DramaWatch: Michael Allen Harrison, composing a new musical, lives by his father’s advice to ‘love what you do’

The prolific composer thrives on his packed schedule, which includes rehearsing for "JC: Gospel According to an Angel," a new musical at Triangle Productions. Plus: Other openings, still running, and theater news.
Michael Allen Harrison, pianist and composer of the new musical JC: Gospel According to an Angel.
Michael Allen Harrison, pianist and composer of the new musical JC: Gospel According to an Angel, at Portland’s Triangle Productions.

Michael Allen Harrison, Portland’s prolific composer and pianist who’s been working as a professional musician for 40 years, still lives by the advice his father once gave him: “Be sure you find something you love to do and do it well and wait for the surprise.” Reminiscing in a recent phone conversation, Harrison said his father also repeated the saying, “If you can’t find something you love to do, love what you’re doing.”

Even before he worked as a full-time musician, Harrison took his father’s words to heart and applied them to every job he had, whether he was working at the Sandy Boulevard drive-in, waiting tables at the Kitchen Kettle, or flipping burgers at Herfy’s: “When I was a busboy at a restaurant, I made sure I was the best busboy they ever saw.”

That attitude, he believes, is at the core of his subsequent success as an artist. While still a student at Portland State University, he was asked to write music for the school’s children’s theater production of The Velveteen Rabbit, which later was onstage at Portland Civic Theater. After that, he started getting asked to be a pianist for ballet classes, and eventually got busy with his first jazz ensemble, which featured both standards and his own compositions. In the early ’90s, he says, every lobby bar had a jazz club, and while he received a lot of requests to play familiar songs like New York, New York and Send in the Clowns, he also slipped in some of his own music at these gigs and gained notice for those pieces.

“I often call my career ‘by request,’” Harrison says, “because the more I shared, the more I got asked to do things.” In other words, he has continued to enjoy an abundance of good surprises, including having the opportunity to write music for ballets, a piano concerto, and the 1992 film Claire of the Moon.

His current project, which he’s working on with Don Horn at Triangle Productions, is the new musical JC: Gospel According to an Angel, for which Harrison composed the music and wrote additional lyrics. This is his fifth musical theater project, and he says it’s one of his best. With a book and lyrics by Horn, the show follows a dying man (Ken Dembo) who questions an angel (Tasha Danner) about his floundering faith and what’s to come in the afterlife.

“I get excited when I feel like I’ve captured how to tell the story properly and that the music and lyric is enhancing the script to tell the story rather than what I might think it should sound like,” says Harrison. He also notes that “[w]riting new music is really easy when it just flows in a kind of invisible magic way,” which is what happened with the songs for J.C. “One of the things I so appreciated about this project was that Donnie’s lyrics were really easy to write to.” In many cases, Harrison would read the lyrics and hear a melody, which would then turn out to be very close to what audiences will hear in the show.  

There was one moment during development for the musical, though, when Harrison experienced what he calls “the wince factor,” or a sense that one of the songs wasn’t quite right. With You is a piece in which Judas (Michael Hammerstrom), one of the 12 disciples, tells Jesus how much he loves him. “With you, I am my better self,” the chorus goes, and Harrison says at first he was imagining it as a rousing number. “I envisioned a contemporary Christian kind of a song, very inspiring, where everybody is standing up and waving their arms.” When Hammerstrom said the song sounded more like a ballad, Harrison knew he was right. They slowed With You way down, and now Harrison says it’s one of the most touching moments in the play.

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Portland Playhouse Notes From the Field Portland Oregon

The process of fine-tuning a new musical makes Harrison extra busy, especially since he’ll be playing piano for each of JC’s ten performances. But he thrives on the challenge of a packed schedule, especially for a show like this one, which includes such a wide variety of music. Besides the ballad, he says, there’s a song with a driving rock beat, some music that echoes the sound of the Jewish folk song Hava Nagila, and a number he describes as “swanky bluesy,” which is sung by the serpent (Dave Cole), who challenges Jesus (Jack Harvison). “It’s like when the king comes out in Hamilton,” Harrison says. “Everyone looks forward to the sassy guy.”

