that afternoon, Giddens is accosted by a vision of Jessel in the “Classroom.”
Nearly undone, Giddens runs to the lake and finds the “Tiny Little Ship” that Flora would sail upon it. Flora has come down with a fever and is acting strangely, so Giddens decides that Grose should take Flora away to recover (“Ship/Moment”). This allows Giddens the opportunity to confront Miles about his expulsion and his relationship with Quint (“Puzzle Two”). The ghosts of Quint and Jessel appear to Giddens, reenacting the events of that fateful night, and Giddens vows to end the cycle of abuse. She sees Quint’s hands reaching for Miles’ throat, and upon pulling the young boy away, the ghosts vanish. As Giddens sings a lullaby to the boy, she realizes that Miles is dead (“Finale”).
The Turn of the Screw can be purchased as part of a $35 donation to Creative Cauldron’s Bold New Works for Intimate Stages. Click here for details.
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