Rebecca Luker (Screen still: Tom Kitt/YouTube)
The holidays are a time to celebrate family and also honor those who are no longer with us. The theater community lost Rebecca Luker to ALS in December 2020. Longtime friend Tom Kitt, along with Luker and her husband Danny Burstein, wrote “She Has Hope” before her passing. The song highlights the couple’s unwavering love and resilience and is included on Kitt’s debut studio album Reflect.
Sony Masterworks has released a new video for “She Has Hope” performed by Brian d’Arcy James and Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize Award-winning composer Kitt. Produced alongside Project ALS, the video is a beautiful tribute to the late Broadway star. The video features never-before-seen footage of the Tony-nominated actress as well as videos of several other women diagnosed with the degenerative disease. Originally making its debut on The Hollywood Reporter, the result is a touching tribute to all those affected by ALS.
Of “She Has Hope,” Tom Kitt says, “The song was co-written with my dear friends Danny Burstein, and his wife, Rebecca Luker. Sadly, we lost Rebecca to ALS in December 2020. In the Spring of 2020, Danny contributed a moving article for The Hollywood Reporter in which he described their ongoing challenges as well as a harrowing account of his own severe case of COVID-19. I thought that they might want to speak to their experience through music, and they sent me something so beautiful and emotional. I was astonished by the humanity and optimism at the heart of what they wrote. It’s an eloquent testament to Danny and Rebecca and the bond that they shared.”
