Folks:

For those in NYC the next few weekends with an interest in folk and traditional songs, come see the readings of a new musical I'm helping to develop.

The show is 'Fair Liberty's Call: A Musical Story of Revolutionary America.' It's set in 1775, and illustrates the conflicting goals of the Patriots, Loyalists and Slaves using traditional music of the 18th and 19th century. The songs include revolutionary war anthems, drinking songs, romantic folk ballads, spirituals, blues, contradance instrumentals and more. I've been adapting and arranging these 'old songs' in a variety of ways, and they sound suprisingly fresh when given a real context (a character, a situation, a purpose).

The readings will be done by a cast of 8 terrific theater performers, accompanied by myself on piano, and Debbie Nuse (of various Irish/Scottish musical groups) on Scottish Small Pipes and fiddle.

We've been selected by the New York Foundation for the Arts to be one of their 'Sponsored Projects', and have gotten a lot of interest from some 'interesting' people. The Non-Profit status we get for being selected allows us to go for funding from foundations and individuals who have an interest in theatre and American history. This will allow us to start planning the 'next step' for the project after the readings. We always learn a lot from putting the readings in front of a diverse audience. We hope to put on a showcase production, hopefully in the fall, or if the response is enormous, go directly to a commercial run of some sort. We'll see...

So try to come to one of the readings and let us know what you think. Here's the details:

Show: Fair Liberty's Call Place: The Duplex Cabaret Theatre 61 Christopher St. (at 7th Ave. in the Village).

Dates: July 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 at 7pm. (Saturday, Sunday and Monday)

Call 212-255-5438 for reservations. There's a $10 cover charge, and a 2 drink minimum per person. (cash only)

A web site is in development. Watch for it at www.fairlibertyscall.com.

David Barnett Musical Director and Arranger of Fair Liberty's Call DaveB@psscorp.com