The Public Theater

This musical about pop artist Keith Haring, based on the biography by John Gruen, captured the mad frantic energy of New York in the ‘80s with a score influenced by hip-hop, new wave and disco. The production design of the show, produced with the cooperation of Haring’s estate, incorporated art by Haring.

It is 1988 and Keith Haring has just been diagnosed with AIDS. The story jumps backwards in time to Keith’s childhood and awkward adolescence through his days on the New York gay club scene, and to the beginnings of his graffiti works in the subways. Soon Haring’s once-subversive work has become mainstream, making him a target for critics and other artists and saddling him with both personal and financial difficulties. In the midst of this comes his AIDS diagnosis, which fills him with a sense of urgency leading Haring to spend the final two years of his life in a frenzy of artistic activity.

This production received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Set Design of a Musical, Lucille Lortel Award nominations for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Lighting Design, and an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical.

source: nytimes.com