I will be playing Young Claribel!
During the unveiling of the million-dollar renovation of the Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the long-deceased Cone sisters, Etta and Claribel, mysteriously reappear. Joining them, uninvited, are Gertrude Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas (also very much deceased), much to Etta's annoyance. Their unexpected return is driven by a mission: to resolve the long-standing rift between Etta and Gertrude, which fractured their once-close "friendship."
To untangle the past, the younger versions of these women appear, while artwork from the collection miraculously comes to life. Each piece becomes a reflection of the women's lives and relationships, revealing deeply personal connections. Etta wrestles with her feelings for Gertrude and her embrace of modernism, which clash with her deeply ingrained Victorian values. Through a series of vivid and emotional vignettes, the story transports us to early 20th-century Baltimore, Paris, and Italy to uncover the truth about their strained relationship, the rumored affair, and how Gertrude and Alice became a couple.
A COLLECTIBLE SENSATION is a non-linear musical that fluidly transitions between the present-day Cone Wing and the past, where memories and artwork come alive to propel the narrative. Fantasy sequences blend time periods, merging history and imagination. At its core, the show explores timeless lessons on love, the complexities of identity, and the quiet power of covert and overt feminism in an era that confined women to heteronormative domesticity.
With a cast of twelve women of any race or ethnicity, the score combines a modern pop/rock rhythm section with strings to evoke a chamber-like, period-inspired atmosphere.