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
Partch Instruments:
Adapted Guitar, Bass Marimba, Castor and Pollux, Cloud Chamber Bowls, Diamond Marimba, Kithara, Surrogate Kithara
Adapted Guitar, Bass Marimba, Castor and Pollux, Cloud Chamber Bowls, Diamond Marimba, Kithara, Surrogate Kithara
Additional Instruments:
Bb Clarinet, Cello, Contrabass, Drumset, Harp, Percussion, Piano, Viola, Violin
Bb Clarinet, Cello, Contrabass, Drumset, Harp, Percussion, Piano, Viola, Violin