ABOUT THIS WORK
The Messenger is a stand-alone duet from the larger operatic work, Fizz & Ginger. Fizz & Ginger traces the steps of the 1920s New Yorker nightlife reviewer, Lipstick, as she enters a party in pursuit of a story. Hot on the heels of her rum running boyfriend Benny, she finds him at The Crossroads mixed with company she’s never seen before. Old Tom Bullock is in town slinging drinks fresh out of his cocktail book while Marjorie croons the tunes of a lover lost to the Great War. Nellie, a writer for Harlem’s The Messenger magazine, is there to support her Bohemian best friend Bruce who is necking with a man he shouldn’t be necking with. This ensemble of six singers supported by a live jazz combo, pays homage to Lipstick’s reviews from the New Yorker archives. Music by Whitney George.
