THE WOMAN WITH MANY NAMES Book and Lyrics by Wiliam
Borden |
. . .
Romantic
. . . Controversial
. . . Insightful
"Clever, moving,
riveting . . .
Striking and brilliant"
—Grand Forks Herald
World Premier in 1989 as a North Dakota Centennial Event
Score Available in
operatic or Broadway style
Contact William Borden
for book and lyrics:
William Borden
7996 S. FM 548
Royse City, TX 75189
214-828-1202
borden@hughes.net
Her granddaughter enters, satchel in hand, ready to set out on a life of her own. The grandmother reflects on the future she is awaiting, and the granddaughter tells of the future she expects to encounter.
Suddenly a brash young reporter enters. He’s heard a rumor that Sakakawea—the woman who went to the Pacific with Lewis and Clark—is still alive, even though other records indicate she died many years earlier. He’s here to check out the story. He’s sure, however, that the rumors are false. And he has trouble pronouncing Sakakawea’s name.
"Captain Clark had trouble pronouncing my name, too, " the old woman says—and, as the old woman begins to tell her story, the scene shifts to 1805 on the Missouri River, with the reporter becoming Captain Clark and the granddaughter becoming the young Sakakawea.
Events of the Lewis and Clark journey and from Sakakawea’s life are re-enacted: the boat overturns due to Charbonneau’s incompetence; Young Sakakawea persuades Clark to take her on the expedition; Charbonneau wins Young Sakakawea in a gambling game and "marries" her; York tells her what it’s like to be a slave; Clark names a river after Sakakawea—and one after "Judith"—and Sakakawea pretends she doesn’t care; Clark, Charbonneau, and Sakakawea escapes a flash flood; Sakakawea falls sick, and Clark discovers that he loves her.
All the while, the old Sakakawea watches her past unfold before her, and comments on it.
In Act II the expedition meets the Shoshone, and Sakakawea discovers her brother, from whom she was stolen years earlier. The Shoshone and the men of the expedition celebrate the reunion with a dance—and Clark and Sakakawea declare their love for each other. The expedition journeys on westward, over mountains and across prairies, until finally it reaches its destination—the Pacific coast. The exaltation is short-lived, however, as Clark and Sakakawea realize that their love may not be a "city love."
The scene shifts again to the Wind River Reservation, where the reporter has to decide if he believes the story he’s been told—this "beautiful, sad story." And Old Sakakawea and her granddaughter realize what the journey has meant to both of them.