See What I Wanna See | |
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Music | Michael John LaChiusa |
Lyrics | Michael John LaChiusa |
Book | Michael John LaChiusa |
Basis | Dragon: the Old Potter's Tale by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa "In a Grove" by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa Kesa and Morito by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa |
Productions | 2004 Williamstown Theatre Festival 2005 Off-Broadway 2006 Ohio 2007 Boston 2009 Arlington, Virginia 2013 New York City 2015 London |
See What I Wanna See is a musical by Michael John LaChiusa based on three short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa: "Kesa and Morito", "In a Grove" (1922, the inspiration for Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon) and Dragon: the Old Potter's Tale (1919). The story is told in two parts with two prologues. Each prologue involves the medieval lovers/killers Kesa and Morito. The first act follows a murder in Central Park in 1951 from the various perspectives of several different characters. Act two centers on a priest, wavering in his faith, who creates a hoax about a miracle.
The musical played Off-Broadway in 2005 and has since been performed in the UK and in regional U.S. theatres.