by Chris Chris Van Strander and David Koteles
directed by David Elliott
presented by The Metropolitan Playhouse and Joe Trentacosta
2014 Gilded Age Festival

with Lynn Berg, Kevin Orton, Alyssa Simon, CJ Trentacosta, Wendy Merritt, John Thomas Waite and Rik Walter, with Sean Gough on piano.

In 1903, on Brooklyn’s Coney Island, Thomas Edison electrocuted an elephant. Moreover, he filmed it, for all to witness. Based on historic accounts, Edison’s Elephant explores the life and death of Topsy, the circus elephant who, after much abuse, retaliated against those who harmed her, and was ultimately executed for her actions—then made the subject of Edison’s film 'Electrocuting the Elephant.'

Co-producing with the Metropolitan Playhouse was Joe Trentacosta. Joe and I have worked together for over 20 years; he had co-produced Dilettantes and Debutantes with Patrick Blake (the show that began my partnership with Patrick (see the section on the site on Cold Productions).

Joe had since been working as a Broadway and Off Broadway publicist (he and Perry Street would do many shows together) but had always remained interested in producing. When he approached me to direct the play, I readily accepted. I had wanted to work with writer David Koteles again ever since we did a reading of his play The Cook’s Tour at the Perry Street Theatre.