AARC member Andy Kirshner will premier his new film, the musical Liberty’s Secret, on September 22, at the Michigan Theater, for one night only. Andy wrote the screenplay, lyrics and score and co-directed the movie with choreographer Debbie Williams. The movie-musical, which has been more than eight years in the making, was shot entirely in Southeast Michigan and over 150 Ann Arborites participated as extras, including a few faces very familiar to AARC.
“I love old musicals — like those by George Gershwin, Meredith Wilson, Leonard Bernstein, and Frank Loesser — but frankly, the gender politics of the musical-theater classics are terrible,” Andy says. “So I wanted to write a musical that would capture some of the same tap-dancing, jazz-inspired joy of an earlier era, but where the women weren’t tamed by men. I wanted to write a traditional musical that was non-traditional.”
Liberty’s Secret might be just the feel-good relief we’re needing in this tension filled presidential election season. Both a charming romantic comedy and a pointed political satire, Liberty’s Secret follows the rise of Liberty Smith, the squeaky-clean daughter of a “family values” preacher who becomes the symbolic centerpiece of a socially conservative presidential campaign. When ingénue Liberty falls in love with her (female) spin-doctor, the result is a cable news catastrophe. A kissing video goes viral, and a confused Liberty must choose between the life she knows, and the love she has always dreamed of – while all of America watches.
Advanced tickets are available online at http://bit.ly/2ajGOsg for what is anticipated to be a highly popular event. Tickets are $10, or $8 for students.
Though we in AARC think of Andy as Eli’s dad and Stephanie’s partner, he is also known as Professor Kirshner, who is jointly appointed by the UM School of Music, Theater, and Design’s innovative Performing Arts Technology Department and by the Stamps School of Art and Design. He is an award-winning composer, theater artist, and filmmaker whose work has been commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts, Artserve Michigan, Meet the Composer, and many others. More information about him can be found at www.andykirshner.com
A trailer for the film is available at www.libertysecret.com
