BURBANK, Calif. — As the musical “The Civility of Albert Cashier” opens, Cidny Bullens, who plays Older Albert, holds his head high and softly says, “All I desire beyond this life is to be remembered by others the way I saw myself.”
Wanting to be seen the way one sees oneself is something Bullens deeply understands. Assigned female at birth, Bullens had a successful recording career as Cindy Bullens, performing on the soundtrack for the film "Grease" and collaborating with luminaries such as Elton John. The singer and songwriter married and had children but said even as young as 3 years old, he always knew he was a boy. He just didn’t have the support or the words.
“I had to go to the library when I was 19 years old in New York City and look up gender studies because I needed to find out what — what was wrong with me is the way I had it in my head," he recalled.
Although he never served in the military, Bullens, who came out as transgender in 2012, feels he has a lot in common with Cashier. The musical, currently playing the Colony Theatre in Burbank, is based on the true story of a soldier who fought in the Civil War with the 95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. It wasn’t until the end of his life that it was revealed that Cashier had been assigned female at birth.
“It's a historical account of someone like me,” Bullens said, “who knew who they were but had to hide it, had to look over their shoulder every minute in case somebody found out.”
It is believed that during the Civil War more than 250 people who had been assigned female at birth enlisted as men. While it’s not known if they, Cashier included, considered themselves transgender, it is known that Cashier continued to live as a man for the next 50 years.
Dani Shay, who plays Young Albert, is in awe of the strength that must have taken.
“I can't measure the bravery,” he said. “I can't put that into terms. I can only just say that it's inspiring to think of — the courage. But in the long run, I mean, he did what I'm also choosing to do, which is just live my authentic life and follow my heart.”
Shay, who identifies as a nonbinary transperson, has been a part of the evolution of this new musical since 2017. But he said this show is needed even more now, amid the divisiveness of an election year.
“What I really hope people get is that everyone deserves to have autonomy and the freedom to be themselves, whatever that might mean for them,” Shay explained. “And that maybe we can start to bridge those gaps of understanding if we learn to listen to each other, even people that we don’t get and don’t understand.”
Director Richard Israel agrees. He describes the show as being about "visibility with a capital V."
“Visibility for all kinds of people who are othered and misunderstood,” he said. “If we play our cards right, people are walking out of this theater with a changed worldview about how we include other people and how we see other people and how we hear other people.”
Although Cashier’s story has been documented in a few books, his story is not universally known and Isreal said that’s not surprising.
“I don't know that we as a culture have caught up to this story,” he mused, adding that a musical is a perfect way to introduce it to a larger audience. “It's a unique art form, and it has powers to tell stories that other arta don't. And so I'm really glad that the first art form to tackle this is…musical theater.”
Not to mention, Bullens points out, the music is spectacular — and that’s coming from a two-time Grammy winner. Cashier’s story is not a glamorous one, he said, but it is powerful and one he suspects will have an impact on audiences.
“Maybe they'll come away with a little more, understanding or, you know, resonance with what it is to be transgender,” he suggested.
Add to that an appreciation of the importance, then and now, of civility.