The musical consists of three independent movements with two characters each – female and male. Three of them are historic figures; others are fictional, the last two are even nameless. Three of the characters enter the most dramatic circumstances in their lives; the drama of the others is overshoot and, in some way, ironic.
The libretto was interpreted into a musical together with the Ukrainian composer Andrey Ehrlichman; the world premiere was presented on July 28th, 2024, in Odessa.
1. King Henry VI and Margaret d’Anjou
Scotland, 1470. Henry VI, mentally unstable king of England (who was also crowned as a king of France in 1431), lives in a small farmhouse, hidden by his followers. His wife, Queen Margaret, the most dominant figure of the War of Roses, comes to convince Henry coming back to the English throne. Although he is quite happy in his simple asylum, and even tries to convince her to abandon the struggle (aria “come to my kingdom of denial”), she is much more assertive and eventually he agrees to join her. In their final duet she sings about future victories and glory while he is singing on devastation and death.
2. Cleopatra
Alexandria, around 50 B. C. The young princess is trying to get rid of her anxiety and boredom by proclaiming an edict: she is ready to spend a night with anyone who is ready to be executed the next morning. The young locksmith Yanir, who is in love with her, accepts the challenge, and, unlike previous applicants, does not change his intentions and causes Cleopatra’s to fall in love. Alas, he will die in the morning, and she cannot change her order. She sings the aria “The morning is coming, it’s closer and closer and only an hour left”, and he is committing suicide. She puts his head in her collection of the beheaded; finally, she cancels her edict and peacefully falls asleep.
3. Dismissal
Nowadays. Anywhere. Two company employees, He and She, get information that one of them will be fired. They are moving from frustration to anger (for many years they have been both loyal and efficient), while in parallel receiving various hints from the administration. He takes things more philosophically (“And to be interrupted in order to be understood”), she prefers to fight and convinces him that both must resign; however, in the end only one resignation letter is going to be submitted.