It’s December 1921 and business has never been better at The Red Rooster Tea & Coffee shop, Key West’s local speakeasy and sporting house. Love, Lust, Ragtime and Jazz fill the air until a fated night with a mackerel sky.

The musical is based on a true—and little known—Key West tale. El Isleño 1921: The Untold Key West Story, is the legend of Manuel Cabeza (El Isleño) reimagined by musician/playwright, Ben Harrison.

It all began when Ben volunteered to be a “Friends of the Cemetery” tour guide. His assignment, one chilly Sunday in January 2019, was El Isleño’s grave:

R.I.P. Manuel “El Isleño” Cabezas, born New Years Day 1887; died Christmas Day 1921.

Having lived and performed in Key West since the 70s, Ben has a fondness for storytelling and keen interest in the history of the island. Through archives in the Monroe County Library and conversations with master local historian, Tom Hambright, Ben discovered the story of one fateful night on the eve of Christmas Eve in Bahama Village in 1921.

By 2021, exactly one hundred years after the original events took place, the project of creating the musical was well underway.

“I was excited about writing music from this era because it is filled with enthusiasm, movement and life’s promise. On the other hand, writing songs for a moment this intense was like going from light to dark and back again,” says Ben, “The rough and tumble history of the island in 1921—this was like putting a human puzzle together—riveting. It’s taking the available facts and walking the streets of Key West in the character’s shoes.”

Along with a formidable cast, the performance incorporates piano, traditional Afro/Cuban drums, guitar, upright bass, and trombone.

Local musicians, Michael Robinson (Musical Director/Piano), Larry Baeder (Guitar) and Paulie Walterson (Percussion), were joined by accomplished New York City jazz bassist, Santi Debriano, and Grammy award winning trombonist, Xito Lovell.

Riddled with mystery, grit, redemption and tragedy, El Isleño: The Untold Key West Story is Ben’s third fully-produced musical based on Key West history.

UNDYING LOVE: THE MUSICAL - SOLD OUT RUN

Key West is known for strange, but the story of 'Count' Carl von Cosel just might be the strangest of them all. Von Cosel, a radiologist, achieved international fame in 1940 when the corpse of his true love (and former tuberculosis patient) Elena Milagro Hoyos was discovered in his secluded house on Flager Avenue, where he’d kept her preserved for seven long and amorous years.

Writer/musician/playwright Ben Harrison penned the definitive account of this true macabre love story in his nonfiction book, Undying Love, which earned him a spot in front of national audiences on the Howard Stern Show and This American Life. Originally performed at the Appelrouth Grill in 1995, Undying Love: The Musical distills the atmosphere of Key West in the 1930’s, and perfectly melds the pathos of von Cosel’s tale with Harrison’s signature dry humor.

Now, over twenty years later, Harrison brings his fully revised stage version to life at The Studios of Key West. Veteran Director Richard Grusin and Musical Director Larry Baeder will lead a crack ensemble of actors and musicians to tell this true story that's as fascinating now as it was when it was being reported in newspapers all over the world.

This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys and The Anne McKee Artists Fund.

BOOK & MUSIC: BEN HARRISON

DIRECTOR: RICHARD GRUSIN

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: LARRY BAEDER

KEY WEST: A MUSICAL TOUR ABOUT TOWN

A stage production celebrating the colorful history of Key West’s most infamous characters and events. Conceived by Ben Harrison, and partially written in collaboration with John Wells, the play includes such musical numbers as Ballad of Bum Farto, The Conch Train Song, Affordable Housing, and The Poultry Operetta. The play ran for over 12 years, starting in 1994, and showed in various venues around the island. Cast members over the years included Ben Harrison, Nadine Imus, John Wells, Marjorie Paul-Shook, and Paul Cotton, of Poco fame. 

CLOUDS OVER THE SUNSHINE INN

A musical comedy about the physical fitness oriented Sunshine Inns and their “just desserts”. The play combines love, trickery, and sweet redemption all baked into a scrumptious three layer cake by Maximillion Longfellow, the best pastry chef on the planet.