The World Still Needs You, Boris Yeltsin! is a new comic musical based on actual events (although highly fictionalized). In 1989, after the dissolution of the USSR, Boris Yeltsin was sent to the US on a fact-finding mission, representing the new Russian republic. He toured the US and was rather bored by everything, including his visit to the NASA Space Center in Houston. After NASA, he was taken to see a large grocery store in Houston, and was overwhelmed by the incredible variety and quantity of products available to regular Americans in a capitalist society. As a result, he went back to Russia, was elected president, and established capitalism in his country. This explanation skips a few steps but is basically what happened. Really.
This performance is suggested for folks over 16 years of age due to strong language and the comic attempt to offend everyone—especially Texans! (Think of an extreme South Park episode.)
Music by Evan Mack
Lyrics by Joshua McGuire
Book by Evan Mack, Joshua McGuire, and Christopher Mirto
Directed by David Gately
Synopsis
A supermarket in Houston, Texas. 1989. A single set for the entire opera reflects a typical American grocery store. Some suggestions: overhead fluorescent lights, a checkout counter, aisles of groceries, 25¢ machines, and a backdrop showing the vast size of the store. Scenes/Musical Numbers
1: Prologue
2: Freedom3: Wanna Feel Real4: 9 to 12-ish5: So Free it Hurts6: The Russian Is Early7: I Am Not in USSR Anymore8: Joke #19: Yeltsin Unloads10: Purely Cosmetic11: Joke #212: A Cheesy 13: Deeper in the Heart of Texas14: The Future15: Joke #316: The Language Barrier17: Beat the Meat18: Decadent, Unfettered Western Capitalist Excess19: Joke #420: Real News21: Demons Out22: The Miracle on Icing23: Smashdance24: Just a Boy25: Make Your Move26: This Must Be Love27: Home28: Freedom (Reprise)Company
YELTSIN – Alec House-Baillargeon
STORE CLERK – Jonathan MotesSTORE MANAGER – Olivia BriceRENT-A-COP – Thomas ValentiVLADIMIR – Jovanni FerrerENSEMBLEClaire BurresonIsabella NapoliMadeline LeeMaisy ParkerAlex GeorgopoulosNoah GunnZack de BeschePatrick O’FarrellProduction Credits
CREATIVE TEAM:Director – David GatelyMusic Director – Laurann GilleyComposer – Evan Mack Librettist – Joshua McGuire Book by Evan Mack, Joshua McGuire, and Christopher Mirto CONCERT SERVICES STAFF:Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew CareyConcert Production Manager – Kendall FloydPerformance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
Boston Conservatory thanks audience members for viewing this program information online. This paperless program saved 200 sheets of paper, 21 gallons of water, and 18 pounds of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.
