Scenes from Huxley’s Last Trip, live at REDCAT, June 2024

Notes

“LSD: Huxley’s Last Trip,” an opera with music by Anne LeBaron and a libretto by Gerd Stern, Ed Rosenfeld, and Anne LeBaron, charts the powerful cultural, political, and spiritual forces ignited by Albert Hofmann’s discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide. Represented by three sopranos, the LSD Trio (Love, Sex, and Death) embarks on a journey, encountering a diverse cast of characters influential in science, literature, entertainment, national security, and politics. The four scenes on this video represent about half of the opera. (For the remaining scenes, see “LSD: The Opera” on this YouTube channel.)

Performances took place at REDCAT in downtown Los Angeles on June 14-15, 2024.

Librettists: Gerd Stern, Ed Rosenfeld, and Anne LeBaron

  • Scene 1: Huxley’s Last Trip—Part 1
  • Scene 3: Double Helix: Soliloquy No. 1 (a twisted example…)
  • Scene 6: Three Lunches: Soliloquy No. 2 (Finnegan’s Wake)
  • Scene 8: Mary Meyer and JFK

The Cast (in order of appearance)

  • Aldous Huxley SCOTT GRAFF
  • Laura Huxley; LSD Trio (Death) AUBREY BABCOCK
  • LSD Trio (Love); Jackie Kennedy ANNA SCHUBERT
  • LSD Trio (Sex); Marilyn Monroe NELLE ANDERSON
  • James Watson; John F. Kennedy DOMINIC DELZOMPO
  • Francis Crick; Timothy Leary TODD STRANGE
  • Albert Hofmann; Marshall McLuhan JON KEENAN
  • Anita Hofmann; Mary Meyer MARIA ELENA ALTANY

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Double Helix (remote presentation)

Notes

“Double Helix,” a scene from the opera LSD: Huxley’s Last Trip, depicts Francis Crick and James Watson celebrating their discovery of DNA at the Eagle Pub in Cambridge, England. Crick reveals that while under the influence of LSD, he visualized the double helix structure for the first time. Patrons at the bar comment on his revelation, while LSD hovers in the background. 

In LSD: Huxley’s Last Trip, iconic figures such as Aldous Huxley, Albert Hofmann, Timothy Leary, and JFK’s mistress Mary Meyer, along with the CIA’s MK-ULTRA program, represent the powerful cultural, political, and spiritual forces set into motion by Albert Hofmann’s discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide. LSD was subsequently appropriated for nefarious uses by government agencies and psychopaths, while simultaneously extolled for its powers of illumination by writers and spiritual leaders. Practically half a century had to pass before the value of psychedelics as therapeutic agents in medical and psychiatric settings began to gain traction and respect. 

This opera is currently in development, with initial support from Opera America’s Discovery Grant. Additional excerpts from the opera have been performed with the PARTCH Ensemble at REDCAT, the Wallis Annenberg Theater, and the Schindler House. The libretto is by Gerd Stern, Edward Rosenfeld, and Anne LeBaron. 

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