Lavender Scare Drama "Fellow Travelers" Makes its Florida Premiere at Florida Grand Opera

Gregory Spears' historical drama "Fellow Travelers" makes its Florida debut in a star-powered production by Florida Grand Opera.

Starring Andres Acosta, Hadleigh Adams, and Adelaide Boedecker, and based on the 2017 novel by Thomas Mallon and featuring a libretto by Greg Pierce, "Fellow Travelers" is the story of two men in love who are caught in the paranoia and anti-LGBTQ+ panic known as the "Lavender Scare" – an outgrowth of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's better-known Red Scare, but one that endured for decades after the main part of McCarthy's crusade was finally quelled.

Encouraged by McCarthy, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized Executive Order 10450 in 1953, an order that banned LGBTQ+ people from working in government. The order led to a full-on purge of civil servants who were, or who were suspected of being, gay and lesbian. "Fellow Travelers" is a story not unlike that of many civil servants who were threatened with interrogation, persecution, and a loss of employment and reputation simply because of who they were and who they loved.

The opera follows Timothy Laughlin (Cuban-American tenor Andres Acosta, a Miami native), a college graduate just starting his career with a job in a senator's office. Laughlin and State Department official Hawkins "Hawk" Fuller (New Zealand baritone Hadleigh Adams, a veteran of FGO's production of "A Streetcar Named Desire") cannot deny their growing attraction despite the danger of being found out, disgraced, and fired. Will they be able to navigate a treacherous political climate in which a look or a whisper could be enough to bring everything down? Metropolitan Opera soprano Adelaide Boedecker co-stars as Mary Johnson, Hawk's best friend, confidante, and assistant.

"We are proud to stage this important and moving piece of contemporary opera," FGO CEO and General Director Susan T. Danis said of the opera, which was co-commissioned by Cincinnati Opera and film/theatrical producer G. Sterling Zinsmeyer. "Via the medium of the musical human voice and the stories of these men, we revisit a critical time in American history with new eyes and understanding."

Though the Red Scare may seem like a relic from a distant past, Executive Order 10450 remains part of recent American history. The order persisted throughout the Cold War, its justification being that LGBTQ+ government workers were vulnerable to blackmail and, therefore, were potential risks to national security. Countless promising careers were derailed and lives needlessly ruined during the 42 years the order remained in effect, before it was finally rescinded by President Bill Clinton in 1995.

The creative team behind the production, working with conductor Emily Senturia and director Peter Rothstein, brings audiences back to the 1950s, a time of deep panic around both Soviet communism and America's own LGBTQ+ citizens. The sets are designed by Sara Brown; Trevor Brown handles the costuming; Mary Shabartura creates the lighting design.

The top-notch cast are uniformly acclaimed. Hadleigh Adams returns to FGO after his role in the company's production of "A Streetcar Named Desire." With FGO's production of "Fellow Travelers" Adams reprises the role of Hawk, which he performed with the Minnesota Opera. Adams is accomplished in modern opera, including the premiere of Matt Aucoin's "Crossing" (BAM), as well as musical theater (Maximilian in Bernstein's "Candide" with the San Francisco Symphony) and venerable musical forms such as Faure's "Requiem" (San Francisco Symphony Chorus) and Bach's "St. Matthew's Passion" (at the Royal National Theatre, London).

Andres Acosta reprises the role of Timothy, in his FGO debut, having performed the part in productions by both Minnesota Opera and Madison Opera. Acosta has performed in perennial favorite "Don Giovanni" (Minnesota Opera) and "Parsifal" (Houston Grand Opera), as well as more modern fare such as "Frida" (with Pittsburgh Opera) and "El Milagro del Recuerdo" (Houston Grand Opera). He has roots in musical theater as well as opera, having starred internationally in Francesca Zambello's production of "West Side Story."

This production of "Fellow Travelers" also marks Adelaide Boedecker's debut at FGO, the latest in a series of career highlights that include acclaimed performances in works as diverse as "The Magic Flute" (Pittsburgh Opera) and "Carmen" (Atlanta Opera), "The Mikaso" (Santa Fer Opera), and the comic opera "La fille du regiment," as well as the part of Alice B. Toklas in "27" (both with Pittsburgh Opera).

"Fellow Travelers" will be presented to Lauderhill Performaing Arts Center on Sat. April 23 at 7:30 p.m.; Sun. April 24 at 2:00 p.m; Tues. April 26 at 7:30 p.m.; and Thurs. April 28 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, follow this link.