Menu
LOVING WOMEN CABARET is a revival of the celebrated songs from the lesbian musical Developing Daisy, which was set in two time periods: the present and the vibrant and revolutionary decade of the1970’s…a decade known for the women’s and gay liberation movements. Changes were happening fast, and lesbian feminists were often at the center of those changes. They were developing their own communities as they fought both the external battles against violence and for equality as well as the internal battles for self-acceptance in a homophobic world.
The musical tells the story of Daisy Frank, a celebrated nature photographer, and her developing love story with Blaine O’Keefe, an intellectual feminist writer whose radical sexual politics both seduce and frighten the more naïve, sexually inexperienced Daisy. The play intersperses larger issues from the times- monogamy, patriarchy, and sisterhood- with the ongoing dynamics of relationships –attraction, jealousy, love, loss, and regret – all reflected in the 19 original songs…at the heart of which is a lesbian love story.
The play was a collaboration between Helen Newman (music, lyrics) and Stephanie Glickman (book, lyrics). Helen and Stephanie admire traditional Broadway musicals and were motivated to write in that style. They also felt that a musical love story would be an addition to lesbian culture. The years in which it was written were years of growth and expansion for the gay community. However, the times have changed….for the LGBTQ population…and the trans community in particular …and performing this piece in today’s menacing world of backlash takes on a new and more urgent meaning.
Composer Helen Newman
Musical Director Luanne Hawk
Production Ujjala Schwartz, Stephanie Glickman
Graphics Peggy Hurley
Cast:
Narrator Dorothea Swiac
Singers:
Erin Cross
Teri Gibson
Leslie Eliashuk
Carmen Lookshire
Mercedes Miranda
Carol Wrobleski