A popular, locally produced musical that explores themes of immigration, race, politics and class struggle will be performed Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music. The performance is part of the 2015-16 Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Lecture Series.
ALIEN: The Musical will be staged beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Blair School’s Ingram Hall. A reception will take place in the Ingram Hall lobby during the show’s intermission. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-seated basis. Parking will be available in West Garage, located on 25th Avenue South near the intersection of Children’s Way.
ALIEN: The Musical follows the tumultuous journey of several generations of the Irish immigrant Dolan family from late-1800s New York to present-day California, where their story intersects with that of a Mexican immigrant family working in the kitchen of the newly opened O’Neil’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant. The musical features more than a dozen original songs in the Irish, folk, Latino and pop musical styles written and composed by Nashville songwriter and playwright Gregg D. Garner.
Garner has recorded and toured with the band UnNamed Servant, a socially conscious and globally aware quartet that has been performing for more than a decade. The band’s song “Alien” inspired this original musical, in which Garner explores the historical amnesia endemic to American immigration.
ALIEN: The Musical features local actors and was inspired by Garner’s desire to tell the story of those whose voices are muted because of their immigration or minority status. Previous performances at The Arts at Center Street, a venue in the Old Hickory area, and at Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville have played to sold-out crowds.
The Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Lecture Series strives to connect the university and the Nashville community with intellectuals who are shaping our world. For more information about the series, visit the Chancellor’s Lecture Series website, email cls@vanderbilt.edu, call (615) 322-0885 or follow on Twitter @VUCLS.