Coinciding with what would have been Harvey Milk’s 95th birthday and adding a ‘Protest of Joy’ to the annual Pride Celebration, San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle stages the West Coast debut of “Harvey Milk Reimagined,” a new version of the radical opera originally composed by Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie in the 1990s.
The refreshed and streamlined version, presented in collaboration with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, will run May 31-June 7 at the Blue Shield of California Theater for four performances.
Composer Stewart Wallace recounted Milk’s history.
“Harvey Milk was the first openly gay official in the US, elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors,” he said. “He was murdered along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone on November 27, 1978 by Dan White, a fellow City Supervisor. Their divisions and the resulting violence eerily prefigure our own times.”
Those are only the bare facts; the terrible consequences live on to this day. It is more important than ever to remember and educate new generations about Harvey Milk’s bold saga. San Franciscan’s living in those dark days cannot forget how the assassinations united the entire city in sorrow and sympathy. Public sentiment later coalesced in rage at the miscarriage of justice in the verdict of Dan White’s trial.
Forgetting the past condemns us to repeat it. We have been getting a painful reminder of that each day since last November. It is a worldwide human problem, but pockets of light survive and, oftentimes they burn brightest in the arts. Harvey’s courageous torch of hope must be passed on in every possible venue.
Conducting the 30-piece orchestra and cast for the revamped operatic narrative will be OP’s founder and Artistic & General Director, Nicole Paiement, with staging by Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel.
Composer Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie’s opera was originally commissioned by former San Francisco Opera general director David Gockley when he held the same position at Houston Grand Opera. It was first staged at SFO in November 1996.
Revisited
The performance history of the work has been checkered and complicated for a variety of reasons, ranging from the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics to artistic differences among different production teams. At David Gockley’s suggestion, the authors turned to Opera Parallèle for a definitive edition that could be staged more easily and frequently.
This is despite the fact that the company was among many local arts organizations to have substantial grants rescinded. Despite the loss of a $25,000 grant, the company aims to reintroduce older and younger listeners to Milk’s extraordinary life and legacy in a way that resonates with today’s social and political climate.
Stewart Wallace affirmed that “There is not a single bar of music that is the same. I’ve stripped it to the studs and reanimated it. Formerly three acts and three hours long, it is now in two acts and clocks in at two hours; leaner, more direct, more visceral, with a focus on the mythic.”
Many smaller roles have been cut, but the most important remain, and OP has assembled a uniquely qualified cast. Baritone Michael Kelly makes his OP debut in the title role; tenor Christopher Oglesby, SF Opera Adler Fellow 2018-2019 (Dan White); tenor Henry Benson, the romantic lead in the opera version of “Fellow Travelers” (Scott Smith); bass Matt Boehler, a promising opera composer himself (George Moscone); mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook, cherished SFO veteran and true San Francisco treat (Mama); and soprano Marnie Breckenridge, with an impressively varied international resume (Dianne Feinstein).
Other events
Opera Parallèle has announced a number of additional events coordinated with the show’s run. The activities invite audiences of all backgrounds to explore the themes of identity, activism, and social justice that remain central to Milk’s enduring impact.
‘Harvey Milk’s Legacy: A Night of Reflection & Song’ is an evening of live music, rarely seen video footage from KQED’s archives and interviews with Cleve Jones, Gwenn Craig and Honey Mahogany. The program includes a preview of “Harvey Milk Reimagined,” with excerpts performed by the OP cast. Scott Shafer (KQED’s Political Breakdown) also hosts a community discussion on Milk’s activism and political vision. Wednesday, May 21 at 7pm, at The Commons at KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street.
‘Harvey Milk Day: A Protest of Joy’ will be held Thursday, May 22 at 4:30pm at Jane Warner Plaza, corner of Castro and Market Streets. The main event features a rally with speeches, performances by the San Francisco Pride Band, the Sacred & Profane Chamber Chorus (premiering a new choral work based on Milk’s Freedom Day Speech) and, the cast of “Harvey Milk Reimagined.” The event host is Tina Valentin Aguirre, Director of the Castro LGBTQ+ Cultural District. A march to the Roxie Theater (16th and Valencia Streets) will follow where individuals may purchase tickets for the annual screening of the Oscar-winning documentary, “The Times of Harvey Milk.”
JCCSF Talks & Conversations: ‘Harvey Milk in Opera: Activism, Identity & Legacy’ Tuesday, June 3 at 1pm-2pm at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street. A conversation with composer Stewart Wallace and opera dramaturg Kip Cranna will explore Milk’s life journey through the lens of opera, highlighting his Jewish identity and its influence on his thoughts for justice and equality. Free event; registration required.
Any remembrance of Harvey Milk must include an appreciation of his many insightful and prophetic quotes, such as, “The fact is that more people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, that my friends, is true perversion!” He also said, “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country,” and “Hope will never be silent.”
“Reimagining Harvey Milk” gives musical context to an extraordinary man’s compelling words of wisdom.
‘Reimagining Harvey Milk,’ $66-$188, May 31, 7:30pm; June 1, 3pm; June 6, 7:30pm; June 7, 5pm, Blue Shield of California Theater, YBCA, 700 Howard St.
https://operaparallele.org
