Yesterday, the Music Theatre Company announced its 2014-2015 season along with the schedule's most eyebrow-raising production, a world premiere musical by Smashing Pumpkins frontman and tea merchant Billy Corgan. Our minds immediately began dreaming of a song-and-dance adaptation of Siddhartha, or a fleshed out version of the "Tonight, Tonight" video. In reality, Corgan's 20-minute shortie is based on the Eleusinian Mysteries, ancient Grecian rites meant to bestow immortality. The piece is part of The 48-Hour Musicals: Encore!, a collection of four short works crafted in two days, running December 4–14 at the Music Theatre Company's space in Highland Park. Tickets are $40. Pop into Madame Zuzu's before or after.
Corgan, 47, plans to release two new Pumpkins records in the coming months, and recently reissued Adore, including a sweet mono version of the underrated 1998 LP. His musical follows his 8-hour synthesizer improvisation based on the writings of Herman Hesse. He's basically the Damon Albarn of the North Shore.