Among the many joys of working on this project, the ultimate one for Harrison was collaborating with Horn. “One of the things I really love about him is that he’s really honest. Really honest with what he thinks and how he feels. There’s no pretending in how he expresses what he believes in. We don’t share completely the same viewpoint on everything, but that’s not what the show is about. We’re not trying to convince anybody how to think. We’re just getting together and thinking about it.”

Ken Dembo stars as a dying man in Triangle Productions' JC: Gospel According to an Angel.
Ken Dembo stars as a dying man in Triangle Productions’ JC: Gospel According to an Angel.

The seeds of the project were sown back in 2008 when Harrison suggested that Horn read The Prayers of the Cosmos: Reflections on the Original Meaning of Jesus’s Words by Neil Douglas-Klotz, a scholar who translated The Lord’s Prayer and the Beatitudes into Aramaic, the language that the historical Jesus is believed to have spoken. In turn, Horn read that book and more. According to the program for JC, his sources for the play’s script include more than 100 books, articles, videos and papers related to the subject.

For Harrison, Douglas-Klotz’s book is akin to the Native American connection to nature, while also celebrating the wonder and magic of the great beyond. “This is something I think every human is trying to tackle, because we really don’t know until we get there,” says Harrison. “What we believe contributes to our choice-making.”

Harrison himself grew up Jewish and has deep connections to both Jewish and Christian communities. “I’m very open to the invisible magic, spirit, however you want to call it – Son of God, God, Buddha – anything that creates a feeling of goodness and wonder.”

Whether he’s in a synagogue or a church, his own spirituality is a personal thing, much like the act of creating music when he slips into a state he calls “no concept of time.” This, he says, is when “[t]he past, the present, and the future are all happening at the same time. When you’re in the present and you strike that first note, it already becomes part of the past and shapes what’s coming next. “

Even now, with JC’s Feb. 6 opening night just days away, Harrison knows the excitement of collaborating on the show is fleeting. “It’s just like preparing for a wedding. You get all these months of preparation, and it happens, and it’s over, then on to the next thing.”

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Portland Opera The Shining Newmark Theatre Portland Oregon

The next thing for Harrison might include work on more film music this year. He also has his Valentine concerts coming up on Feb. 16 at the Canby Pioneer Chapel, where he’ll perform at 11:30 a.m. with violinist Aaron Meyer and then again at 5 pm with singer Julianne Johnson. In between, he has a 2 p.m. matinee of JC that same day. “The 16th is going to be a busy day for me, and I love those kind of days so much.”

“I’m really lucky to make a living writing music and playing the piano. I’m just always amazed and grateful that somehow this happened for me.”

JC: Gospel According to an Angel” will be onstage at Triangle Productions, 1785 N.E. Sandy Blvd. in Portland, Feb. 6-22.

ALSO OPENING

Illustration by Patricia Alvitez for Milagro Theatre’s Frida, un retablo.

Frida, un retablo at Milagro Theatre, Feb. 6-22.

Written by Dañel Malán-González and directed by Mia Torres, this bilingual play paints a portrait of Frida Kahlo through three versions of her that “separate themselves from the gift shop imagery and show their true selves.” It’s presented with supertitles (subtitles above the action) for non-Spanish speaking audience members. To celebrate the production, Milagro will also offer special free  events, including art workshops and artist talkbacks, throughout the run of the play. Frida will be onstage at Milagro, 525 S.E. Stark St. in Portland.

“Liza’s Lounge” at the Greenhouse Cabaret stage in Bend, Feb 6-8.

