For those of you considering reading in the upcoming workshop,
here are the character descriptions from the script;
General Notes: This background information is provided mostly for the benefit of the actors who are chosen to perform the roles. Further descriptions may be required for designers & casting. Character traits & idiosyncrasies are further defined throughout the script.
If necessary, most characters can be altered to accommodate the available cast or production values. Ages are not critical, however key elements in the script may not work properly if the age range is changed too drastically. Swedenborg’s age is fixed. The character relationships, relative to age, are based on life experience. With this in mind, a primary objective in the characterization has been to exhibit as wide a range of human experience as is possible within the context of the script. The physical characteristics herein described are for the benefit of the representations the author has envisioned for the play. It is not critical that they be adhered to and they are not intended imply any particular bias of mankind generally. The individual character traits can & ought to be adjusted for the cultural needs of the people for whom this play is being presented. Although in order to represent the time period they are recommended. If the character traits are changed, such changes must be conveyed in the program for the show.
Casting Notes: the hair color of the characters must represent their diversity. This is particularly important for the women, as their dialogue is not as predominant in the play. Beards are not critical but are described to create contrast.
The primary antagonist of the play, William is 37 years old. He is a close childhood friend of John. William’s stubborn; egotism is prevalent in his crass, obnoxious attitude. John tolerates him mainly because they were very close, as children and they have not seen much of each other in the past few years. He has stopped in to visit with John as he is on his way north. The foundation of William & John’s relationship is weakening rapidly because of their differences. William is a rogue and a mercenary. He is a husky rough type of character and dresses in a rather mismatched coarse way. Women of culture are generally leery of him. He has little respect for women and considers them to be objects of his desire. He weighs approximately 200 lbs, has red hair & a beard. His eyes are green and he is of Irish descent. His hands are callused from his work with horses. William tries to project an air of culture, however he does not have a firm enough background for it to last long into a conversation. His focus of attention is brief, but as he moves from subject to subject, he is able to regain the ironic appearance of refinement. He manages to contain his anger but he has a short fuse. If he remains in a disagreement with someone, there is the risk of his becoming violent. He does not respect others and the subject of other people’s intelligence is one of the ongoing arguments that he has with John. He respects John more than most others, but he is beginning to give up on John. Return
Is 32-39 years old and the host of the gathering. Living in established wealth, he need not exert himself, although he does so, much to the bewilderment of his family & friends. He keeps an even pace about his life and takes the time he needs to relax. Much of his time has been spent in universities studying a wide spectrum of subjects, with a particular emphasis on trade. He carries himself well, and is a successful businessman dealing in imported goods. As a child he spent much time living on the estate that has been left to him by his grandfather. The older servants who remember his youth have a warm and loving relationship with him. His thirst for knowledge & intellectual challenge continues to provide him with inspiration and an abundance of energy. He dresses comfortably but retains the air of his cultured upbringing. The style of his clothes is generally one of subdued elegance, however, that elegance is by no means fragile. His hair is light brown. He has no facial hair. He weighs approximately 180 lbs and is of Saxon/Teutonic decent. He is in good health, even strong. He is not married. He treats people with much respect and clearly supports a belief in God. He generally projects his thoughts in a clear manner but sometimes drifts into aloof thoughts. Return
A female servant in Johns home, Victoria is an attractive woman. It seems possible that John may have chosen to employ her for her looks because she compliments John well physically. She is subtly flirtatious, a fact that is quite delightful for John and his male guests. She carries herself well and she is rather coy. Her flirtatiousness becomes much more outward “one on one”, particularly with Thomas. She is 28 years old and is of medium height (5’10”±). She is a slight woman, maybe 110 lbs, but she is shapely. She wears her hair up when she is working on preparations and lets it down in a ponytail when she is encouraged to do so by John. When her hair is let down, it is a long, silky brownish blonde. Her attire is that of her position, however she has a number of changes of clothing, as this is her subtle way of catching attention. She also has a more formal change of clothes for when she is invited to participate in the gathering. Her work clothing is conservative but attractive, whereas her formal change is considerably more provocative. Return
