This Musical Starry Nights runs about 3 hours in length. It is composed of 56 songs comprised of a number of very lush and emotionaly powerful themes laced together with a number of sub themes to form a precise whole that embodies the life and times of the artist Vincent van Gogh . The work is divided into three acts. The first act takes us through Vincent's transformation from the pious 'well scrubbed' employee of Goupils & Cie. where he worked as a salesman of prints and reproductions of fine art, to the rough edged temperamental Vincent that many of us are familiar with through his letters and correspondence with his brother Theo. the play opens with a song called 'Memories' and anyone aquainted with the early correspondence between the Brothers van Gogh, will immediately find themselves on familiar turf as each phrase in turn rings a bell in the heart and mind of the listener.

In the first act we see the brother's bond of love and friendship formed early on and finally cemented with the brothers coming to agreement that the money that Vincent receives from his brother Theo shall no longer be considered a handout , but shall rather be considered as advance payment pending the sale of his works. At one point, we see Vincent illuminated on the left of the stage, deep in contemplation as he composes a letter to his brother. We hear his voice in his mind over the somber musical introduction in 'piano simple'. His brother Theo is illuminated on the opposite side of the stage, reading the letter. At one point , Vincent rises up from his desk , and as he moves to center stage, a giant cage decends over him as he begins to sing and song called, 'The Bird in The Cage'. This song is a transliteration of a very famous letter that Vincent wrote to Theo describing himself thus. Soon after the second rejection in love that Vincent suffers,in the play,he takes up with a poor haggard and pregnant woman by the name of Sien Hoornick. She makes her living as a seemstress and at the 'tubs', but in order to make ends meet, she tells us in her first song, that

"sometimes a bit more is required with the price of pins and things...

times being rough and all with what they are.

so for only just one guilder,

I'll sew your britches up like new

and for just one more,

I'll lift my knickers too.."

The song is called "Sorrow'" , and is the first in a sequence of five that will touch the heart of 'any'.... Please note on the link above called Sorrow, that beneath it on the same page is an absolutely wonderful tune that is whisper spoken to us by Siens waif like little girl. It is called ,"New Poppys".

Just read it and beleive me, there is music to match.

In Act I Vincent goes through no less than four catastrophic love affairs until he turns finally focused on the art of painting. There are 21 songs in Act I, most of them emotional blockbusters. Some are very short and only meant to move the action along. The songs are all at one and the same time , both in character with their 19th century era, and palatable to the 21st century ear. The final sequence of Act I includes a scene where the 'Potato Eaters', that Vincent is painting come alive on stage . As one of them steps out to the audience and sings a lovely piece in a Dutch cockney, inviting audience to stay on for Act II,....

Verse 3 :

"So stay on tonight

partake with us

we're serving baked you'll see

we'ver make a fuss..

just know with honest hands

that we have worked the land

for this..god's gift to man"

...the women take up a tray of steaming potatos and bring it up to the lobbyat this point .

In Act II , we are taken to Paris. The whole flavor of the music is now in the 'grand style'. We think of Debussy, Piaf and Chevalier in the same mental breath. In Act II, Vincent has become his own man so to speak. He has moved to Paris to live with his Brother Theo. Everythink is laid out for us in the beginnings with a sequence called 'Parisians' . The madame Segatorri sings and lays out the situation in Paris for us. We learn quickly that upon her meeting the van Gogh brothers, that one was heartbroken and the other just always ' broke'. and she thinks to herself..

' an other artist wants to hang his things

here at my Cafe du Tamborin'

She tells us she will retun later with the story of 'The Lady and the Painter" She reiterates the first opening theme and we are then taken to the little 'jewel' shop of Pere Tanguy where we are treated to a round robin in song with 'A Good Year For The Vintners'. Each of the poor down and out artists takes a turn singing his woes. they all point out at the end of each verse that it's

" It's no big bust for all

when the press runs foul with gall

for it's still a good year

for the Vintners after all"

After we are introduced to Gauguin and a pact is cemented between the brothers van Gogh and he, we move along quickly. We see that Theo having fallen hopelessly in love with Johanna Bonger, sings one of the most beautiful love songs in the play 'Johanna Dear' . Now the apartment on the rue Lepic, is getting just a bit too crowded for the both of them and after a duet, Vincent decides 'I'll leave".

we move into Act III now and things start to move very quickly.This Act can be described as an emotional malestrom. there is no getting out now. Vincent quickly spirals at one and the same time , both to the heights of his genius and to the sides of the pit of destitution with his quickly deteriorating situation in the yellow house that he shares with Gauguin. This of course all culminates with the famous event we are all aware of, the cutting off of a part of his ear and the presentation of it to the prostitute Rachael.

His relationship with Rachael is established early on in Act III. It is not at all what the reader familiar with Vincent's letters will be expecting. I can only say so much without giving too much away.

The first half of Act III culminates with a sequence sung by

Mme. Ginoux, and Postman Roulin with Vincent and Paul Gauguin in tow on the chorus's of the third song in the sequence. This is perhaps one of the highest points in the play, though it is hard to say, there are so many. The song is called 'Where were those Valient Slain'.

Finally after we pass through Vincent's commitment to an asylum, and subsequent release to the care of Dr. Gachet., We come to a point where the music seems to suggest that Vincent has finally reached his end. And then suddenly the stage goes quiet...

a little girl comes running out of a building....she is confused we are told by a woman who enters from the left side of the stage. She explains to us in a very warm loving French accent that Monsior Vincent has just shot himself beneath the heart in a vinyard that belongs to Monsoir Bouchard. She tells us that hecame to , revived by the cool of the evening to realise that he had failed in his attempt to kill himself.

A boy enters from the right...he and the young girl speak in French now...the whole character of the play has become completely 'real' The woman relates to us the events of Vincents final hours, with his brother rushing to his side, how Theo fell apart at the funeral.We hear Theo sing at this point from one my requiums...just a couple of pertinant verses..and the music takes us back. All this time the different scenes being described are being illuminated on different parts ofthe stage. She tells us how suddenly after Vincent's death , his paintings which were formerly considered junk, were suddenly raised up to the status of masterpieces. We see one scene illuminated on the stage, where a farmer tells us that he used this 'priceless masterpiece' to patch the 'chicken coop'. It is a moment at one and the same time humerous and pathetic, because we sense the greed and ignorance that underly the humorous part. Finally she turns to us and after a brief dissertation on the realities of Vincent's life vs. popular legend, she suggests to us that it is better for us to leave matters of details to the scholars to decide..she reminds us that this is a play after all and a work of art, or so the composer would hope that you will accept as such, and so, let us conclude tonight's performance and take you back to the vinyard of.Monsoir Bouchardin those moments just before Vincent shot himself.

As she has been telling us this we have been hearing a voice...almost inaudible at first getting louder and louder and finally as she concludes, we realise that we have been listening to the words of Psalm 91....we hear in vincent's voice.. "They have pierced my hands and my feet...thy have numbered all my bones'...

Vincent now launches into his final number., one of awesomely tragic proportions., and what happens in the next 5 minutes...might possibly be one of the most powerful moments in musical theatre...I can tell you no more..........

In the above overview, I have only 'glissed over'. As I move along typing , the temptation was to just tell you everything. I realise of course that that would mean that I would have to print practically the whole play in order to appease myself. Just take my word for it....This is a very artistically and emotionally complex precision piece. I don't care how hard their heart is, no one leaves the theatre till I have them on their knees... So help me God, NO ONE...... HOME