The Survival of St. Joan is a
rock opera by
Smoke Rise (Gary Ruffin, Hank Ruffin, Stan Ruffin, and Randy Bugg — music composed by Hank and Gary) from an original concept and
libretto by
Off-Broadway playwright and screenwriter
James Lineberger.
The plot of The Survival of St. Joan was possibly inspired by Operation Shepherdess: The Mystery of Joan of Arc by
André Guérin and
Jack Palmer White, a
revisionist history alleging that
Joan of Arc escaped
execution and later married a nobleman named Robert des Armoises. An idea rejected by historians, the notion of a legendary Joan who lived on in secret has persisted.[4] Certainly inspired by the
Vietnam War,[citation needed] the opera tells of the government of
France and
Pierre Cauchon,
Archbishop of
Beauvais, releasing Joan of Arc and allowing a double, also believed to be a
witch, to burn in her place. She is sent to live with a mute farmer, who falls in love with her,[1] as he elucidates in songs performed in
soliloquy toward the audience. Realizing that there is no end in sight to the
Hundred Years' War, the first act ends with Joan seeking to rejoin the army,[1] despite the fact that she is no longer hearing her voices.
In Act II, Joan learns that she has lost the respect of the army, who attempt to
rape her. (The
libretto in the concept album has Joan raped about halfway through the act; this was changed when stagings went beyond a band performance to a full-fledged
play.) She meets with some deserters who no longer understand the meaning of the war, and reject its former religious purposes, complaining that only their generals and the nobility can live above suffering. Alone and anonymous, Joan is eventually found by villagers who mistakenly decide she has put a hex on their cow, tie her to a tree and
immolate her, thus ending her life almost as history would have it.[1] Upon her death, Joan re-establishes contact with her three voices,
St. Michael,
St. Catherine, and
St. Margaret.
The play
script is held in the North Carolina Collection at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and remains unpublished.[citation needed] It contains many scene changes, often depicting how ordinary people's lives are affected by the war, including Joan's brother, Charles — acting as a scribe for his mother — requesting the king to provide them Joan's soldier's wages to live on, and chiding her for some irate informalisms she wants to include in the letter.
Songs
Act I
Survival (Hank)
Someone is Dying (Gary)
Run, Run (Gary) — The Voices
Back in the World (Gary) — Joan
I'm Here (Gary) — Joan
Love Me (Gary) — Joan
Stonefire (Gary) — The Farmer
Love Me (Part 2) (Gary) — The Farmer; The Child
Lady of Light (Hank) — The Farmer
Country Life (Hank) — The Farmer
Run, Run (Part 2) (Gary) — The Voices
Precious Mommy (Gary) — The Farmer; The Child
Act II
Medley (Survival, Run Run; Back in the World) — The Voices, Joan
Lonely Neighbors (Gary) — People on the Road
Cornbread (Hank) — Soldiers
This Is How It Is (Hank) — Joan
Cannonfire (Gary) — A Wounded Deserter
It's Over (Hank) — Joan, The Voices
Darkwoods Lullaby (Hank) — The Voices
You Don't Know Why (Hank) — The Voices
Propitius (Gary) — Penitents
Burning a Witch (Gary) — Penitents
Love Me (Part 3) (Gary) — Joan in Heaven
Additional Songs for the Expanded Version
Living with the Devil — Witches
Her Strength in Battle — Court Poet
Hymn to the Warrior Saint — Court Poet
Army Life — Soldiers
Stephen Schwartz worked on an unused song for the expansion called "I'll Call Her Barbara" (The Shepherd).
The album featured a cover painting by
Doug Jamieson.