James, the butler, is approximately 70 years old. He has taken on a surrogate role of guardian for John as a result of watching him grow from childhood. A slightly larger than normal man, he is balding & grey. He is a quiet man. His clothing is quite refined and he takes pride in the way he looks. Once married, his wife died of an illness a few years ago, he generally feels lonely as a result of this. He seems to feel protective of Victoria and she looks up to him. Deep in his thoughts he is attracted to her as a woman but his moral sense does not allow him to manifest his affection in any way other than a fatherly one. Whenever he begins to feel attracted to Victoria he remembers his wife and becomes flustered. He likes to think he can do more than he can and he often appears feeble. He is in good health however, and actually is stronger than he appears. Most of the guests are familiar with James and are comfortable being friendly to him. When the formality is let down he is quite frank. He is, for the most part, unimpressed with John’s gathering. Return
A long time friend of John’s, Thomas is well traveled in high society circles throughout Europe. He has spent a good amount of time in studies, however he doesn’t seem to use what he has learned. Apparently, his university days have been overruled by his jaunts with High Society & the lustful oblivion that it has fostered. He mostly appears to be a fragile man when left alone to his thoughts, but when he is putting on airs for women & men alike his stature gains strength. At first impression, it is unclear if his sexual orientation is toward men or women. His actions & appearance seem contrary to his dialogue & intent. His gate & level of intensity seem to fluctuate as though he is bordering on sensuality & spiritualism. In his initial entrance his attire is riding gear, which gives him an air of a swashbuckler. He is an excellent horseman. He has come to stay with John for a while and so he has an assortment of clothing & supplies. Later, when he makes his formal entrance, at the gathering, he is wearing a wig. His attire is shockingly frivolous and he appears quite feminine. He is quite immature. He has never settled into responsibility. Thomas thinks himself to be highly educated & refined, and it seems that this may be so, except that his span of attention regarding complex issues does not hold up. His age is approximately 34. His hair is blonde. He weighs about 160 lbs and stands about 6’ tall. Return
Baron Frederic Von Greisiger #7 The Baron Frederic Von Greisiger is in attendance as a result of his long time association with John Gabriel’s family and his timely arrival in England. He is a wealthy man about 60 years of age. He is unkempt in his appearance, not so much because he doesn’t try to keep himself looking well, but rather because he keeps falling apart. His actions are clumsy but he has managed his business dealings shrewdly enough to compensate. He uses money to buy favors and is always looking for ways to gain more. His attitude about matters of the spirit is non-committal, but he is not adverse to discussions, even though he does more listening than speaking. His clothing is rich but his tailor is not very talented. He is a medium sized man, more round than tall. He has a beard which tends to capture debris. Return
Baroness Hildegard Von Greisiger #8 The Baroness Hildegard Von Greisiger is a stealthy woman in public when it comes to her husband, but quite the reverse when they are in private. She is a domineering German wife who has clear control over her husband. In public she is able to secretly convey her messages of control to him whereas in private she is outwardly physical toward anything that dissatisfies her. Her secretive manipulations surface occasionally in her actions. She is a well rounded woman slightly larger than her husband. At times, when she is with women she appears quite feminine, but when she is around men she becomes quite defensive and almost masculine herself. She is 58 years old and dresses
in a rather gaudy fashion, which she believes to be quite fashionable. She is very intimidated by Christine (because she is a fashion designer) and she acts out her role as a Baroness in a very animated way. Her overall appearance & behavior borders on offensive. Return
Lord Eevanwald is a neighboring landowner. His attendance is by virtue of his mutual association with the Baron & being friendly with the elders of John’s family. He is a thin weakening man and has been declining for a number of years, ever since his wife Johanna died. At first he appears to be in fair health, but his endurance over the course of the evening is not good. He is a conservative man, quite indoctrinated with the teachings of the Protestant Church. He finds himself in the position where he must be tolerant of new ideas and is somewhat resistant. He is not quite certain why, but he finds himself making an effort to be flexible, until it reaches the point where his beliefs are challenged too deeply. When this happens he takes over the role of antagonist. He has a very bad heart condition which gives him cause for grief from time to time and this has severely limited his activity. He longs for the company of his wife and he has a generally sad demeanor when he is thinking alone. When he is about other people he is somewhat uplifted. He is 68 years old. He clearly has unfinished business with William, something that occurred many years before. Return
Lady Carolynne Eevanwald #10
Lady Carolynne is Lord Eevanwald’s sister. She was very close friends with Johanna and came to live with her brother when she died. She feels it is her duty to help raise Sara and has taken on a surrogate mother role. She is very high pitched in her emotional reactions to everything, particularly those things she considers to be even slightly in difference to what is “normal”. In this sense she is rather schizoid, however when she is focused on something which she is knowledgeable about, she is quite confident & persuasive. Her ability to endure is limited. She seeks confirmation from the other women about her own self worth. She is 53 years old, fairly attractive, and dresses well, albeit conservatively. She tries to be an example for Sara, even though Sara doesn’t seem to pay much attention. Her relationship with her brother is rather odd. It is not clear how deep her affections go for her brother, although it is quite apparent that she is greatly concerned about him. At times she seems to be living in a fantasy world. She has never been married and she is deeply embarrassed by this fact. Return
