“Nietzsche! The Musical” Receives FREE Reading This Saturday 8/21 at Fort Salem Theater

Hebron residents Kimerer LaMothe and Geoffrey Gee will present a developmental reading of their brand new musical – Nietzsche! – on the MainStage of the Fort Salem Theater in Salem, NY, August 21 at 7 PM.

Nietzsche! The Musical traces the tangled, passionate relationships that shaped the life and legacy of one of the most influential philosophers in the western world: Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). While many people are familiar with the name “Nietzsche,” few know about the two women who helped make him who he was: Lou Salomé, the woman he wanted as his wife, and his sister Elisabeth, who married an anti-Semitic Christian activist and moved to Paraguay to found a colony for the pure German race.

Nietzsche’s love for both of these women brought him face to face with challenges that threatened to destroy him. Yet time and again, he reached for a way to love life – all of it. His story of struggle and affirmation carries relevance for our time.

In writing Nietzsche!, Kimerer LaMothe, PhD (book, lyrics, melodies) draws on over thirty years of research into Nietzsche’s life and work. She is a dancer, philosopher, and award-winning author of six books, two musicals, and over 100 blog posts for Psychology Today. Her second book, Nietzsche’s Dancers (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), offers the only comprehensive analysis of dance imagery in Nietzsche’s writing. As LaMothe confirms, “The more I learn about Nietzsche, the more convinced I am that the best way to communicate the primary thrust of his life-affirming philosophy is through music and dance.”

Pianist and composer Geoffrey Gee, LaMothe’s longtime collaborator, has written an expressive, engaging score for this musical, featuring a range of styles from pop and rock to classical jazz. As Gee states, “Kimerer’s melodies and lyrics are inspiring, funny, poignant, and chock-full of meaning. My role is to build a musical world in which they can communicate directly into the hearts of the audience.”

In describing their collaboration, LaMothe explains: “It’s like magic. Geoffrey takes the melodies I sing into my iPhone and fleshes them out through his own musical sensibility, until it’s not clear where my work ends and his begins. Every song becomes a third thing – ours.”

The cast sparkles with talented performers from near and far, led by Jordan LaMothe as Nietzsche, Erin Kennedy as Lou Salomé, and Hannah Gruendemann as Elisabeth; and including Fort Salem Theater veteran Sue Caputo, and local artists Chris Giannitti, Michael Gallagher, and Dan Slavin.

Nietzsche! also features live musical accompaniment. Gee will lead a trio, with Sam McVicker from Dorset, VT on drums, Kai LaMothe on bass and guitar, and Gee on keyboards.

LaMothe affirms that this musical is for everyone: “If you know nothing about Nietzsche, his story will move you. If you know a little about Nietzsche, you’ll come away with a new perspective. If you know a lot about Nietzsche, please engage us in a long conversation about his work and its relevance for our time. Whoever you are, our hope is that you leave the show with a sense of what we find at the heart of his philosophy: a resounding love for life.”

The reading will be performed one night only. A Question & Answer with the cast and creative team will follow immediately after the performance.

Tickets are free. Reservations are required. Unvaccinated audience members will be asked to wear masks. www.fortsalem.com/nietzsche. https://ci.ovationtix.com/35567/pr/1056851/pe/10739461

This production is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency Decentralization Program, with the support Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; administered by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council.

Photo by Kai LaMothe: Kimerer LaMothe & Geoffrey Gee