To a phantasmagoric libretto by Paul Muldoon, Daron Aric Hagen has crafted an extraordinary post-modern music theater piece that draws on a cornucopia of musical styles, classical and popular. Set in a night club in Las Vegas, Vera involves four characters whose alienation from themselves and each other leads to bizarre consequences. The cast includes two suspected IRA operatives on the lam, undercover agents and the title character, a sensationally portrayed African-American Transvestite. The cleverness of the libretto is matched by Daron Hagen's richly imagined and characterful music, by turns wild and touching. The published vocal score includes the complete compact disc "original cast recording" (with libretto) that has recently been released on the CRI label.