Sara is a vision of innocence. At 17 years of age, she has been protected by her mother and also by her aunt. She loves her father very much but is at the age where she wants to avoid his dominance. She is a petite girl, fragile with fair hair & skin. She is unknowing about many things, but she has an inner sense that projects a certain quality which seems to inspire a sense of awe. She is unaware of the evils that beset her (IE: William & Thomas’ lust) because her thoughts & actions are focused on the young love that has appeared between her & André. She dresses in white lace in a very conservative, yet somehow provocative, manner. Her presence tend to bring others into a more “aware” state of mind and they generally feel more rejuvenated. She is quite giddy & sweet and tends to delight those around her. Return
In contrast to her distant cousin Sara, Christine dresses in a outwardly provocative manner. Her attire is of her own design & is quite diverse in the way she has used various textures & colors. She has very long straight black hair which stands out from the wigs of some of the older women. She is a tall, slender, but quite shapely, woman and she wears rich jewelry to accent her clothes. She holds herself very well & even though her clothing is very sexual, she has a distant, upper crust, air about her that prevents the men from approaching her. She is very much in control and chooses who she allows into her sphere. She is 29 years old and has spent most her life in France. She therefore behaves in the manner of a French woman, but looks more Teutonic (Spanish/Moor). Return
Of French origin, André is a 23 year old student of philosophy & medicine. He is an energetic young man who is quite interested in the young ladies. He has never been abusive in his relationships with women, & so he represents the masculine innocence that balances out Sara’s presence in the play. He is good looking & he knows it. This fact is apparent in the way he holds himself, at least until he sees Sara, at which time he becomes much more humble and even shy. André is confident in supporting his positions. He is not very tolerant of the attitudes projected by William, Thomas & Nicholas, primarily because he considers himself superior intellectually to them. He avoids conflict if it appears that it may become physical, but he is inclined to entice an argument- if only to be participant to the resolve. He dresses in a smart fashionable way that is intrinsically practical. (NOTE: it may be appropriate for him to enter with facial hair but then remove it during intermission because of it’s effect on Sara, this could provide good business). Return
A commander in the Calvary stationed in India. Nicholas is currently in England to report to his superiors about the situation. He is beginning to loose his loyalty to the crown and so has become distant about matters regarding politics. He is a private man and has known SirJohn for some years, primarily because of his sister Cassandra’s relationship with John. He is 43 years old and weathered in appearance. He dresses in a conservative manner, not one for frills. Right off the top he finds that he is rather adverse to Williams presence and so he more or less avoids him. He is interested in the women, but not enough to be blatant about it although he has made his attraction clear to them at various points of contact. It is not clear if Nicholas is a violent man or not. He is obviously strong and appears at though he may be rough, however during the course of the play he is mostly gentle. His hair color is not critical but dirty blond (of Viking descent) is preferable. Return
A conservatively attractive woman, she is working very subtly at trying to convince John to marry her. She carries herself decidedly, in order to attract John’s attention. She carefully selects times when her conversations with other men will help her cause. In this way she is devious, but because of her age and her need to marry, she feels justified in stirring jealousy. She does not use it in an abusing way and when she can soothe John she does so. She is comfortable in John’s home and he is comfortable having her there, except when she and Victoria get together, at which time he gets nervous. Cassandra plays on this nervousness to playfully keep him in line. She is an intelligent woman, who can be quite strong, but prefers to allow her fragility to predominate. She is in her early thirties and has long wavy hair somewhat darker than her brother’s. Return An uncouth woman in her late twenties, who unconsciously has become a harlot, her condition in life is a result of depravity and not so much a result of choice. She has an innocent goodness about her, which is not readily apparent. After she has been engaged in conversation with someone for a period, there seems to be hope for her. She responds sexually to men if they initiate the action, but not overtly in a group of strangers. She does however project more sexuality than is proper for any gathering of this type. Until she realizes that it is not necessary for her to be that way in order to gain acceptance (ie: after her song) she acts in a generally unacceptable fashion. Her clothing is rather plain and soiled but she changes after Cassandra offers to help her. She is completely blind to William's abuse of her because she finds him fascinating. Her fascination for William becomes enlightenment to his real qualities as the play progresses and he is unwilling to contribute in a positive way. She becomes quite comfortable with allowing Swedenborg to take on a surrogate father role for her. He in turn responds favorable to her new found awakening. Return
