(l to r) Jordan Barbour, Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr., Kyle Soller, Arturo Luís Soria and Kyle Harris in ‘The Inheritance.’ (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
December 1 marks World AIDS Day, an annual event that unites communities from around the globe in the fight against HIV. It’s also an opportunity to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. The theater community has lost many incredibly talented and generous artists to this devastating disease, and it has also been the subject of a breadth of works that address its impact.
The Inheritance
Now playing on Broadway (playing in two parts and running nearly seven hours), Matthew Lopez’s play offers another sweeping perspective on the AIDS crisis through the lens of its generational trauma on the people who survived the epidemic’s initial catastrophic impact, as well as the issues facing today’s gay men.
Alvin Ailey in ‘Hermit Songs.’ (Photo: Jack Mitchell/Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution.)
Alvin Ailey and Dancers Responding to AIDS
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, who was part of a generation of artists lost. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre continues to thrive and begins its annual New York City residence at New York City December December 4, 2019, through January 5, 2020. The five-week engagement during AIDS Awareness Month will feature more than two dozen works by some of the world’s preeminent choreographers, including
Artistic Director Robert Battle’s In/Side – a powerful solo originally choreographed for a series shedding light on the AIDS epidemic. A special December 13 benefits Dancers Responding to AIDS, which is a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
‘A Chorus Line’ at Signature Theatre. (Photo: Christopher Mueller)
Michael Bennett and A Chorus Line
Award-winning director-choreographer Michael Bennett created A Chorus Line before the onset of AIDS. He died at age 44 due to complications from the disease, but not before leaving the world with one of the most legendary musicals of all time, which portrayed the struggles of dancers trying to make it on Broadway. Other notable works include Follies, Dreamgirls, and Company. A new production at Arlington’s Signature Theatre plays through January 5, 2020. (Sold Out)
Packing, Chicago’s About Face Theatre at Theater Wit
Scott Bradley’s solo show, “Packing,” tackles a three-decade odyssey of reinvention and self-discovery, including his experiences during the height of the AIDS crisis and the battle for marriage equality. (Through December 7, 2019)
