Wayne Koestenbaum has described the loose narrative of his libretto as a "
collage" in the style of
Gertrude Stein's libretto for
Four Saints in Three Acts, an opera by 20th-century American composer,
Virgil Thomson. Koestenbaum has written both poetry and non-fiction works on opera and on iconic opera singers like
Maria Callas. It is not surprising that in addition to the character of Maria Callas, there are several conscious allusions to the art-form in the
Jackie O libretto. These include: Violetta's death
aria from
La traviata, reflected in
Addio Del Passato; the funeral pyre from the final scene of
Norma, reflected in
The Flame Duet; and both Countess Almaviva's forgiveness aria in
The Marriage of Figaro and the off-stage voice of the imprisoned Manrico in
Il trovatore, reflected in ''Jack's Song''.
Act I begins with a "
happening" in artist
Andy Warhol's studio in
New York City, attended by various celebrities including
Elizabeth Taylor,
Grace Kelly,
Aristotle Onassis, and his lover, Maria Callas. All eagerly anticipate Jackie and sing ''Jackie's Coming!
. Jackie arrives and is fascinated by Onassis. Callas realizes that Onassis is going to leave her for Jackie and sings Addio Del Passato
(Goodbye to the past). Onassis and Jackie escape from the party to see a new art movie, I Am Curious (Yellow)''.
Act II is set on Onassis'
yacht,
Christina, and on his private island,
Skorpios. Jackie and Onassis have now been married for a year. On the yacht, Jackie becomes increasingly melancholy and given to
trance-like states. Maria Callas seeks a reunion with Onassis and the two decide to meet (
I Will See You At The Lido). In one of her trances, Jackie wanders off to the island, where she and Maria Callas meet and reconcile with each other as they sing
The Flame Duet. Jackie and Callas then smash a paparazzo's camera, which gives Jackie the power to communicate with her
dead husband, who is heard as a disembodied voice. She forgives him for his past infidelities in their duet, ''Jack's Song
. The opera ends with Jackie deciding to return to America, wistfully singing The New Frontier Is Here''. ==Musical structure==