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Breathe
Synopsis • Production/Development History • Photos • Critical Reviews

Hailed by critics for “celebrating the human spirit” Breathe is an award-winning collection of 7 short musical stories that celebrate gay and lesbian life. Breathe officially premiered in 1999 at the Bailiwick Rep in Chicago where it ran for 10 weeks and won the After Dark Award for Outstanding New Work. In March 2003 Breathe was produced by SNAP! Productions in Omaha where it received 8 TAG Award nominations. (Image: Robb McKindles performs "In My Body" in Breathe (1997).

Breathe is scored for a cast of 5 (2 women and 3 men) and piano.

It has two acts, one intermission, and runs approximately 2 hours.
It contains one scene of nudity that honors the human body and spirit.

ACT ONE
The cast gathers and creates a circle of storytelling (Circle Chant) that sets the tone for the evening and is reprised (in variations) between the 7 short musical stories that follow.

In the circle there are stories
In the stories there are dreams
In the dreams there’s sometimes darkness
In the dark we see
In our seeing there is beauty
In the beauty, light
In the light we tell our stories


And the stories begin...

Goddess
The comic effects of a gay man’s discovery of his inner-female on his lover, their business, and their lives.

Boxed
Anger and Love meet head-on in a duet between a performance artist and his grandmother.

Joy
An adolescent girl plays with her dolls and dreams of her future lover.

In My Body
Sex and Spirit intertwine in a love story between two, very different kinds of priests.

ACT TWO
The cast reassembles and celebrates the flow of inspiration, creativity, and life (Breathe). The stories continue...

Genealogy
A lesbian couple decide to have a baby, with some help from one of their brothers.

Next
The last day of a young man’s life and his transition to the other side.

The Park
Life-long friendship between two old friends, and the enduring power of Nature.

Breathe closes with the cast encouraging us to celebrate the power, wisdom, and magic of telling our stories.

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Production/Development History

•Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Theatre Festival, 2004
Festival production

•SNAP! Productions, Omaha, NE, 2003
Non-Equity Production

•Bailiwick Repertory, Chicago IL, 1999
Non-Equity Production

•American Opera Projects, Downtown Arts Festival, New York NY, 1997 - Presentation

• Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Philadelphia PA, 1997 - Presentation

• Douglas Fairbanks Theater, New York NY, 1997 - Reading

• Universalist Meeting House Theater, Provincetown MA, 1996
Non-Profit Production of Breathe Forerunner (Fairytales)

•New Dramatists, New York NY, 1995 - Reading

•Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Brooklyn NY, 1995 - Reading

•BMI/Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop,
New York NY, 1993-95 - Various Presentations of songs/scenes

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Critical Reviews

“BREATHE, a new musical by Dan Martin and Michael Biello, has the power to penetrate even the most hardened of hearts. Full of a life-loving spirituality, its deeply felt celebration of humanity is a bittersweet antidote to the modern ailment of cynicism.”

Bryon Upton, Windy City Times, 6/17/99

 

"BREATHE is the must-see theatrical event of the season. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, bi-, male, female, young or old – BREATHE goes beyond sexual orientation to reach into our humanity. One of the best musicals I’ve seen in years."

Julien R. Fielding, Omaha Weekly Reader, 3/13/03

 

“Martin's technically complex and intensely melodic music,
which at times recalls the work of William Finn or even Stephen Sondheim, is matched by thoughtful lyrics from Biello. Martin has forged a sophisticated score that's not a pastiche of pop stylings but a unified and quite beautiful composition. A very likable and moving show.”

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 6/22/99

 

“If there is any justice in the world, BREATHE should end up on Broadway as a defining piece of gay American theater.”

Rick Reed, Outlines, 6/23/99

 

“Dan Martin and Michael Biello’s wondrous new musical BREATHE celebrates gay and lesbian life with a joy and candor - amid a glorious collection of songs - as few have before. BREATHE is not only one of the year’s best, but it enriches the soul while it celebrates the human spirit.”

Jeff Rossen, Gay Chicago Magazine, 6/17/99

 

“BREATHE is sacred...powerful...tribal...passionate...exquisite.
Something magical and healing occurred for many people in the audience.”

John Thomas, WFNX-FM Boston, 7/15/96

 

“Spiritually fulfilling...wonderful...strong...assured...comforting.
BREATHE reminds you that life holds many gifts.”

Timothy Burton, Provincetown Banner, 7/18/96