Fertile Liza, an elegant lady of the night, hosts this evening of entertainment with live music. Liza’s Lounge is from John Kish, the creator of Cocktail Cabaret, and promises to deliver “decadence,” with a ticket price that covers the show and coat check, one drink, amuse bouche/petit fours from Foxtail Bakery, and two hours of local talent. The dress code is “Creative Black Tie,” which welcomes an artistic look. The show will be at 1017 N.E. Second St. in Bend.

Sponsor

CMNW Hagen Quartet

Perspective, 3 new short plays presented by Sowelu Dramatic at the Back Door Theater, Feb. 6-9.

Sowelu Dramatic presents Perspective, three new short plays that are part of a live multimedia event exploring contemporary social, political and environmental issues. The new works are by Nannette Gatchel, Luke Heyerman and Nick Lloyd and are directed by artistic director Barry Hunt at the Back Door Theater, 4319 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland. ArtsWatcher Bobby Bermea wrote about the production here.

Oregon Children’s Theatre presents Spider, Feb. 7-16.

Written by Madeleine Adriance, an alumna of OCT’s Young Professionals Company, this powerful play is about iPad kids, collective trauma, and the trust we put in AI.

Originally produced by the YP Company in October 2023, this revised version of the script will also tour local high schools after its premiere public performances. The play runs for approximately 50 minutes and is for ages 14+. See it at New Expressive Works, 810 S.E. Belmont St., Portland.

The cast of Gallery Theatre's Fiddler on the Roof. Photo courtesy of Gallery Theatre, McMinnville.
The cast of Gallery Theatre’s Fiddler on the Roof. Photo courtesy of Gallery Theatre, McMinnville.

Fiddler on the Roof at McMinnville’s Gallery Theater, Feb. 7-March 2.

The classic musical that follows the story of Tevye the milkman and three of his daughters who buck tradition to marry the men of their choice will be onstage at Gallery Theater, 210 N.E. Ford in McMinnville.

Sponsor

Portland Opera The Shining Newmark Theatre Portland Oregon

Beginnings & Endings: A double Feature at Bag&Baggage, Feb. 13-Mar. 2.

Bag&Baggage says it’s continuing its “tough love affair with Shakespeare” with these two plays by Sarah Lynn Brown and directed by Melody Erfani. In R33, three actors bring Richard III to life in a new way. Then, in Femme Ending, nearly every female character from Shakespeare’s world appears. According to B&B’s press, “Together, these two plays create Beginnings & Endings—a night of theater that explores love, power, and the ghosts that haunt us.” The shows will be onstage at The Vault Theater, 50 E. Main St, Hillsboro.

Stop the World I Want to Get Off at Lakewood Theatre Company, Feb. 14 & 15.

Part of Lakewood Theatre Company’s Lost Treasures Collection, the musical will be presented as a minimally staged concert/cabaret style show with script-in-hand. The show premiered in London’s West End and is known for its lively musical numbers such as Gonna Build a Mountain, Once in a Lifetime, and What Kind of Fool Am I? Among the cast are Diego Kjelland and Kylie Jenifer Rose, and the series is curated and directed by Dennis Corwin, with musical direction by Jeffrey Michael Kauffman. There will be three performances over two days. Performances are on Lakewood Theatre’s Side Door stage at Lakewood Center for the Arts. For tickets, call 503-635-3901 or order online at http://www.lakewood-center.org/

Nik Whitcomb (left) and Emmanuel Davis in Pass Over, an American version of Waiting for Godot. Photo courtesy of Corrib Theatre.
Nik Whitcomb (left) and Emmanuel Davis in Pass Over, an American version of Waiting for Godot. Photo courtesy of Corrib Theatre.

Corrib Theatre’s Pass Over, Feb. 14-March 9.

