The State of the Empire Address

Returning to his room from a New Year’s revelry with socialites, newspapermen, and city newcomer Robert Louis Stevenson, Emperor Norton, San Francisco’s most renowned eccentric, delivers to himself a command summary of his two decades’ delusory reign over the nation. Reviewed are his vigorous correspondence with world leaders, his notorious flirtation with Queen Victoria, his many ignored ukases dissolving Congres, and his quixotic attempts to secure a pair of pants with an intact seat. The State of the Empire Address is part of the San Francisco Fringe Festival.