Stage Notes: Kaspar Hauser: A Foundling's Opera

KASPAR HAUSER: a foundling’s opera is a music-theater piece by Tony-nominee and Obie-winner Elizabeth Swados and Erin Courtney. The veteran Swados has composed, written and directed over 30 theater pieces, and the up-and-coming Courtney is one of downtown’s finest, regularly-produced playwrights. “Kaspar Hauser” was the name given to a wild child of 14 found on the streets of Nuremburg in 1828. What happened to him afterwards is almost a Dickensian fable of the good and evil in society. Warner Herzog made a movie based on the story. I spoke with Courtney while the show was in previews.

Hi, Erin. How did you get involved in this?
The Flea Theater put Liz and I together a year and a half ago. Liz had been working on it for eight years. She had written these incredible songs, and I helped craft the story.

How did that go?
At first I wrote scenes and she would put them to music. Then eventually I started to write songs with lyrics.

Had you ever written songs before?
No, but I started to pay attention to how she was writing songs and I tried to learn from the master.

How long is it, and is it really an opera?
It’s an hour and a half, and yes, the whole thing is sung. It’s a roller coaster of interesting lyrics and emotions. And a really great visual. It’s like watching a painting. And, of course, it’s the story of Kaspar Hauser.

What’s that about?
Our version is what is based on fact. For 100 years there was gossip that he might have been a royal child who had been kidnapped and murdered. In our version we have made that part theatrical.

How’s that again?
People in power abused and murdered him to keep the throne. It’s like a fairy tale with real villains.

I understand you have a cast of 19 -- the Bats, the Flea’s resident acting company.
The Crowd is an important character because it’s very fickle and a lot of the story is how powerful people manipulate public opinion.

What are some of the big songs?
There are a lot of ensemble numbers where all 19 are singing in harmony. They tell the story in the songs.

For example...
There’s the examination scene, where the doctors first examine him, after he was in a dungeon for the first 14 years of his life. There’s a society party, where there’s a lot of gossip and back-stabbing. Another scene is the journalists reporting on what they believe happened when Kaspar was attacked. Each reporter has a different angle.

Do you have a favorite song?
My favorite song is when he sees the stars for the first time, that’s when he is the first time happy and excited. It’s so beautiful.

So the story follows him as he learns language and learns about the world of people, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a love interest or a happy ending.
No, he has good foster parents, and the moments of love are when he is with that family for awhile, and he learns about the world in a positive way.

This must have been a good experience for you.
I’m happy that people who have seen it say it feels like “one voice." I wanted to tell Liz’s version of the story with her. And the story is coming through as one successful piece of music and storytelling.

The Flea Theater, 41 White St., (212) 352-3101. Feb. 13-Mar. 28. Wed.–Sat., 7 p.m.; Sat. mats., 3 p.m. $25.

Photo by Ryan Jensen