

Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Cast Recording CD)
Musical Book and Lyrics by Bill Russell.
Music by Janet Hood.
Characters: 20-25 males 11-16 females (doubling or expanding possible.) Unit set
A celebration of lives lost to AIDS told in free verse monologues with a blues jazz and rock score this piece is designed to include the community in a theatrical response to the AIDS crisis.
It is often performed as a benefit for fund raising and consciousness raising.
"Dramatic."---
Spectator
"Immensely powerful... The songs are uniformly good; the final song is sensational."
— Financial Times
"Bursts with humor, rage and hope."
— Backstage
| Character |
|---|
| Judith Soprano. BUD's sister, so those roles need to be co-ordinated. |
| Doug Baritone. Has traditionally been black. |
| Brian Tenor. Should be believable as RAY's friend. |
| Angela Alto. CLAUDIA's secretary. Has often been black. |
| Patrick A man in his 30s or 40s (old enough to have achieved success as a designer). Important that the actor can find the humor in the monologue. |
| Billy Young, early 20s, a typical all-American mid-Western boy. |
| Mitch Any type, traditionally has been costumed in leather. |
| Josh A clown and ring-leader of the group of friends (the first four characters plus DOUG). |
| Tim A teenager who can find the laughs in this. The younger and more energetic the better. |
| Tracey Young, gorgeous, sexy and spoiled. She should find the laughs and stay away from pathos. |
| Charlotte A young, tough drug-abuser. |
| Francis A gentleman of a certain age. Outrageous. |
| Ray A regular guy, party animal, athletic. His friendship with BRIAN should be easily accepted. |
| Paco An hispanic teenager, the younger the better. |
| Sally Many possibilities as long as she's not too old to have recently given birth. |
| Orville Middle-age, middle-class, "an ordinary Joe." |
| Nick Drop-dead gorgeous, traditionally costumed in a towel, so a great body is a plus. The audience should be seduced by his charm and beauty. |
| Patrick Could be any type who can play comedy. |
| Dwight A typical, young, Broadway-chorus-boy type, Southern accent can work. |
| Rebecca Mid-Western, typical housewife. |
| Claudia A high-power corporate executive. A contrast to her secretary, ANGELA, is helpful. British accent can work. |
| Roscoe A big old drag queen. |
| Helen A typical grandmother. |
| Walter Old enough to attend a high school reunion, different somehow (ethnic? heavy? off-beat?) so we can see why he was something of an outcast. |
| Lamar A black, street-hangin', story-tellin' drug abuser. Essential that the actor find the humor here. |
Elegies For Angels, Punks And Raging Queens is a British lgbtq play written by Bill Russell and published by Samuel French in New York, NY (2010).
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Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
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