Corrib describes this contemporary American spin on Waiting for Godot by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu as “a love letter to Black male friendship, and a searing indictment of Whiteness.” The show stars Bag&Baggage artistic director Nik Whitcomb and Emmanuel Davis. In a New York Times review of a 2021 production, Jesse Green wrote, “Somehow Nwandu gives us the recognition of horror that has informed drama since the Greeks while also providing the relief of joy — however irrational — that calls to mind the ecstasies of gospel, splatter flicks and classic musicals, all of which are sampled.” The play is directed by the acclaimed actor and storyteller Vin Shambry and is a co-production with the Historic Alberta House, where it will be performed. 5131 NE 23rd Ave., Portland.

The Dark Stuff, at Twilight Theater, Feb. 15.

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Portland Playhouse Notes From the Field Portland Oregon

The new play by Mikki Gillette features the suave professor Bodkin, who adopts trans student Izzy as a protege, sweeping the aspiring poet into his erudite world. His advances cross lines, however, and their histories and present lives blur in this play with music by Ash.

LOOKING AHEAD

An abundance of intriguing plays will be onstage later in February, including 21ten Theatre’s production of three farces by Anton Chekhov, Anna Deavere Smith’s Notes from the Field at Portland Playhouse, Annie Baker’s The Antipodes at Shaking the Tree Theatre, and A Case for the Existence of God at Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Below are listings for other shows to keep in mind.

The Effect at University of Portland, Feb. 19-23.

The Oregon premiere of this “romantic dramedy” is about Connie and Tristan, volunteers in a clinical trial. Are they falling in love, or are their feelings a side effect from an experimental antidepressant they’re taking? It’s written by Emmy winner Lucy Prebble (HBO’s Succession), a writer who The New Yorker says “has become an expert at getting deep inside worried characters’ heads.” The Effect is directed by Andy Christensen, assistant professor at UP. The show will be onstage at the Mago Hunt Theater at 5000 N. Willamette Blvd. in Portland.

Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl, part of the Reader’s Series at Twilight Theater, Feb. 21 & 22.

Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, plot twists, and visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. Directed by Mark Jones.

Sponsor

Cascadia Composers and Delgani String Quartet Portland Oregon

Tartuffe (Cassie Funmaker) plans to worm his way into the family of the gullible Orgon in Tartuffe, presented by PSU Theater Arts. Photo: Chad Lanning.
Tartuffe (Cassie Funmaker) plans to worm his way into the family of the gullible Orgon in Tartuffe, presented by PSU Theater Arts. Photo: Chad Lanning.

Tartuffe, at Portland State University, Feb. 27-March 8.

In this scathing comedy presented by PSU’s Theater Arts program, the scheming Tartuffe worms his way into the household of the wealthy Orgon and tries to steal his property as well as the affections of his wife and daughter. Written in 1664, Molière’s comic indictment of moral hypocrisy remains a valid commentary on false virtue and alternative facts. According to a PSU press release, “Sparkling with witty dialogue and set entirely in rhyming couplets, [Richard] Wilbur’s translation of the 17th-century neoclassical comedy gleefully skewers powerful manipulators who claim that their motives are based on benevolence.”  See the show, which is directed by Christine Freije, at Lincoln Performance Hall (Lincoln Hall 175), 1620 S.W. Park Avenue, Portland.

CONTINUING SHOWS

Profile Theatre’s production of Samsara at Artist Repertory Theatre, through Feb. 9.

A comedic but eye-opening look at a white American couple who hire a surrogate in India. Reviewing the play for ArtsWatch, Darleen Ortega wrote, “Its short run in Portland is not to be missed.” See it at Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 S.W. Morrison St.

Brett McMorris and Jari Haile as anguished parents in American Son. Photo courtesy of Twilight Theater.
Brett McMorris and Jari Haile as anguished parents in American Son. Photo courtesy of Twilight Theater.

American Son at Twilight Theater through Feb. 9.

A tense drama about an estranged biracial couple and their teenage son, who is missing after a traffic incident. 7515 N. Brandon Ave., Portland.

