Plot Summary
Plot Summary
Act I
Scene I NYC SoHo, 1976 The show opens on George Maciunas Fluxus funeral. Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono, our guide sprites open the coffin lid to confront George, very much alive, wearing papal robes and mitre, high heels and fishnet stockings. They discuss why he is having a funeral while alive.
Scene 2 and onward: Flashback to NYC, SoHo, 1963, George and Fluxus renovate a decrepit loft building using chutzpah and cheap labor. This becomes FluxHouse where the growing movement lives. He sets up a FluxStore to sell their art and instantly runs afoul of city regulations
Charlotte Moorman, aka “The Topless Cellist” arrives to recruit Fluxus members for her Avant-Garde festival. George is upset and refuses to participate but some artists agree to take part.
George hosts a Dumpling Party to regain the movement’s cooperation. An Electrician shows up to collect a debt and threatens George’s life if not paid. Discontent grows with George’s slow pace at publishing their artwork and poor financial management boils over and they throw him out as Chairman of Fluxus
Scrambling, George decides to outdo Charlotte with a FluxConcert at Carnegie Hall which is very successful.
Returning from the concert George is attacked and severely beaten by thugs sent by the Electrician.
Act II
Flashforward, back to NYC SoHo, 1976 We are back at George’s fake, money-raising funeral. He is just back from the hospital and missing his left eye. He climbs out of the coffin and takes charge as if nothing has happened.
But he is definitely rattled and attaches large, sharp blades to his apartment door so the DA and police cannot knock. Fluxus members help him by sending postcards from abroad to convince the DA George is not in NYC. They also fix the faulty wiring so it cannot cause a fire and convince the Mafia boss to call off his thugs.
George decides Fluxus needs to move out of New York and concocts cockamamie schemes to purchase a tropical island to become their own country and when that doesn’t work, to buy a war surplus minesweeper, fix it up and sail around the world together. The minesweeper proves not to be seaworthy so George decides to purchase a horse farm in Massachusetts and actually moves there but the other Fluxus members do not wish to relocate to join him. He makes ends meet by renting rooms.
At the farm, starving poet Billie shows up wanting to rent a room. She has no money but George accepts her promises of payment and she moves in. When no rent is forthcoming, she works with George in keeping up the place. George is meanwhile diagnosed with stomach cancer and takes opium for the awful pain. Billie does therapy with him to try to help and gets to know him very well. He proposes marriage so that his Social Security money will not go to waste when he is gone. She agrees to marry him but only for love. George asks if they can put on elegant dresses and go out in public pretending to be sisters, which they do
Back in NYC at FluxHouse- The couple is married. After the ceremony, they exchange clothing, he donning her gown & wig and she his tux.
George’s real funeral is the last scene. A telegram arrives from George. As a final tribute , they perform his best known piece one last time.
