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Show Credits: Lyrics by Tom Jones
Book by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt

Description: With their distinctive blend of poetry, humor and theatrical flair, the authors of “The Fantasticks” and “I Do! I Do!” serve up an engaging, inspiring morality play in this, their more adventurous Broadway venture.

With their distinctive blend of poetry, humor and theatrical flair, the authors of THE FANTASTICKS and I DO! I DO! serve up an engaging, inspiring morality play in this, their more adventurous Broadway venture.

In the third-century Roman Empire, Cockian the clown finds himself face-to-face with a rigid Commander who feels Cockian should be sent to his death. But because the Commander likes him, Cockian is granted life on one condition: that he impersonate a missing Christian leader, Philemon, to enable the Roman Empire to catch and execute more Christians. With no choice, Cockian does the Commander's bidding, but in doing so begins to feel for the persecuted. Cockian "becomes" Philemon, overflowing with love and the hope for a more humane world, thus earning his redemption… and his death.

PHILEMON has minimal cast, orchestra and production requirements, capitalizing on the intimacy, daring, imagination and mythic quality that are the hallmarks of Jones’ and Schmidt’s astounding body of work.

Insight from the experts Staging Tip: Unit set. The authors are very specific in describing what they have in mind. The director's guide tells all, and even includes three-dimensional drawings. An easy-to-make dummy and a knife that squirts blood, also simple. The director's guide tells you how, and it will cost you next to nothing.