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Event
So Mighty Was The Dream
Theatre at St. Johns presents tenor Christopher Sidoli, pianist/baritone John Thomas, and sopranos Anissa Hartline and Pamela Murray in the New York City premiere performance of So Mighty Was The Dream at St. Johns Lutheran Church, 81 Christopher St., New York NY (stjohnsnyc.org) on Saturday, April 7 at 8pm. The concert is a celebration of the immigrant experience and the countless journeys of millions from homelands of origin to the United States of America with the hopes that future generations would have better lives. Admission is $20 cash at the door; advance tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com.
Melodies from Broadway, film scores, popular and traditional music combine in a powerful performance that will touch the heart and soul. The concert includes songs from the musicals The Bridges of Madison County, Candide, Fiddler on the Roof, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Jazz Singer, Kristina Från Duvemåla, Miss Saigon, The New Yorkers, Rags, Ragtime, St. Louis Woman, West Side Story, The Wiz and Yentl.
So Mighty Was The Dream was first presented in the summer of 2017 as part of the 19th season of the Great Music on Sundays @5 concert series (ptownmusic.com) at Provincetowns Unitarian Universalist Meeting House. The sold-out audience accclaimed the event with an enthusiastic standing ovation, and many commented about the powerful message of the concert and the need for the arts, now more than ever, to give hope and support to the immigrant rights movement across the United States.
Sidoli and Thomas conceived the concert together as a creative result of their mutual passion for the beauty of diverse cultures in the United States and their concerns about present-day social currents regarding immigrants.
Sidoli says, I am excited about this concert for many reasons. I have lived in New York City since 2001. I often see the Statue of Liberty and think of the words so eloquently inscribed on the pedestal: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door! I think these are words that we need to remember to remind ourselves how so many immigrants have contributed to our history. The bravery they demonstrated in leaving everything they knew in hopes of a better life is certainly one of the most intriguing elements for us to explore in this performance. They dreamed of it and traveled at great peril and against many obstacles so that they could find a home, not only for themselves but for future generations.
Thomas says: I am concerned, as are many millions of us, about events in the United States regarding immigrants and people from other countries who come here to work and live. Provincetown is particularly blessed as a place where people from dozens of countries come each year to be a welcome part of our community. New York City is another mosaic of international cultures, as are many other cities and towns in the United States of America. The truth is that the only people who are native to this country are the descendants of those who lived here when the first Europeans arrived more than 500 years ago. The rest of us are all immigrants or the progeny of immigrants. Together we have created a culturally rich country with a future that relies on each of us respecting and celebrating all.
We wanted to create a musical journey that powerfully describes immigrants experiences and supports the dreams and hopes of our friends who come here from distant shores in the face of ongoing challenges and present-day prejudice. It is so important that we stand up for what is right and good by celebrating those who come from old homelands to this new one. Their dream is our dream. This concert is our response. It is in a subtle sense a very clear political statement that all of us are valuable and deserve respect and understanding. The music and lyrics that we have chosen take the audience, we hope, on a journey of the heart and spirit, of stories and people who have come here.
Thomas, who is music director for So Mighty Was The Dream (and producer of Provincetowns Great Music on Sundays @5 concert series), has great regard for Sidoli, Hartline and Murray, all of whom shine individually and in ensemble singing. He says, Chris has an amazing knowledge of Broadway music reaching across generations and genres, and his contribution of repertoire was an essential part in the creation of this event. The performance has three sections without borders: (1) being in the old homeland and dreaming and planning to leave for a new one, (2) the journey from old to new, and (3) the new homelands realities, from struggle to triumph. These three sections merge, we hope, seamlessly into an entire presentation. We are excited about this production and want many people to experience it. We hope that the music and lyrics encourage us all to do more to celebrate ethnic diversity in our country.
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LocationTheatre at St. John's (View)
83 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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