The Mermaid In Lock No. 7
by Elie Siegmeister
& Edward Mabley
adapted by Leonard Lehrman
(French premiere)
Belezy, July 1989
Page 1
The mermaid, wearing seashell earrings, enters.
She is pulled from the water by Cap'n Swabby
...
and sings an aria - "Bonny Jacky" -
the name of the sailor she met at Land's End,
whom she has swum the Atlantic, to find again.
Unfortunately, Jack has a new girlfriend,
the nightclub singer Monongehela Sal.
Sal incites a chorus of bigots against this "foreigner,"
as they carry signs, in three languages, proclaiming
"Auslaender raus!" and "Mermaids Must Wear Tops!"
Photos courtesy of Lee Baxandall.
