Elena, a new play by Roark Littlefield, tells one of the strangest true love stories of all time. It will be given two staged readings, both open to the public, at The Medicine Show Theatre in Manhattan. The play tells the story of Carl Von Cosel, a radiologist living in Key West who becomes obsessed with a patient named Elena de Hoyos, a young Cuban girl who is suffering from tuberculosis. Despite his best efforts she dies, and it is then that their relationship takes on a new level of intimacy. StageBuddy sat down with playwright and director Roark Littlefield and actor Charles Baran, who plays the enigmatic Von Cosel, to discuss this unusual project.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most bizarre stories that has ever been presented onstage. What was the inspiration for this project?

Roark Littlefield: I first heard about this story many years ago and I was absolutely gripped by it. I knew I wanted to do something with it but I didn’t know exactly what. At the time I was making horror films so I imagined it would be a project along those lines. Then I became increasingly intoxicated by Southern Gothic literature. Von Cosel's story kept returning to me as embodying everything that the most powerful Southern Gothic literature has to offer. And it really happened! I also found myself in the middle of some rather heated debates about some famous works, especially Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Lolita. They were really vituperative arguments. What, after all, is a love story? What is love and what is perversion? I wrote a play called The Violin Maker which was my own foray into that subject. But I kept wanting to explore these ideas further, and this story seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do that, and the stage seemed the perfect vehicle.

How have other people, including actors, responded when you have told them what the story is about?

RL: While I was researching it I told some people what I was doing, and most of them responded with some degree of revulsion. One family member was really horrified and kept saying “May the saints preserve us!” But others saw its potential immediately. When I approached Charles to see of he would consider playing Carl, he expressed interest right away, before I had even written anything. And that helped me because I could imagine Charles in that role, and it helped me to shape who Von Cosel is in the world of the play. Some actors, after reading the script, said it was too gruesome for them, no thanks. But the actors who came on board for the reading have been very enthusiastic.

Charles, how did you approach the part of this controversial man?

Charles Baran: I approached the part by thinking of Carl Von Cosel as the most normal person on the face of the earth.  After all, strange people don’t think themselves strange, do they?  To themselves they are perfectly normal.  They know no other way.  So I thought, Carl doesn’t find himself strange and therefore neither will I.  If the audience finds him strange so be it.  I will just portray him and live in his skin as if his actions and words made perfect sense.

I understand he was treated very sympathetically in the press at the time, and yet when the story is told today he is often spoken of in terms that are, shall we say rather negative. Did you find yourself judging him for what he did?

CB: No, I actually didn’t.  In reality, and compared to the world today, what he did wasn’t all that terrible.  I mean, personally I wouldn’t maintain a relationship with a cadaver, but to each their own I guess.  I’ve certainly done things in my life that I wouldn’t like to have made public, so it comes down to “who am I to judge?”  And with the gun violence and mass shootings happening all over the country, his actions seem rather mild in my opinion.  There could be so much worse.

Tell me about the cast.

RL: Well, of course Charles Baran plays Carl Von Cosel. He is a delight to work with, he’s a theatre artist through and through. He knows what it is to act on a stage, right there in the laps of people who have come in to a theater looking for an experience. And he is great at exploring new material. Elena de Hoyos, the subject of his passion, is played by Gabriella Fanuele, who came in on the recommendation of someone I worked with before. She read for the part and just nailed it. She really seemed to understand the story and who Elena is in the context of the play. We don’t know much about the real Elena de Hoyos. In the play she is something of an enigma. Are we seeing the real person or a fantasy of Carl’s? Gabriella manages to walk that fine line in a way that is just magical. And I’m thrilled to also have Patricia Perales, Katarina Vizina and Laurie Bannister-Colon in the cast as well.

How did you become involved in the play, and how did the plans for a staged reading at The Medicine Show Theatre come about?

CB: I met Roark while doing a play called Two Women On A Precipice that he directed.  My character was completely different than Carl Von Cosel, yet during the work on Women Roark approached me and said he wanted to continue writing Elena and have me play Von Cosel.  Something about my performance inspired him to continue and I was honored.  Yet, for the life of me, I can’t see the connection.  With regard to The Medicine Show, earlier this year I was cast in a musical there and I knew they had a play reading series so I approached the Artistic Directors and asked if we could give Elena a go and try it out.  Barbara and Chris said sure and here we are.

The role of Carl seems to be very demanding, at times he acts in scenes along with other characters as he would in any play, and yet there are other times when he comes right up to the audience and addresses them, asking them questions. Does this present a challenge as an actor?

CB: I do a lot of club work, solo performance, and music as well.  For me it is easy to break the fourth wall and address the audience and make that connection.  In fact, I actually find it very stimulating and exciting.   I love having a one on one relationship with an audience member and making them feel like they participated in the show.  So, the answer I guess is no, for me it did not present a challenge.  I can see how it might for others.

What are your hopes for the future of the play?

CB: Let’s see…..A Pulitzer for Roark and Obies, Drama Desks and Tonys all around?  For now, I hope it keeps living and we get to tell this story to more and more people and have a fully produced production.  I think it’s a great story, Roark’s told it very well and it deserves to be seen.

Finally, what should audiences expect?

RL: They should leave their expectations at the door and just come in. We’ll handle the rest.

Elena will be presented as a staged reading at The Medicine Show Theatre on Saturday, October 17^th at 8pm and Sunday, October 18^th at 2pm. The Medicine Show Theatre is located at 549 West 52nd St., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10019. Tickets are available by calling  (212) 262-4216 or via email requests at: medicineshow@medicineshowtheatre.org