The Ape Woman is a Rock Opera written and composed by May van Oskan which chronicles the bizarre and haunted journey of Victorian circus phenomenon Julia Pastrana. The work features fourteen original songs performed by a seven piece band, threaded together by the larger-than-life recollections of four narrators. The madcap ensemble of storytellers and musicians invites the audience into their late-night sideshow tent, full to claustrophobia with the trappings of the most decadent and exploitative age.

With a dynamic ranging from somber aria to electric glam rock anthem, The Ape Woman unfolds this compelling true story of a Mexican Indian woman born with a thick beard and dark hair covering her body. A talented singer and dancer, Julia was well educated and spoke three languages. She married her manager Theodore Lent, the last of several showmen who owned her throughout her career. She died in childbirth in 1860, after which Mr. Lent had her body and that of her infant son embalmed. He continued to showcase the mummies across the globe. The remains of Julia and her son traversed the continents for over 100 years, eventually claimed by time and obscurity. That is, until 2013…