In the 1960s, psychotherapist and chimpanzee breeder Dr. William Lemmon began a series of experiments out of his Institute for Primate Studies in Norman, Oklahoma. Lucy was one of a number of infant chimps sent to live in species isolation with Lemmon’s students, patients and colleagues. Decades later, Lucy’s remarkable story was the centerpiece of an episode of WNYC’s Radiolab.
Lucy remained with her human “family” for well over a decade – far longer than any other “cross-fostered” chimp. During that period Lucy’s adoptive “father,” the psychotherapist Maurice Temerlin, walked an interesting line. His intent was to study the effects of raising a chimp in an “enriched environment,” providing a childhood that mirrored, as closely as possibly, that of his biological son. In other words, the experiment required he approach Lucy not as a dispassionate scientist, but as a loving father. In his memoir, Lucy: Growing Up Human, Temerlin’s genuine affection for his daughter is obvious. He proudly relates stories of his daughter’s accomplishments, describing and analyzing her interactions — with family members, other humans, a kitten, a herd of cattle — in a series of episodes that are by turns touching, amazing, hilarious and disturbing. He is particularly fascinated by her experimental interactions with members of other species. "I often have the feeling,” wrote Temerlin, “that the deeper I look into Lucy, the more I see of my own basic nature."
Actual events described in Temerlin’s memoir serve as a starting point for Lucy, a fictional memory opera in which we meet Temerlin alone in his office, some decades after he made the decision to bring Lucy into his home. As he struggles to hold on to his story of a happy, if unconventional, family life, additional documentation both supports and challenges his efforts.
Lucy is a one-act monodrama. A chamber ensemble of violin, cello, bass clarinet, piano and toy piano combines, breaks apart, and recombines to evoke shifting memories and feelings, from the savage to the subtle. While Lucy’s presence is summoned in sound and story, the baritone is the only live primate in the piece.