UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 35, Page 8
June 25, 1992
New musical premieres Friday

     Did self-absorbed artist James McNeil Whistler steal a kiss from
the beautiful Frances Leyland as he invaded her home to turn her
dining room into his infamous Peacock Room? Did her busy and
distracted husband Frederick notice?
     This premise is the basis for a new musical, The Peacock Room:
Three Versions of a Kiss, which premieres at the University on June
26. In the show both Mr. and Mrs. Leyland recall a kiss exchanged
between her and Whistler, and Whistler recalls the kiss too, although,
of course, the famous artist was known to lie.
     The tensions Whistler brought into the Leyland home and the
antagonism between him and Mr. Leyland are immortalized on the room's
walls in a scene depicting fighting peacocks.
     With script by local playwright Drury Pifer, the musical details
life in the Leyland home during the time Whistler painted the Peacock
Room.
     Stoner said she has been intrigued by Whistler's life even before
she was part of a University team that restored the Peacock Room,
which is now installed in the Freer Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C.
     The Peacock Room is the only surviving example of interior design
created by Whistler, who lived from l834 to 1903. He painted it before
he became famous for his portrait of his mother.
     The resulting Peacock Room, which Whistler called "Harmony in
Blue and Gold," is a prime example of the English Aesthetic Movement,
which stressed art in the manufacture of books, ceramics, furniture,
textiles and wallpaper. Household interiors were lavishly decorated by
teams of artists, architects and artisans during this time.
     Originally, architect Thomas Jeckyll was hired to design the
Leyland's dining room and called Whistler in as a consultant. Whistler
started by ripping up the rug, taking red out of the wall's color
scheme and, in the end, repainting every inch of the room.
     The Peacock Room is being produced by First Stage in
collaboration with the University's Office of International Programs
and Special Sessions, the University by the Sea Summer Arts Festival
and Winterthur Museum.
     Performances are scheduled:

     * At the University of Delaware- Fridays and Saturdays, June
       26-27 and July 10-11, at 8:15 p.m. in the Bacchus Cabaret
       Theatre in the Perkins Student Center. Cost is $5 for students
       and senior citizens; and $8 for all others. The performance is
       sponsored by the University's Office of International Programs
       and Special Sessions. For tickets or reservations, call the
       Student Activities Office at 831-2428.
     * In Lewes-Wednesday, July 15, at 8 p.m. in the Little Theatre of
       Cape Henlopen High School, Kings Highways. Cost is $5 per car.
       The performance is part of the University by the Sea Summer
       Arts Festival. For more information, call 855-1620.
     * At Winterthur--Friday, July 17, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, July 19,
       at 2:30 p.m. Cost is $10 for museum members, $6 for students
       and $12 for all others. The production is sponsored by the
       Winterthur Guild. For more information, call 888-4600.

     All performances are produced with support from the Delaware
State Arts Council.
     For information, call Stoner at 831-2479.