«Celestina», a Tragic Music Comedy by Brad Bond. Creation and evolution of a Broadway musical

Abstract

We edit here the libretto of the adaptation of La Celestina that, with the title «Celestina», a Tragic Music Comedy, Brad Bond authored and staged in Broadway in 1999. A brief history of the text, since its inception during the university years of Bond, up to its premiere and its later evolution is included. Although his musical adaptation respects the plot and characters of the original, it is more than a mere musical version and it should be considered a member of the celestinesque family on its own. «Celestina», a Tragic Music Comedy is a recreation whose action takes place in today's world, in a coastal city of the US. The dialogues contain many references to modern characters and objects (Sigmund Freud, condoms, barbecues). Also, as demanded by the conventions of Broadway musicals, some characters were introduced, such as a chorus of naughty «Celestina Boys». Besides having access to the text we edit here, the readers can listen to some of the musical numbers connected as hyperlinks to their online recordings. Also, footnotes are added to explain some of the English colloquial expressions and idioms used in the text.