The Beautiful Lady

The Beautiful Lady, by Elizabeth Swados, is a powerful work of musical theater that dramatizes with pressing urgency the necessity of free speech and the enduring power of art. Set in an artists’ café during the Russian Revolution, the Beautiful Lady sings the words of radical poets of the time, translated by Helen Hayes Award winner Paul Schmidt. As the revolution turns and begins to persecute its own, the poets advocate for a free and just society, seeking meaning and purpose in their resistance.
This special presentation by La MaMa honors Ellen Stewart’s centennial. Ellen nurtured Elizabeth Swados as a young artist and frequently collaborated with her.