Dearest Friends,
If you don't already have a ticket to I AM HARVEY MILK at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall on Monday night, get one! http://iamharveymilknyc.
Here's the thing about I AM HARVEY MILK: it's technically termed a choral oratorio, but it's so much more. I think of it as cantata meets Broadway meets opera. I saw it at the inaugural performance in San Francisco and can't wait to see it again. My heart swelled and my mind opened larger than they had ever been before from what I learned and felt with this piece.
It is a biography of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official. But to me it was more than just about Harvey Milk and being gay. It's about being true to yourself and who you are, respecting others for who they are and celebrating life. It transcends Harvey's personal story into all of ours, gay, straight, male, female, whatever.
The piece is a collection, sort of a song cycle, of solos and choral numbers. It's very theatrical - heart wrenching, emotionally soaring, joyful!
There's a young boy singer, who sings the role of the young Harvey, a soprano who sings a sort of generic role of "mother" and "teacher" (at this one it's Kristin Chenoweth; I saw Laura Benanti in San Francisco, in LA it was Alexandra Silber), a men's chorus (this time made up of Broadway leading and chorus performers), and a tenor who sings Harvey. Harvey is being sung by Andrew Lippa, the composer and lyrcist of this piece. Accompanying the piece is the prestigious Orchestra of St. Lukes.
I'm also very excited that my dearest friend Noah Himmelstein has collaborated on this work with Andrew Lippa and directed it from the start. Noah has created a truly magical staging, intricately delicate but bold and inspiring.
Please find me before and after the performance, outside of Avery Fisher Hall near the center pillar of the walkway. I want to say hello to each of you!
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