"Harriet"

This past Friday I performed a workshop of a new musical called "Harriet."  It was written by Colette Call, the same playwright who wrote "Power in His Touch"....the Easter themed musical that Julianne and I performed in a year and a half ago.  (See here, and here)  

As you may have already and obviously guessed, this new musical is about Harriet Tubman.  I found it fascinating.  And no, not just because I am a history geek.  Colette did an amazing job researching Harriet Tubman's life and story...and then writing a script and music detailing her life as a slave, her family, her marriage to John Tubman, her escape north, founding the Underground Railroad and her leadership as a spy for the Union during the Civil War.  The music was incredible!  Such beautifully haunting songs, such amazing duets and such rousing, foot-stomping gospels.  

The cast was nothing if not spectacular!  And my good friend and voice teacher, Gary, was our music director.  I played Ms. Susan...a very refined and traditional southern plantation owner who is dismayed, upset and confused when she discovers her daughter has slave sympathies and starts going all abolitionist.  

Some of my lyrics from the quartet I sing:

Don't ask questions you should not ask.  It is not demure.

Sometimes there are things that a lady must choose to ignore.

That's just the way it is, you can't change the way it is.

Trust me, my dear, you're better not to try.

You can't change the way it is, that's just the way it is.

Leave it to God to know the reasons why.

With an audience of representatives from different theatres around the state, we performed "Harriet" workshop/reader's theatre style at the Rose Wagner Theatre....mostly to give the audience an idea of what the show was about and to then receive feedback and to hopefully find a sponsor willing to back a fully staged production of the show.  

There were quite a few members of Lex de Azevedo's Millennium Choir in the cast and it was a lot fun to perform with them.  Todd and I have been singing together for over 10 years now.  After the show was over he handed my camera to his girlfriend to get photographic proof that in my 5 inch heels I was as tall as he was.  He thought it was hugely funny and teased me about it all night long.  :)

 Gary, Collette, Todd, me and David

Colette and Gary with more fabulous cast members...

Melanie, Rick, David, me, Todd, Todd's girlfriend

After our performance a bunch of us made our way across the street to Squatters for some food and celebration.  It was a fun night.
(A funny side note...all three of us girls at this table graduated from U of U but root for BYU!  And here I thought I was the only one with conflicting/"traitorous" leanings....)