Via Galactica

Via Galactica is a rock musical with a book by Christopher Gore and Judith Ross, lyrics by Gore, and music by Galt MacDermot. Originally titled Up!, the futuristic plot follows social outcasts living on an asteroid in outer space in the year 2972. Among them is Gabriel Finn, a space sanitation man who collects trash in a clamshell-shaped garbage ship called the Helen of Troy.

The first show staged at the brand-new Uris Theatre on Broadway, after fifteen previews, the production opened on November 28, 1972, directed by Peter Hall, produced by George W. George, and choreographed by George Faison. The cast included Raul Julia, Irene Cara, Keene Curtis, Chuck Cissel, Ralph Carter, Melanie Chartoff, and Virginia Vestoff, and marked the Broadway debut of Mark Baker.

The storyline was so incomprehensible that producers inserted a plot synopsis in the Playbill at the last moment, though audiences remained baffled by what unfolded on stage. Pyrotechnic displays, trampolines to portray weightlessness, and other special effects did little to enhance the project. Unable to withstand a universal assault by the critics, the show ran for only seven performances.

One of the first Broadway shows to lose more than $1 million, Via Galactica was MacDermot's second flop of the season. His Dude had closed after 16 performances five weeks earlier.