Singing in the Irish tenor style, he's totally convincing in portraying his character's moral rectitude and political rigidity as well as his agony over his financial problems. Smith is energetically portrayed by Bradley Williams , who has a sweet high tenor that blends well with Orth's baritone in their love duets. Also noteworthy are mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Bishop as Milk's mother and baritone James Maddalena as the Messenger, who appears in several scenes and plays other roles. It's the Messenger who leads the dead Milk into another realm and compares him to Moses, who led his people to the Promised Land but couldn't enter there himself. Mezzo-soprano Jill Grove is impressive, especially in her primary role as Anne Kronenberg , who became Milk's campaign manager.
Grove has a strong voice and an authoritative stage presence.
Soprano Juliana Gondek also plays several roles. Chief among them is Dianne Feinstein , who was president of the Board of Supervisors when Milk served. Gondek portrays Feinstein as something of a clown, an image that totally belies Feinstein's persona as well as the role she played during that terrible time in 1978. In fact, the opera opens with a recording of her announcement that Milk and Moscone had been killed and that White was the suspect. Feinstein, who became mayor by virtue of her position on the board, provided steady leadership during that time and helped to hold the city together.