Mark Mulcahy (music) and Ben Katchor (libretto and images)
with Ken Maiuri, Flora Reed, Dave Trenholm and Mark Mulcahy. Sound: Dan Richardson

In this musical tragicomedy one man's casual obsession with the architecture and culture of coat checkrooms, ensnares him in a desperate struggle between employment agents, maître'ds, lovesick podiatrists, low-budget contractors, and paraphilic playboys. This piece is performed in concert to a projected backdrop of Katchor's evocative illustrations.

A Checkroom Romance was commissioned by The New York Public Library's Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

Commissioned by The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at The New York Public Library - May 2009