Tickets for LIBERTY: the Monumental New Musical, are on sale through The Livingston County Historical Society Museum and website: www.livingstoncountyhistoricalsociety.com, and at the Not-Dot Shop, and Sweet Arts Bakery in Geneseo, NY
LIBERTY is a family-friendly, entertaining, historical musical drama.
Performances are scheduled for Thursday, October 19 at 10 a.m.; Friday Oct 20 at 8 p.m.; Saturday Oct 21 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday Oct 21 at 4 p.m. with all performances being held at the Riviera Theater.
Performed as a benefit for the Livingston County Historical Society Museum in Geneseo, LIBERTY tells a historically inspired story about the Statue of Liberty’s arrival to New York’s Ellis Island in 1884. The statue, personified by 15 year-old Katharina Nieves of Geneseo, experiences the push and shove of immigrant processing. While at Ellis Island, she meets Joseph Pulitzer (Brian Lewis of Avon), and is befriended by poet Emma Lazarus (Betsy Kimball of Mt. Morris), inspiring her to write The New Colossus; “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…”.
Written by Jon and Dana Leslie Goldstein, this 90 minute family-friendly and educational show ran off-Broadway for over two years, appealing to audiences of all ages. Coming to the United States in the middle of a national immigration debate and a terrible recession, political forces are aligning to deport Lady Liberty. With a strong resolve and a mighty spirit, she battles to gain acceptance and becomes the iconic symbol of our country. Characters include French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, Lady Liberty, poet Emma Lazarus, publisher Joseph Pulitzer, immigrants, minorities, and urchins.
Director, writer and costumer Ruth Henry is no stranger to the stage, and together with LCHS in 2016, successfully presented Wicket Ways, a musical drama about an 1895 celebrity croquet match at Letchworth. During rehearsals for that show at the museum, Museum Administrator Anna Kowalchuk, showed Ms. Henry some highlights of the LCHS Museum collection, including the trowel used by Master Mason William A. Brodie (on loan to the Museum from Dr. Donald Munger of Geneseo Masonic Lodge #214) to lay the cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty. Upon seeing the trowel, Ms. Henry related her interest in the Liberty play and her desire to see it produced in Geneseo.
Livingston County has another important connection to the Statue of Liberty. The Famous Bear Fountain, officially known as the Wadsworth Memorial Fountain (1888) located in Geneseo, was designed by Robert Morris Hunt, the same architect who designed the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.
Advance tickets to Liberty are Children $12.00, Adults $22 and Patrons $40. Tickets at the door: Children $15, Adults $25. Patron tickets are available presale-only for the Oct 20, 21 and 22 performances and entitle holders to a champagne reception and preferred seating. Group sale tickets are available on request. For tickets, contact Livingston County Historical Society Museum Administrator, Anna Kowolchuk at 585-243-9147. For show information please contact Ruth Henry at 518-495-4503.
