Liberty (Part 2 of 2)

The cosmic conspiracy was not evident to us until the next day.

The conspiracy centered around an unintentional theme that ran through our activities -- liberty.  First was the Fourth of July celebration (obviously planned), then the July 5 visit to the Statue of Liberty (long planned, true . . .), and then a spontaneous outing to another "liberty-themed" event!

We attended a matinee of an off-Broadway musical that had premiered July 4.  The show was Liberty, a Monumental New Musical.  The musical tells the story of an unwelcome immigrant who is threatened with deportation after initially being promised entry.  Economic times were hard and immigrants were regarded by some as a threat to job security.  While set in the 1880's, the musical resonates today.  Some songs were upbeat, others were warm ballads.  The ending was uplifting.  

Scene with the full cast from Liberty, a Monumental New Musical

So, at this point in time, the cosmic conspiracy had become obvious.  First, we visited the magnificent Statue of Liberty the day after the Fourth of July celebration.  The next day, we enjoyed an uplifting musical about the Statue of Liberty.  What was next?  Seeing a play about the dark side of liberty? Yes.

Later the very same day, we attended the very dark play The Crucible by Arthur Miller.  The play uses the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690's as a veiled proxy for the Red Scare and McCarthy Hearings of the early 1950's.  The cast was a group of very talented actors, including a few well-known actors:  Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn; Ben Whishaw, "Q" in the Bond films; and Ciaran Hinds, Game of Thrones. 

The play itself and what Arthur Miller endured after writing the play are stark reminders of what happens when freedom of belief and speech are suppressed and liberty is denied.  For that reason, the play remains relevant today. 

So, four seemingly unrelated experiences over three days shared a common theme--the importance of liberty, a fitting theme for the week of July 4th.  Coincidence or cosmic conspiracy?