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Synopsis

The action takes place at Jupiter’s Portico; a New York Bar; Curtain of Night; Great Hall, Olympus; Road to Athens; Arcadia Inn; Colonnade; Inn Tavern; Mt. Olympus; Bedroom; Mountain Shrine; Heaven Out Of This World begins with the entrance of the god Mercury, who offers a plea to suspend logic and accept the story that is to follow – Prologue. Then, peering from his portico, Jupiter, surrounded by lesser gods, announces his need for a little extra-curricular diversion among mortals – I Jupiter, I Rex. Looking down to Earth, he notices the lovely Helen, newly wed to Art O’Malley, and immediately sends Mercury to arrange for a tryst with her. Helen and Art are on their way to Greece in search of a news story about a harmlessly snarling gangster from Chicago, Niki Skolianos, who has fled to Athens to escape the law. Mercury, dressed so that only his silver sandals reveal that he is a god, offers to be their guide, and they start out happily – Use Your Imagination. In Jupiter’s Gymnasium on Mount Olympus, the gods and goddesses prepare to welcome Juno, Jupiter’s wife and mother of most of them – Entrance Of Juno: Hail, Hail, Hail. When Juno arrives, with a peacock under her arm, she immediately becomes suspicious of Jupiter’s activities and wonders why he is so faithless to her – I Got Beauty. Guessing at his plans and remembering the fabled Leda and Europa, she descends to Earth to pursue him. Helen, Art and Mercury, meanwhile, have reached Greece and start out for Athens but, thanks to Mercury’s guile, wind up at the Arcadia Inn in the mountains. There they find Niki, sitting at ease in the garden with Chloe and a group of serving girls. Niki’s primary concern is the manufacture of cigarettes made from poppies. Chloe, although courted by a handsome young shepherd, is dreaming of a lover who will combine high romance with financial security – Where, Oh, Where? Helen and Art, tired of traveling, decide to remain at the inn, and Helen sings joyously of her love – I Am Loved. Mercury, dallying happily with the serving girls, lists the great women of history he has known (They Couldn’t Compare To You), but a thunderclap from Jupiter reminds him of his duties. With Niki’s help, Mercury sends Art off to Athens on a false lead for his news story, and Helen is furious. Discussing the frailties of men with Chloe, she and Chloe are joined by Juno, who is dressed as a mortal and is, with an umbrella equipped with a lightning-rod, looking for Jupiter. The three join in a trio to state their emphatic thoughts – What Do You Think About Men? Arriving on Earth, Jupiter sends for Night and requests that she bring the longest darkness the world has known. She complies. Thanks to his godly powers, Jupiter then assumes the appearance of Art and enters Helen’s room. Juno, unaware of Jupiter’s trickery, guards their door and tells about her youth – I Sleep Easier Now. Later when Helen emerges rapturously from the room, the pagan gods celebrate. Meanwhile, Juno, thinking Niki is Jupiter in disguise, decides to take him back to Olympus with her – Climb Up The Mountain, but he escapes her and she goes after him. In the morning, Helen tells Chloe how happy she is – No Lover For Me and is bewildered when Art reappears and tells her he was on the road from Athens all night. He finally convinces her that she has experienced trauma and dreamed everything. Chloe abandons her shepherd in favor of the busy Mercury, and they get along famously – Cherry Pies Ought To Be You. The same spirit is not shown by Juno and Niki, who meet by chance and also sing the song, but from a decidedly different point of view. That night, on Midsummer’s eve, Jupiter returns to the Mountain Shrine to take Helen back with him to the world of the gods – Hark To The Song Of The Night. But Helen, realizing what has happened, refuses: she prefers her mortal husband who, as a man, will have occasional imperfections. Jupiter sadly admits his defeat. In another part of the forest, Juno complains because she has been unable to find a little affection either in heaven or on earth (Nobody’s Chasing Me), but she finally catches up with her chastened Jupiter on Mount Olympus. As the fantasy ends, Helen and Art are reunited, and Art gets his story. Chloe decides in favor of her shepherd, and a golden cloud floats down from Olympus, bearing Juno and Jupiter with words of advice for mortals – Finale. – Based on notes by George Dale

Credits

(in order of appearance) Mercury: William Redfield Jupiter: George Jongeyans-Gaynes Helen: Priscilla Gillette Waiter: Frank Milton Art O’Malley: William Eythe Night: Janet Collins Vulcania: Peggy Rea Juno: Charlotte Greenwood Chloe: Barbara Ashley Niki Skolianos: David Burns Strephon: Ray Harrison Singers: Barbara Weaver, Shirley Prior, Enid Hall, Nola Fairbanks, B.J. Keating, Lois Monroe, John Schickling, John Schmidt, Richard Curry, Ken Ayers, Orrin Hill, Robert Baird, Joe Hill, Leo Kayworth, Michael Kingsley