As the late Broadway composer Steven Lutvak paid tribute to Topeka in his song
Celebrating inclusivity and diversity in the capital city is a focus of Visit Topeka and its newly released song.
Written by the late Broadway composer Steven Lutvak and released in March, “Topeka!” celebrates Topeka’s commitment to its civil rights heritage and the spirit of the capital city.
Lutvak’s husband, Michael McGowan, said the song was not an ordinary song for Lutvak, but a personal expression of her family’s life path and values.
“Steven visited Topeka to get to know the community a little bit, and I think he immediately felt the warmth and embrace from everyone he met in Topeka, and that was really the starting point of ‘Be Yourself, See Yourself, Set Yourself Free in Topeka,'” McGowan told the Capital-Journal.
Lutvak, a native New Yorker, died in his Manhattan studio on October 9. He was 65, the New York Times reported.
Celebrating community through music
Topeka has numerous landmarks, events and programs that celebrate its civil rights legacy, such as the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park and the rainbow-colored Equality House, which serves as a living symbol of LGBTQ+ rights, according to a press release from Visit Topeka.
Lutvak began the song with the following lines: “Topeka is a city with arms wide open! Be yourself, see yourself, set yourself free in Topeka.” The video also features community members from a variety of backgrounds.
McGowan said Lutvak’s creative process when writing a song was never precisely calculated, but rather he always “plunged in headfirst.”
“At the time he died, in addition to the song that was so dear to his heart, he was also working on five different musicals,” McGowan said. “He was one of the hardest working and most cheerful people I have ever seen.”
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Lead vocals on the song are performed by Topeka-born Broadway performer Jeff Kready and his wife Nikki Renee Daniels, herself a Broadway star.
Kready has appeared in Broadway productions such as “The Great Gatsby,” “Company,” “Tootsie” and “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” a musical composed by Lutvak that won four Tony Awards in 2014, the press release said.
“Steven was deeply moved by the idea of a community that celebrates diversity and inclusivity with such passion, especially given that the national climate is so charged,” said Kready. “That enthusiasm was palpable as he embarked on the ‘Topeka!’ project. Steven was deeply impressed and inspired by Topeka’s openness, which fueled his creative process.”
The song “Topeka!” is part of Visit Topeka’s welcome campaign
The song was commissioned by Visit Topeka, the convention and visitors bureau of Kansas’ capital city, to anchor its 2024-25 campaign to welcome visitors. The timing of the release coincides with the release of the 2024 Topeka City Guide, produced in English and Spanish, which honors the themes featured in the song.
Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka, said the organization was honored to have worked with someone of Lutvak’s caliber.
“We knew we wanted to create a classic, Broadway-inspired musical number to capture the attention of travelers across the country,” Dixon said. “Our mission was to make sure every type of family and person could see that Topeka is a community that welcomes them for who they are, and that this city will surprise you.”
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McGowan said he remembers Lutvak calling him to tell him about his experience in Topeka.
“I remember him calling after we visited a number of sites that were important to history, to the city and to the community on the first day, and he was just so excited,” McGowan said. “This true-blue New Yorker was so excited and delighted by how welcoming this community was and how enthusiastic they were about the development of this campaign.”
McGowan visited Topeka on Thursday with his and Lutvek’s 7-year-old daughter, Eliot Lutvak-McGowen.
Keishera Lately is a business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @Lately_KT.
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