Last Sunday we paid a call on playwright/chanteuse Erica Werner in her capacious Adams House brownstone. We found Ms. Werner, often referred to as "high society's bad girl," reposed in indolent decadence on her silk-sheeted bed, wearing a richly embroidered smoking jacket that smelled of the Orient (If we didn't ask what she had on underneath, it's not because we didn't wonder!).

Ms. Werner is most known for her trenchant wit and mordant bon mots, but on that dreary afternoon we sought her out--not without some trepidation, for stories of her cruelty to the media are legion--to chat about her new project, a rock/operatic adaptation of Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park." The project has been the topic of conversation in the best dining halls and common rooms this season, in no small part because of Ms. Werner's alleged connections to organized crime (which have never been substantiated, as she is quick to point out).

Although Ms. Werner responded to our questions in a drunken slur and from somewhere inside a thick cloud of Cuban cigar smoke, she revealed herself, contrary to legend, to be charming, polite and full of old-world insight.

Fifteen Minutes: Ah yes hello, I know you rarely grant media interviews, so I very much appreciate your taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me.

Ms. Werner: My dear sir, the pleasure is all mine. Please sit down on one of my well-appointed divans.

FM: Thank you.

MW: Not at all. Would you care for a cocktail?

FM: Oh, no thank you. I rarely drink before dinner.

MW: Neither do I--except on weekdays and weekends! Ho ho ho!

FM: Hee hee hee! Now, would you mind telling me a little bit about this new project of yours that everyone's been talking about?

MW: You refer to my utopian vision of a revolutionary reshaping of society?

FM: Well, no, actually I refer to "Jurassic Park: The Rock Opera."

MW: Yes indeed. Sorry, old man, just a little joke.

FM: Oh--hee hee hee.

MW: (pensively): Ah, yes. "Jurassic Park: The Rock Opera." I like the way that sounds. It conjures up images of majestic beasts long extinct reappearing to tread the primordial swamp, but with one important distinction: this time they've got rhythm!