Interview: THE SCHMIDT SISTERS Shines Light on Untold Russian History at Chelsea Table

On Thursday August 13 at 7 pm, celebrate the EP release of The Schmidt Sisters: A Revolutionary Situation, a new historical megamusical about two sisters in early 1900s Russia after they are bestowed with a lofty inheritance from their Bolshevik brother and roped into a scheme by Vladimir Lenin. This show has everything: Fake marriage! Queer love! A play-within-a-play! Revolution! Blood! Murder! Beer! Come see what audiences have described as, "Super entertaining," "A fun time, good music, great laughs," "Very refreshing," and "You ATE THAT!!" Be the first to hear these six new tracks live and in concert with a full band before they hit streaming services.

We spoke with the show’s lyricist, Margo Hera, about the upcoming concert and EP release.

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Tell me a little about your musical

The Schmidt Sisters: A Revolutionary Situation is based on a true story lost to history– until now. After the mysterious death of their Bolshevik brother, the Schmidt sisters are bestowed with a lofty inheritance. Two comrades are sent by Vladimir Lenin to woo the women, marry them, and take the money back to the Bolsheviks. One couple butts heads while the other falls in love, but both are blinded to the brutal realities of the burgeoning revolution flaring up around them. They all grapple with whether it’s more worthy to live or die for the cause, the choice between personal and collective liberation, and the harsh truth that morality isn’t always black or white when fighting for a better world.

What was the inspiration behind it?

It was October 2020, during lockdown, and I was working as a volunteer coordinator on a campaign to save New Orleans (my home at the time) libraries from budget cuts. After winning the campaign, my co-volunteer coordinator and I were discussing pandemic goals (virtually, of course) and she mentioned she had been reading a biography about Vladimir Lenin and found a short passage about two sisters that would make a great musical. I just pulled the book off my shelf so I could find the exact passage that started it all: “Less bloody but equally squalid and morally dubious was the Schmidt Affair. Lenin came up with a plan to swindle two teenage girls out of their inheritance– and, quite possibly, to break their hearts in the process…While in personal financial affairs he was a pillar of rectitude and not at all greedy, in politics he was prepared to lie, steal, cheat and kill for money to further Bolshevik interests. ‘Everything that is done in the interests of the proletarian cause is honest,' he [said].” She had stumbled upon this incredible story about these two women lost to history and I immediately told her I wanted to help write it.

Can you tell us a little about the process of writing it?

I’d say most of our first draft was written during lockdown over Zoom. We started by scouring the internet and library databases for all the historical resources about the true story that we could find. There were very few historical accounts and every one of them had differing and usually conflicting details. So we decided early on which version of the story we wanted to tell and then what we wanted to add to it to fill the gaps in the records. That gave us the leeway to make it queer. From there it was collaboration on the outline, and then I would write lyrics and send them to Ashlynn, our composer, for her to write the music. We stalled for a bit in our own corners of the country until we all met up for a writing retreat in New Orleans and got a bunch of new songs written. It’s so much easier to write with a retreat or a deadline. It’s still in development, we have a new book writer on board so we’re completely rewriting the book with a lot of feedback from our creative network, a wonderful dramaturg, and actors and audiences from our 2024 staged reading. It’s a lot of strengthening character motivations and reworking the focus of the show.

What’s something people might not know coming into this show?

Definitely that it features a queer love story. It’s hard to include in the synopsis without just saying “oh, and it’s gay!” or getting too detailed and also without spoilers. It’s a show that has queer characters but is not about them being queer. Don’t get me wrong, shows about queer identity and coming into yourself in that way are extremely important, but I think stories with queer characters where queerness is not the focus of the story are also very important.

I also think some people may come in thinking this show is about the Russian Revolution and communism but that’s really not what it’s about. It’s about these women, who were real people, their suitors, their relationships to each other, and their relationships to the prospect of and realities of revolution and movement toward liberation. 

And it’s an all-female writing and creative team!

What are you most looking forward to about this concert?

I’m really excited about building our audience even more with this concert! Not only with those who will be in attendance (in-person and on the virtual livestream), but also with those we can share the concert footage with online. We really value accessibility, so we want to make the work available to as many people as possible on this development to production journey. I’m also super hype to hear these songs live with a five-piece band.

What’s next for this show?

Like I said, we’re still in development. After we finish our next draft we want to do another staged reading, hopefully with a producer or theatre company on board because yes, self-producing has been a ton of work, but also because we have gained the most in this process when we’ve gotten to bring in new collaborators with excitement for the work and ideas for how we can make it stronger.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I’d love to add that the people involved with this show, especially those who have been involved since our reading in 2024, are not only extremely talented but also extremely kind. The continued enthusiasm, passion, and commitment they have poured into this show helps keep us going.

Also, we will be selling some sick-ass merch at the concert and online!

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Learn more about the musical online at www.theschmidtsisters.com, on Instagram (@theschmidtsisters) and on TikTok (@the.schmidt.sisters).

In-person and livestream tickets are available here. Anyone unavailable the night of the concert (August 13th 7 pm) can get a livestream ticket and watch the replay for up to two weeks afterward.

Chelsea Table + Stage is New York's newest hotspot for intimate dining and music. Offering a wide variety of American-fare menu items, with curated wine + cocktails, audiences can experience some of the best touring performers in the world featured alongside local emerging artists. Chelsea Table + Stage opens the doors to hospitality, entertainment, and enjoyment every night, featuring state-of-the-art sound and lighting, a 10-seat in-theatre bar, lofted VIP mezzanine for private groups, and table seating for the perfect date night. The ever-changing menu and entertainment schedule means guests never have the same night twice. Chelsea Table + Stage is located at 152 West 26th Street, inside the Hilton New York Fashion District. Purchase tickets at chelseatableandstage.com. @chelseatableandstag

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