Long Islander Enjoys Off B'way Run of 'Liberty: A Monumental New Musical'

Photo by Jennifer Wilbur

Jon Goldstein is a busy man.

He spends his days as the creative director at Farmingdale State College. Family time he spends at his home in Glen Cove – which he calls, “the greatest city on Long Island,” having moved there from nearby Sea Cliff.

But for Goldstein, who is also a songwriter, there’s a whole lot more.

Goldstein wrote the music for “Liberty: A Monumental New Musical.” The show is now enjoying a limited run through Nov. 24 at Theater 80, at New York’s St. Mark’s Place in the East Village.

Goldstein co-wrote the play with his sister Dana.

The musical tells the story of Liberty, a young French daughter of the statue’s sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi who has sent her to New York to “become the embodiment of the American dream.” Along the way, she meets prominent artists, business leaders, slaves, Native Americans, dockworkers, immigrants and more.

“It’s a great show for young people too, with a very talented 14-year-old girl, Abigail Shapiro, in the title role, the show is empowering for kids and could possibly be the next ’Matilda,’ or ’Newsies’ to make it to Broadway,” Goldstein said.

Already, the show is on the radar of Sigourney Weaver and Michael Feinstein, who “were part of the 125th celebration of the Statue’s dedication,” Goldstein said. “Our show was invited to perform at the event.”

Filmmaker Ken Burns introduced the show at a July 4, 2009, celebration, where members of the show also performed.

And while the current run is a limited engagement, Goldstein sounds optimistic about the future.

“Our production team raised the money to pay for this six-week run,” he said. Thanks to the first couple of shows, we’ve had some new investors join the team too. They’ve seen incredible audience reaction, long-standing ovations, and realize that we’ve got a hit on our hands.”

That kind of optimism could drive the show forward.

“If the people who’ve seen Liberty keep telling their friends and family, this show is guaranteed to move to a larger theater or a national tour,” Goldstein noted. “And the folks who see it now will have that special experience of seeing a ‘hit show‘ before anyone else even knows about it.”

See “Liberty: A Monumental New Musical” Oct. 14-Nov. 25 at Theatre 80 (80 St. Marks Place). Tickets are $69 and available at libertythemusical.com.