A STAR HAS BURNT MY EYE, Inspired by Musician Connie Converse, Hits BAM Tonight

Beginning tonight, November 9, Brooklyn Academy of Music will present the world premiere of a A Star Has Burnt My Eye, a play with music inspired by the extraordinary New York story of unheralded musician Connie Converse.

An unknown musician living in Greenwich Village in the early 1950s, Converse wrote and self-recorded original music-by turns beautiful, poetic, funny, and haunting-that was far ahead of its time. A quarter of a century later, long despairing of finding an audience for her art, Converse left goodbye letters that weren't quite suicide notes, and vanished.

In his BAM mainstage debut, Brooklyn songwriter, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Howard Fishman offers a multilayered homage to this remarkable lost artist. Of a workshop of the production last year The New Yorker wrote: "incredible, as was she; the show had me transfixed, joyful, and grateful. It reminded me, yet again, what art is for."

A play with music, A Star Has Burnt My Eye is inspired by the extraordinary true story of Connie Converse. An unknown musician living in Greenwich Village in the early 1950s, Converse wrote and self-recorded original music-by turns beautiful, poetic, funny, and haunting-that was far ahead of its time. A quarter of a century later, long despairing of finding an audience for her art, Converse left goodbye letters that weren't quite suicide notes, and vanished.

A tribute to this remarkable lost artist, the setting for Howard Fishman's A Star Has Burnt My Eye is both simple and illuminating: in a Brooklyn apartment, a contemporary musician (played by Fishman) has gathered collaborators to prepare for a concert of Converse's music. Over the course of a single afternoon, they attempt to get inside her life and songs, examining notions of success, alienation, passion, and the ways in which genius can lead to salvation or self-destruction. The play features live performances of Converse's songs, readings from her personal letters and journals, previously unheard music, and recreations of firsthand recollections from those who knew her.

Internationally-acclaimed Brooklyn songwriter, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Howard Fishman has been a fixture on the New York music scene for nearly 20 years, headlining at such venues as Lincoln Center, Celebrate Brooklyn, Merkin Concert Hall, and Joe's Pub, as well as touring in the US and abroad. His oratorio "we are destroyed:" A Meditation on the Donner Party Tragedy of 1846, has had workshop showings at Abrons Arts Center and at The Pasadena Playhouse; his original score for Buster Keaton's The Frozen North was performed as part of the New York Guitar Festival; and his New Orleans-inspired brass band regularly performs in Europe (most recently in Estonia and Finland). His eleventh recording, Uncollected Stories, was released in 2015. As an actor and director, he studied with Jose Quintero and Estelle Parsons. Fishman has recently been an artist-in-residence at the Hotchkiss School, Skidmore College, and Castleton University. Visit www.howardfishman.com for more.

IF YOU GO:

A Star Has Burnt My Eye

Written by Howard Fishman

Music and lyrics by Connie Converse

Directed by Paul Lazar

Dramaturgy by James Harrison Monaco

Set and costume design by Christopher Heilman

Lighting design by Megan Lang and Megan Estes

BAM Fisher (Fishman Space) 321 Ashland Pl

Nov 9-12 at 7:30pm

Tickets: $25

For ticket information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.

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