Kurt Weill's musically and dramaturgically extraordinary piece "Lady in the Dark" combines two opposite poles: the world of the greatest possible introspection, psychoanalysis, and that of maximum superficiality, the fashion industry. Burnout rocks the life of successful businesswoman Liza Elliott, editor-in-chief of Allure magazine. Tormented by symptoms of stress, she seeks help from Doctor Brooks, a psychoanalyst. Without hesitation, he encourages Liza to have her first therapy session, which reminds her of a song from her childhood...
Kurt Weill's work is retrospectively divided into two central, style-defining periods: the "European Weill", who wrote theater history as the composer of Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera", and the "American Weill", who, after emigrating, continued to develop his work on Broadway in the musical genre . First performed in 1941, the work creates opulent musical sequences from chamber play-like acting scenes and, with Liza Elliott, offers a prime role for a “leading lady” who stands for both social and personal emancipation.
LADY IN THE DARK
Musical play in two acts
Book by Moss Hart
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Music by Kurt Weill
