Celebrate Whitman At 200 With CONTRADICT THIS! A BIRTHDAY FUNERAL FOR HEROES By The Bearded Ladies

For Whitman's 200th birthday, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret are throwing a birthday funeral unlike anything that the queer poet ever experienced. Part of the "Whitman at 200" celebration, CONTRADICT THIS! A BIRTHDAY FUNERAL FOR HEROES, directed by The Bearded Ladies' Artistic Director and Founder John Jarboe, comes to Cherry Street Pier (121 N. Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia) from May 28 to June 2, 2019. Reviewing press are invited to the May 31 show at 7:30PM.

"Anniversaries are as much about remembering and reflection as they are about celebration," said Jarboe. "Have we done our ancestors justice? What was their charge? What did they leave us with and what kind of ancestors will we be? All this questioning is part of CONTRADICT THIS!, along with a lot of cake."

Guests to this outdoor birthday funeral, written by the ensemble with John Jarboe and Mary Tuomanen (she/her), can expect cake, coffin, gavel, choir, and live musical trolling, along with original music written by the cast and ensemble. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the much lauded poet Walt Whitman's birth, a group of Philly queers and misfits will gather overlooking the Whitman Bridge to put this ancestor and his legacy on trial. Should Whitman be canceled? Can he be? Come with friends, complaints, heroes and villains alike. All are welcome.

The cast includes Daniel de Jesús (he/she/they), Elah Perelman (they/them), Jackie Soro (she/her), Pax Ressler (they/them), Veronica Chapman-Smith (she/her), Anthony Martinez Briggs (he/they), and Emily Bate (she/her). They'll be joined by the Whitman Choir, an ensemble comprised of local singers and a live band conducted by Heath Allen (he/him).

The Bearded Ladies want to make this event as accessible as possible to the public; therefore, tickets are available on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away at the door. However, a VIP reserved ticket package is available for $40.

CONTRADICT THIS! is one of four commissioned works that are part of the Whitman at 200 celebration. Major support for Whitman at 200 artistic commissions has been provided to University of Pennsylvania Libraries by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Tickets and more information can be found here: bit.ly/ContradictThis.

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