Sponsor

Cascadia Composers and Delgani String Quartet Portland Oregon

8-Track: The Sounds of the 70s in Concert at Broadway Rose Theatre, through Feb.16.

Billed as a “fast-paced musical romp,” the show tells the story of a decade through its music, with songs such as The Jackson 5’s chart-topper I Want You Back and the BeeGees’ disco hit Stayin’ Alive. Even with added performances, tickets are selling fast for this production, which is presented on the Broadway Rose New Stage, 12850 S.W. Grant Ave. in Tigard.

Mrs. Harrison at Portland Center Stage through Feb. 16.

The play, by novelist and advice columnist R. Eric Thomas, takes place in a “well-appointed faculty restroom at a prestigious university,” where two former friends — Aisha, a Black, successful playwright, and Holly, a white, struggling stand-up comedian — meet during their 10-year reunion. Coincidentally (or not), Aisha’s most successful play resembles a tragic event from Holly’s past. ArtsWatch reviewed it here. See the show on the U.S. Bank Main Stage at PCS, 128 N.W. 11th Ave. in Portland.

Arsenic and Old Lace, at Pentacle Theatre in Salem, through Feb. 22.

This black comedy featuring a homicidal family was written by Joseph Kesselring in 1939; then Frank Capra made a film adaptation starring Cary Grant in 1944. Pentacle’s production is directed by Scott Ramp. See it at 324 52nd Ave. N.W. in Salem.

A scene from One Act Wonders. Photo courtesy of Ten Fifteen Productions, Astoria.
A scene from One Act Wonders. Photo courtesy of Ten Fifteen Productions, Astoria.

One Act Wonders, at Ten Fifteen Productions in Astoria, through Feb. 8.

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CMNW Hagen Quartet

Each of these one-act plays has its own director but will feature an ensemble cast. Audiences can vote for their favorite play, which will then be entered into the American Association of Community Theatre’s One Act Competition. The plays include ‘dentity Crisis by Christopher Durang, directed by Ryan Hull; Out at Sea by Slawomir Mrozek, directed by Karen Bain; and Conflict by Wade Bradford, directed by Deborah Jensen.

The Maltese Falcon, at Lakewood Theatre Company through Feb. 9.

Based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel and John Huston’s 1941 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart, this U.S. premiere of The Maltese Falcon features private detective Sam Spade, a priceless statue, a femme fatale, and a murdered partner. ArtsWatch reviewed the show here.

A hit of 1962 in the musical comedy Hairspray at Stumptown Stages. Photo: Mike Lindberg
A hit of 1962 in the musical comedy Hairspray at Stumptown Stages. Photo: Mike Lindberg

Stumptown Stages’ Hairspray, through Feb. 9.

Based on John Waters’ comic film of the same title, the musical version of Hairspray, which won eight Tony Awards, takes place in 1962 Baltimore, where social outcast Tracy Turnblad is determined to dance on The Corny Collins Show. Gary Wayne Cash portrays Tracy’s mother, a role that was originated by Divine in the 1988 film, followed by Harvey Fierstein in the 2002 Broadway musical, and John Travolta in the 2007 musical film. The production is directed by Julianne Johnson-Weiss.

Fiction, at Mask & Mirror, through Feb. 8.

Steven Dietz’s play features a woman who asks her husband to share his diaries with her after she’s diagnosed with a tumor. Directed by Tony Broom and onstage at Tualatin United Methodist Church.

Sponsor

Portland Playhouse Notes From the Field Portland Oregon

THEATER NEWS

Aurora fox puppet at Portland Revels' Little Lights. Photo courtesy of Portland Revels.
Aurora fox puppet at Portland Revels’ Little Lights. Photo courtesy of Portland Revels.

Portland Revels presents a children’s production, Little Lights, Feb. 22 & 23.

