Fringe Festival: Dear Harvey

Patricia Loughrey's Dear Harvey, drawn from gay leader Harvey Milk's words and from interviews with people who knew him (carried out by the playwright), is earnest, thoughtful, and frequently moving. It seems to have a number of goals, ranging from being educational to providing a compelling evening of theatre. It could use some pruning, clearer time shifts, and a stronger through line to meet those goals. As it stands, Dear Harvey is neither "Harvey 101" nor really a play. For people who already know about Milk, it has much that is interesting. However, for people who don't, too many names and too many bits of information fly by too quickly to digest. I tip my hat to the people who created Dear Harvey, as their love, commitment, and hard work are apparent. I hope they work further to clarify and perhaps simplify the show so that it can better meet their admirable objectives.