Mirror Man A Portrait of Michael Bennett

John Sefakis

Sep 3

3 min read

A Note from DO40 Member Natalie Guevara

If you've spoken with me at any point in the past seven years, you'll know how captivated I've been by the life, work, and legacy of Michael Bennett, Broadway legend, tenacious whiz kid, and a true original in American musical theatre. When an artist gets their hooks into me, I feel called to honor not just them but everyone who made the work possible, and to share their stories with someone new. This is my version of that: A tribute project to Michael, his collaborators, and their creativity. You may have known it at one point as Showstopper. It's now called Mirror Man: A Portrait of Michael Bennett. And it is currently up and running! Michael loved mirrors. He filled his homes and rehearsal studios with them, made them dance onstage, choreographed into them, and referred to them for instant feedback. They were his instrument, his muse, and his constant companion. It's no coincidence to me that his work was very mirror-like: revealing things about ourselves and reflecting them back at us in the most surprising ways. Mirror Man is many things at once: oral history and reflections from extraordinary colleagues, friends, and cultural historians; archival research; and insights from today's theatre artists who are influenced by Michael and DO40 Advisory Board Member Bob Avian's work and carrying it forward. It's also a moodboard that will come more and more to life with every update. Mirror Man exists because a wonderful group of people—his creative partners, his admirers, his witnesses, and my own circle of friends—believe in my passion and are helping me bring these perspectives to a new generation with care, style, and joy. Having recently obtained Mr. John Breglio's blessing from The Michael Bennett Estate, I'm developing a digital initiative and I'd love to have members of Dancers Over 40 who have worked and collaborated with Mr. Bennett participate in my project. Any help in getting in touch with former Bennett collaborators would be absolutely appreciated! Thank you for your consideration and potential assistance. I'm eager to connect with anyone associated with DO40 who might enrich this project and would be delighted to provide additional information as needed.

The project lives across a few places: Mirrorman.studio is the primary online resource: the record of Michael Bennett's work and all the places he danced and created, from Buffalo to Manhattan to East Hampton (the site is meticulously built and designed by the talented Douglas James and Ryan Wall at minute.tech, who've been my dream partners). The Substack newsletter is where we'll go deeper: new interviews with Michael's collaborators and the artists he's influenced, plus extended explorations of the work itself. You can subscribe for free! New posts will begin publishing on April 16. You can also follow the project on social media at @mirrorman.studio on Instagram and Facebook. Mirror Man will roll out one installment at a time: person by person, show by show, for weeks to come. Subscribe to stay updated. If you contributed to and/or spoke with me for this project, your moment is on the way. And if you know someone who would enjoy this project or would potentially like to participate, please share it with them. This is not a one and done, but something I see myself working on for the long haul and devoting many more moments to, happily. I'm excited about today, although I see it as the very start ("And now life really begins..."). Your time, generosity of spirit, and every word of encouragement made this possible. This really is what I did for love. To Michael, to Bob, and to all of you, especially all you Dancers over 40 members, who will always be a Primary Source of material for Our History, Our Legacy and Our Lives.