Portland Revels, celebrating its 30th season of beaming light into our winter darkness, presents its latest children’s show, which echoes the Nordic themes of its Midwinter Revels sister show, featuring songs, stories and dance from the northernmost reaches of Europe, with themes appropriate for kids ages 3 to 7. In Little Lights, two friends promise the Norse god Odin that they will guard a box of light through the longest night. But they fall asleep and the Yule Lads steal the box – along with all the light. In this engaging, interactive production, the friends and a mysterious arctic fox set out on a quest to find the box and bring back the light. For children ages 3-7. There will be three Children’s Revels: Little Lights shows daily at The Judy, 1000 S.W. Broadway, Portland.

Play On Shakespeare appoints Taylor Bailey as new interim executive director

Play On Shakespeare, a nonprofit company promoting and creating contemporary modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays, has appointed Taylor Bailey as its new interim executive director. A leader at Play On Shakespeare since 2019, Bailey will now oversee the company’s mission to partner with theater producers, funding Shakespeare performance and commissioning modern-verse translations to support the global Shakespeare community.

Play On Shakespeare co-founder and former President Lue Douthit will now helm a new department. As director of research & practice, Douthit will focus on the expansion of workshops, education initiatives, and dramaturgical curriculum in-residence to help theater-makers and educators as they develop their work. Douthit will be joined by Summer Martin as associate director of research and practice.

Play On Shakespeare began as a project of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and later became an independent nonprofit organization. For more information, visit playonshakespeare.org.

Sponsor

CMNW Hagen Quartet

Participants of Bag&Baggage's new Hillsboro Youth Performance Ensemble, or HYPE. Photo courtesy of Bag&Baggage.
Participants of Bag&Baggage’s new Hillsboro Youth Performance Ensemble, or HYPE. Photo courtesy of Bag&Baggage.

A new youth performance ensemble through Bag&Baggage.

Bag&Baggage kicked off its first HYPE (Hillsboro Youth Performance Ensemble) group on January 25. The new six-month youth theater creative and professional development program is offered at no cost to the participants and includes hands-on workshops on design, directing, and performance. Education Associate Grayson Ashford is leading the ensemble and prepping them for an original devised show in June.

Female impersonator Julian Eltinge was one of the early entertainers at The Liberty Theatre in Astoria. In this 1920s photo Eltinge and a woman he identified as his wife stand on the S.S. Siberia at dock in Yokohama-shi, Japan. Eltinge, however, is not known to have married. Photo: National Photo Company Collection / Library of Congress.
Female impersonator Julian Eltinge was one of the early entertainers at The Liberty Theatre in Astoria. In this 1920s photo Eltinge and a woman he identified as his wife stand on the S.S. Siberia at dock in Yokohama-shi, Japan. Eltinge, however, is not known to have married. Photo: National Photo Company Collection / Library of Congress.

The Liberty Theatre and the Ghosts of Vaudeville

In a Winter 2024 article for the magazine Hidden Compass, Melissa Hart chronicled the history of Astoria’s Liberty Theatre, which was once a vaudeville palace. Thanks to the theater, a variety of performers, including those from marginalized communities, could use their talents to earn a living. The article highlights the contributions of Florence Hines, a Black lesbian, and Julian Eltinge, a famous drag queen.

Sneak peek and open house at Experience Theatre Project Feb. 8

Experience Theatre Project, the immersive theater company now located in Aloha, is opening the doors of its new space for a look at its 2025 season from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 8. Meet some of the people behind the scenes, and enjoy the art that’s installed  in the space. Light refreshments will be served, and parking is available. This spring and summer, ETP is also planning networking events, trivia nights, talent shows, and art-based tasting menus. The company is in rehearsal for Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which opens Feb. 28. Both the open house and the show will be at ​18850 S.W. Alexander St. in Aloha.

A nominee for six Pushcart awards, Linda Ferguson writes poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. Her latest chapbook, "Not Me: Poems About Other Women," was published by Finishing Line Press. As a creative writing teacher, she has a passion for building community and helping students explore new territory.

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