A gentle man, Swedenborg is portrayed at age 83. He is quite lively and alert. His stature is upright and he moves quite easily for his age although it is apparent that he is approaching the end of his life. He is quite secure in his opinions and has no fear of what may occur in any circumstance. He wears a wig and his attire is quite plain. History tells us that he often wore clothes that were unintentionally mismatched and this is the case in regard to his shoes. He carries a sword. He is quite delighted by the young ladies, as they are enamored by his curious sphere of gentleness & eccentricity. He is not generally eccentric except that from time to time he drifts off into a world of his own, as if he were speaking or listening to someone who was not visibly present. He seems to have a protective sphere about him, as the antagonism of the play arises. He looks toward the good in every situation and therefore places a positive interpretation on most all circumstances. He is, however, quite cognizant of when a situation is negative and generally tries to remove himself from the conflict. He is not afraid to confront a situation if it is required to protect the values of innocence or truth. When standing his ground he has a confidence & power that defies explanation to anyone who is viewing things from outward appearances. He tries to remain “regular” and does not look down on anyone. Sometimes he intentional feigns confusion so as to not seem too all knowing. Return
Celestial Angels Male #18/Female #19 Their brief appearances at the opening of Act III are described at that point in the script. There is one male & one female, who can be portrayed by the other actors. Their attire & look is such: Both wear long flowing white gowns which are intended to reflect both the intense hues of the scene & the black lights to be used for highlighting. The male wears a purple waistband & silver jewelry (jewelry which does not clatter) The trim & undergarments use the same color scheme although the undergarment colors are closer to pastels. His hair is of medium length and is fiery red. The female has long wavy hair of the same color. Her attire is much the same although it is cut more femininely. She wears a waistband of deep Ruby trimmed in gold. Her jewelry is gold as well. She wears a headband of gold inlaid with pearl. They wear no shoes. Both are of tall & powerful stature although the female is quite a bit smaller that the male. The lighting in the scene is deep purple & lavender hues so the actual colors must be able to reflect the proper balance in the costuming. Return
Spiritual Angels Male #20/Female #21
Likewise, their appearance is described immediately following the Celestial Angels in the beginning of Act III. There are also two performers- one male & one female. Other actors or possibly the musicians can also portray these characters. Their attire is as such: They are dressed in long flowing white gowns with minimal trim and no apparent jewelry. Their undergarments are colored in rich hues that complement the rich amber hues of the lighting. Their hair is (preferably) of light color but this is not critical. Return
Is one of Lord Eevanwald's guardian angels. He appears to be about 25 years of age. He is a fair skinned young man with a bright, lively look in his eyes. His hair is light color (Blonde, implying his purity by the reflections of light off his hair). He is dressed in a full length pale blue, hooded undergarment covered by a white frock. Around his waist is a braided rope of crimson & gold. He is wearing sandals of gold. Ariel is a jovial type who enjoys encouraging Lord Eevanwald to be like a happy child and he freely jokes with him, making it clear to him that he is doing so by his expressions. Ariel projects a confidence in the providence of God and he is very good at instilling that confidence in Lord Eevanwald. He reacts with Lord Eevanwald as if they have always been close friends. Return
Lord Perry Eevanwald’s wife of many years, she has now grown younger since she has gone to Heaven. She appears to be in her twenties, in contrast to her husband’s being close to 70. This does not seem to bother her, in her being close to him when they meet again, although it is stunning to him. She is very gentle & caring but she is also somewhat cautious, not being certain about how her husband will react to the spiritual world. As she speaks to him, she seems to examine him because she is anxious to know if they will be together. As they spend more time together they begin to draw closer. Johanna, is a woman with long fiery red hair, her complexion is fair and she is a slight woman. Her attire is a flowing lacey gown, almost like that of a wedding dress, but much less formal. The colors of her dress are white highlighted with yellow and she is wearing a gold headband and a golden necklace. A further description of her attire is located in Act II of the script. Return
Cello & Violin (harpsichord or recorder players optional) Musicians attire is refined and conservative and must stand out in its simplicity from the reset of the characters. Their costumes must be coordinated. Other musicians may be added as desired. Return
Production Note: More musicians are advisable and suggested. The specified musical numbers require woodwinds, which can be conveyed either on stage or in the pit. An Overture/prelude, interludes within the show and a postlude for the curtain call are desirable. This material may be provided in future editions.
Additional performers
Should the staging format expand to include abstractions of time & space, in the form of asides, additional performers & text will be included to accommodate the expansion. When reading this version of the script, keep in mind that an expansion such as this will occur in those areas where descriptions are given about Swedenborg’s activities in the context of hearsay. A possible scenario includes Swedenborg breaking away and seeing spirits & angels interacting within the gathering.
