A deeply personal side of one of America’s most celebrated poets will be brought to life this Pride Month when Whitman in Love, conceived and performed by John Kevin Jones, arrives at New York City’s historic Merchant’s House Museum for a limited engagement.
Running for just five performances from June 24 through June 28, the production offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience the emotional depth of Walt Whitman’s poetry in the intimate setting of the museum’s secluded garden. Known for acclaimed solo performances such as A Christmas Carol and Killing an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, Jones turns his attention to Whitman’s exploration of love, longing, and identity.
The production is inspired by Whitman’s “Live Oak, with Moss,” a sequence of poems written in the 1850s that is widely regarded as one of the earliest sustained expressions of same-sex love in American literature. Although the poems were later incorporated into the “Calamus” section of Leaves of Grass, many scholars consider them among Whitman’s most revealing and personal works.
Set just blocks from the locations where Whitman once spent time among New York’s bohemian circles, the performance draws a connection between the poet’s life and the city that helped shape his artistic voice. Whitman frequently visited Pfaff’s beer cellar, a gathering place for writers, artists, and free thinkers, where he found friendship, inspiration, and acceptance during a period when openly expressing same-sex affection was considered taboo.
Rather than presenting Whitman as a distant literary icon, Whitman in Love focuses on the man behind the legend. Through poetry, storytelling, and performance, Jones explores themes of desire, heartbreak, tenderness, and resilience, offering a portrait of Whitman as a vulnerable individual transformed by love and human connection.
“Whitman wrote of love in ways that transcended the boundaries of his time,” Jones said in a statement. “During Pride Month, we honor him as a queer ancestor—an artist who insisted that love between men was worthy of poetry, dignity, and song.”
The production’s intimate scale is part of its appeal. Seating is limited to just 40 guests per performance, creating a close connection between performer and audience. Wine and light refreshments will be available in the garden, while rain performances will move indoors to the museum’s grand Greek Revival parlor.