“Is it true that when you really love someone, you see all their mess and brokenness and you love them still?
Do you love them even more?”
Like gravity, there’s a force that pulls us…seals us…together. Inexplicable.
Jilted to Perfection is an account of a diverse family grappling with what one sacrifices for love.
Woven into a true story about two artists, a single Mormon mom who falls for a destitute four-divorced Scientologist actor/director, this 75 minute show is couched in the comical ironies of mismatched relationships, highlighted in songs like Jody Foster’s Father is a Con Man, about Hollywood scams artists, and Nine, about non-sexual Mormon dating, and an allegory abound a botched camping trip in King’s Peak. Yet, Jilted to Perfection touches more poignant subjects, including child abuse in Why Does Daddy Hit Me?, sexual harassment in The Met, overcoming cultural and religious incongruencies in Surrendering Heart, a child of divorce in Big Guy, and the sudden loss of a loved one (Come Back Home).
“I scoured 25 years of my diaries and decades of Fred’s professional papers to capture the essence of a family that transcended the assumptions of culture. Behind that is a goal to promote the seminal work of teacher and philosopher, Dr. Fredric Cook, who left an unfinished book about a non-critical approach to teaching the arts. I incorporated Fred’s concepts into the musical, and Jilted to Perfection’s success supports to the raison d’ete to disseminate his books posthumously.”
It’s creator, Debra Cook, was challenged by a friend to write the story following their involvement in Gene Fisch’s New York New Works Theatre Festival in 2017. At Theatre Row’s Acorn Theatre in the 2018 NYNW festival, Jilted to Perfection received rave reviews as a mini-musical, after which Debra expanded into a full production playing at The Triad in 2018, followed by several regional showings.
Basically a one-woman musical, Debra’s ensemble concept has retained the special appearance of a child, McKinlsee Mitchell, who sings the final Good Fight Halleluia, a surprise ending that reviewer Robert Viagas described as “so special” he would not reveal it.
Debra aimed to create a musical without the bells and whistles of expensive production costs, where the “purpose of the play” (Hamlet) carried the show. Originally played from the piano by herself in a narrative style, with options for an ensemble, Director Kathy Morath and Musical Director, Christopher Stephens, have since engaged collaborative pianist, Tanya Taylor, to play the score on stage with Debra free to move about. “As we see ‘Jilted to Perfection’ to being part of the Musical Theatre canon, an accompanist will facilitate even more singing-actresses to perform on the role of Debra. Thus, we postulate iconic female stars will wanting to perform ‘Jilted to Perfection’ following it’s iconic venue in Carnegie Hall,” says Debra.
Debra was approached to perform Jilted to Perfection by producers Iris Dirke and Jonathan Griffith of Distinguished Artists International New York after her 2020 Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium) solo debut in John Rutter’s Requiem.
Debra relates, “I had a great Aunt and Uncle, Dorathea, and Chester LaFollett, artists who taught in NYC almost a century ago, who presented their students in Carnegie Hall. Chester encouraged me as a 4 year old girl, fascinated with music, and now I’m incredibly honored to continue their family tradition at such an iconic and beautiful venue.”
Tickets through Carnegie Hall:
57th Street and 7th Avenue, NY, NY
Carnegie Hall Charge 212-247-7800
Online: carnegiehall.org Tickets $20-89
www.jiltedtoperfetion.com
Contact Info: vocalcook@gmail.com; Professional Artists Group: 435-649-6292: Debra Cook: 801-512-5737
