ABSTRACT
American musical theater composer Michael John LaChiusa came to prominence in 1993, after the Off-Broadway opening of his musical First Lady Suite. In the musicals for which he wrote music, lyrics, and book, LaChiusa frequently develops dramatic action by creating scenes that alternate between sung and spoken words, refraining from clearly demarcating the boundaries between dialogue and song. The musical Little Fish explores how the protagonist, the aspiring writer Charlotte, struggles to connect with her ex-boyfriend, her roommate, her friends, and her acquaintances in her chosen city, New York City in the years immediately following the September 11 attacks. Despite his low profile, LaChiusa’s innovations find parallels in the works of other musical theater composers, both his contemporaries and those who have followed him. Continuing his exploration of female power and powerlessness in the White House, LaChiusa’s First Daughter Suite expands the dramatization of its predecessor, First Lady Suite.
