Leo Schwartz, the composer and lyricist to Pride Films and Plays' world premiere musical Under a Rainbow Flag, first met Jon Phillips, now 91, in the 1980s. Schwartz, who works in fundraising and marketing, was entranced by Phillips' stories of his many brushes with celebrities and even royalty from his three decades of working in various planning departments for the city of Chicago starting in 1954.
But it was Phillips' stories of his formative gay experiences while serving in the Navy and Marine Corps during World War II that stuck out in Schwartz's mind.
"It was unlike anything I had heard before because I was under the impression that all of this was very hidden," said Schwartz in a telephone interview a few days before his show officially opened March 23 at Profiles Theatre's Main Stage. "Jon had some very interesting moments in his career as a soldier and I tried to incorporate those things into the musical."
Now Schwartz's original intention was to use Phillips' experiences along with other veterans' stories from other wars as part of a large-scale oratorio-style piece for gay choruses to highlight the contributions of gay and lesbian service members as a response to the now-defunct "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the 1990s. But without a commission, Schwartz put that oratorio idea aside.
But Phillips' stories still resonated with Schwartz, which is why he thought they would make a good narrative musical. Schwartz was already working on Under a Rainbow Flag when he became aware of Pride Films and Plays' Great Gay Play and Musical Contest, which spurred him on to finish the piece. Under a Rainbow Flag was a finalist and received a reading as part of the Gay Play Weekend in April 2012 at the Center on Halsted.
Schwartz decided to focus on 10 years of his characters' lives starting during World War II and then to look at the gay communities they helped to develop afterwards. Schwartz also drew from his experience managing and performing in the Clark Street Big Band ensemble in the writing of the piece.
"There's a lot of jazz in it, there's some rock stuff and your standard show tunes and I've got a couple of characters who at times remind me of Disney characters because they're so animated and energetic and their music is so bouncy and catchy," Schwartz said, adding that he also drew from the Abbott and Costello and Andrews Sisters films he remembers watching on TV growing up in the 1950s.
Schwartz found the feedback from audiences at the reading to be invaluable, particularly from Pride Films and Plays artistic director David Zak, who advised Schwartz to expand the relationships in the show and to focus on the characterizations. Schwartz also laughed at a suggestion told to him by Phillips at the reading's intermission: "The Jon Phillips on stage is a lot nicer than I am," he said.
Although Under a Rainbow Flag lost the contest to Sean Chandler and David Leeper's one-man play At the Flash, both shows found a spot in Pride Films and Plays' 2012-13 season of fully staged productions.
"The fact that we can do a Chicago piece is really thrilling," said Zak, who also directs the production with Robert Ollis as music director. "It's a big piece and Leo's a wonderful writer who has had a couple of little things done in Chicago and New York, but nothing this big. I also think it's a great story based upon someone who is still alive."
At opening night of Under a Rainbow Flag, Phillips was given a front row seat and acknowledged at the curtain call along with the creative team. The cast also gave Phillips a framed autographed show poster to mark the occasion of part of his life becoming a piece of musical theater—quite an accomplishment for this native of Streator, Ill., who rose above complicated family origins to be a success in Chicago city planning and to become an inspiration for the LGBT community later in life.
"I told Leo to go ahead with it, but I was skeptical of the whole thing," Phillips said during a telephone interview at his Evanston care home. "But Leo put his heart and soul into this whole thing and the first run I saw convinced me that it's a worthwhile project to help gay men and women to be accepted."
Although he is coping with chronic emphysema, Phillips said he hopes to see Under a Rainbow Flag each Saturday evening during its run. Phillips is also relishing all the attention the musical is giving him since he's starting to receive invitations to speak about his life by groups around town.
"When these offers came up, I talked to the doctors and nurses and one said I should do it because you're shutting down—you're too bright and too valuable a person who still has life to live," Phillips said. "So I said yes."
Pride Films and Plays' world premiere of Under a Rainbow Flag continues through April 21 at Profiles Theatre's Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays with 2:30 p.m. matinees on Sundays (no show on March 27). Tickets are $15-$25 with discounts for veterans, seniors and students; call 800-838-3006 or visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or www.brownpapertickets.com .
