Welcome to Musings!
Hello lovely people! Welcome to Musings, the newly relaunched theatre and pop culture newsletter dedicated to the fascinating and the forgotten.
In case you've forgotten me; Hi, I'm Margaret Hall, a musical theatre historian and writer who strives to uncover a new passion around every corner. You may know me from my work as a theatre journalist, as the author of GEMIGNANI: Life and Lessons from Broadway and Beyond, or the ninny behind an ELVIS (2022) Twitter thread that spiralled so far out of control the word count rivalled several published monographs.
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Last month I had the pleasure of producing, directing, and hosting my first concert for 54 Below; 54 Sings DUDE!, a 50th anniversary celebration of Galt MacDermot and Gerome Ragni's musical DUDE. You can watch videos from the concert here, including original cast members Ralph Carter, Allan Nicholls, and Dale Soules.
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In response to the rather dramatic downfall of Twitter (whoever first described the situation as Billy Zane with a gun running around the deck of the Titanic deserves a medal), I'm shifting my community energies to this newsletter. The Twitter meltdown is a reminder of how fragile digital ecosystems are; all it takes is one megalomaniac blood emerald tech tycoon to upend the entire structure.
Musings serves as a letter from me to you, wherein I can communicate the kind of deep dive content I used to share on Twitter; things like musical theatre highlights, cast recording and book recommendations, reviews of cultural museums and heritage sites, and deep dives into various figures of historical and artistic importance. Musings will not operate on any set schedule; unlike its predecessor Musical Theatre History Monthly, a Musings memo will be sent when inspiration strikes. Think of it like a letter from an old friend, letting you into her creative life every couple of weeks.
This weekend, I took a brief trip down to Washington DC to see a dear friend, Tony Fiore, who now works at the costume shop for Shakespeare Theatre Company, one of the premiere Shakespeare focused theatre groups in the United States. I had the pleasure of attending a preview of their newsroom reimagined Much Ado About Nothing, and greatly enjoyed it, but todays memo is about something far more convoluted than Shakespeare's comedy; the subterranean shrines to Elvis Presley underneath STC's theatres.
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These shrines, which skirt the line between kitsch and a folk religion, are legendary. Artists who work at STC on a regular basis often start planning their addition to the shrine before rehearsals even begin, and the shrines are arguably one of the most unique Presley memorabilia collections in the world. But... why? What could possibly connect Shakespeare Theatre Company to Elvis Aaron Presley, a rock and roll singer who died before the company was even founded?
The answer is former assistant stage manager Ashley Brown.
During a 1989 performance of The Beggar's Opera (an ancestor of the modern musical) a sudden loud noise was heard on stage. When stage manager Jamie Latus demanded to know what had happened, Memphis native Brown placed the blame on Elvis' ghost.
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The joke stuck, and Latus put together a rudimentary shrine to appease the angered spirit. Initially consisting of a mass produced postcard and a votive candle, the superstition quickly spread, with company members bringing additions to the shrine as tributes to their adopted theatre ghost. Now, the shrine sprawls throughout the basement of two theatres, Harman Hall and the Klein Theatre. The photos I'm sharing with you are all from the Harman Hall shrine, which I visited prior to the performance of Much Ado.
For a time, a candle within the shrine was lit during every performance. “On nights it wasn’t lit, something would happen. Something would break, a prop would break, or someone would forget an entrance.” said Latus. Eventually the fire department insisted the candle be changed to an electric facsimile, but the tradition persists.
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Theatre superstitions are a mysterious thing. One rarely knows where they begin, or why. The STC Elvis shrines are a fascinating example of modern superstition, where we can observe in real time how folk traditions take root. Latus and Brown are still alive (although they no longer work at STC), but the tradition has already outgrown them. With every production, the shrine swells under the weight of mass produced memorabilia, handmade effigies, and endless photographs. STC has an exciting season planned for 2023, and I'm eager to see what King Lear star Patrick Page will contribute to the King of Rock and Roll's sacred basement.
(Oh, and if anyone knows where I can get this window cling of Presley in a red sweater with his guitar, let me know.)
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All my love, always,
Margaret Hall
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