Lucrezia Borgia is an original musical that presents a new perspective on the legendary daughter of Pope Alexander VI and her bloody legacy. The Lucrezia of legend has been the subject of countless novels, plays, films and operas – but was she really the heinous monster history has painted her to be? Historical fact brings to light a different Lucrezia Borgia – a proud, passionate woman who sought beauty in an ugly world.
This musical explores a side of Lucrezia Borgia history has chosen to ignore – one that focuses on her strength, compassion and vitality for life, as well as her constant struggle between the desire to follow her own heart, and her loyalty to her family and the Borgia name.
This musical explores a side of Lucrezia Borgia history has chosen to ignore – one that focuses on her strength, compassion and vitality for life, as well as her constant struggle between the desire to follow her own heart, and her loyalty to her family and the Borgia name.
| The Characters |
Lucrezia Borgia Pope Alexander VI, Lucrezia’s father Cesare Borgia, Lucrezia’s brother, captain-general of the Papal army Sancia of Aragon, Princess of Naples; Lucrezia’s former sister-in-law Alfonso of Aragon, Duke of Bisceglie; Lucrezia’s former husband, Sancia’s brother Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua; Lucrezia’s current sister-in-law Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara; Lucrezia’s current husband, Isabella's brother Pietro Bembo, a poet/philosopher in Lucrezia’s court Don Miguel, Cesare’s captain an Apothecary Lisabetta, a servant Cardinal Caraffa, a victim of the Borgias Francesco Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua; Isabella’s husband various soldiers, servants, etc.
|
| Synopsis |
1519. Lucrezia d’Este, Duchess of Ferrara, has summoned her old friend, Pietro Bembo, for one last meeting. Deathly ill from childbirth complications, she confides in the only person in the world she trusts of a grave sin, the gravest of a lifetime of sins, that has weighed on her for years. It is her hope to seek absolution from it before she dies.
So begins a journey back through memory as Lucrezia relives her past. She recalls the unhappy circumstances of her previous marriage to Alfonso, Duke of Bisceglie. As Pope Alexander and his son Cesare contemplate a shift of alliance from the Spanish House of Aragon to King Louis of France, Lucrezia must consider the effects this shift will have on her beloved Alfonso and on Princess Sancia, her sister-in-law and best friend. To make matters worse, the Pope sends Lucrezia on a mission against her will to eliminate Cardinal Caraffa, who has been consorting with the pontiff's enemies. Cesare's right-hand man Don Miguel delivers Lucrezia to an Apothecary who, after aiding Lucrezia's plot by providing her with a dose of poison, devises a plot of her own. Lucrezia also revisits the unpleasant beginnings of her current (and purely political) marriage to the cold and uncaring Duke of Ferrara. With the tragedy of Rome behind her, she fills her days half-heartedly tending to her court of musicians and poets, at the urgings of Isabella d'Este, her new sister-in-law and self-styled patron of the arts. The two new sisters don't get along well, and after Isabella publicly humiliates her, Lucrezia retaliates, with Isabella's husband Francesco Gonzaga figuring prominently in her plans for revenge. The one bright spot of her existence is the company of her court poet, Pietro Bembo, who cultivates in her a renewed sense of wonder and purpose in life. But the new identity she is forging for herself is jeopardized when the Pope and Cesare petition Lucrezia for one more deadly favour. Meanwhile, Isabella solicits the reluctant help of Lucrezia's servant Lisabetta to drive a wedge between her and Pietro... |