Composer Elizabeth Swados Publishes Pictorial Memoir "The Depression"

By Robert Simonson
March 22, 2005

Elizabeth Swados, the musical composer of Doonesbury and the recent Jabu, has published "My Depression," a memoir in the form of a graphic picture book.

The title refers quite literally to a bout with depression Swados suffered through, and which is depicted in words and pictures in the volume. According to press materials, "the author's whimsical drawings provide a unique view of her experience with depression, from her urge to keep her condition a secret to the strange effects of 'new' drugs and finally interesting ways to fight back.  In words and pictures, [it] provides a thorough examination of depression, from feelings of vulnerability to seemingly trivial daily events that set off downward spirals."

Elizabeth Swados' many credits include The Trilogy, Nightclub Cantata, Broadway's Runaways, Alice in Concert (starring Meryl Streep), and Rap Master Ronnie.

  Jabu, about the play Ubu Roi and its iconoclastic author Alfred Jarry, premiered at Off Broadway's Flea Theatre Feb. 16 and will play there until April 2.