A Comedy of Terrors

RIDE THE CYCLONE:  Like gay bars, the existence of gay theatres has dwindled over the past decade or so.  Los Angeles’s Celebration Theatre and Orange County’s Theatre Out have sadly shut their doors and San Diego’s Diversionary seems to have fewer productions each year. Fortunately, one of the best – San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Company – is still going strong.  They have been in consistent operation since 1981 with the same Artistic Director, Ed Decker, still at the helm. This year’s season kicks off with Ride the Cyclone, a musical with book, music and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brook Maxwell, directed and choreographed by Stephanie Temple with musical direction by Ben Prince.

Reaching for the skies takes on a whole new meaning when six members of a Canadian chamber choir take a fateful rollercoaster ride to the great beyond. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. Both madly hilarious and surprisingly introspective, this award-winning musical poses the question of what makes a life well-lived, or in some cases, worth saving. Called “Delightfully weird and just plain delightful” by The New York Times, I have never seen anything at this little jewel box of a theatre that wasn’t an absolute joy! Playing 9/20 – 10/20. www.nctcsf.org

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: Another consistently wonderful theatre company is San Diego’s Old Globe, located in the gorgeous Balboa Park. My top recommendation is to catch their outdoor production of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, parts 1 and 2, which I have mentioned earlier this summer, but also a strong contender is their production of Murder on the Orient Express by Ken Ludwig, who may well be the most performed playwright of his generation. He has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year. They have been produced in over 20 languages in more than 30 countries, and many have become standards of the American repertoire. His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy for You was on Broadway for five years, on the West End for three, and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical.

We all know Agatha Christie’s masterpiece Murder on the Orient Express –whodunnit on a train traveling through Europe, where a wealthy American tycoon is found dead in his compartment, the door locked from the inside. Enter world-famous detective Hercule Poirot, who must navigate a train full of suspects and solve the murder before the killer strikes again. But, this is a chance to see it performed live by a top-notch professional company, hopefully combined with a few nights of partying in San Diego during the dog days of summer! Plays at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre 9/7 – 10/6. www.theoldglobe.org  

DRACULA, A COMEDY OF TERRORS:  San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre is actually a complex of three different stages.  I just noticed that late this month they are premiering a new work, Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors in their smallest theatre, The Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre.  They invite us to celebrate Halloween with a new side-splitting adventure based on Bram Stoker’s classic tale that’s sure to induce blood-curdling screams—of laughter! Famed vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing and her motley crew chase Count Dracula around the English countryside in a madcap race to save his innocent victims. Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen return to The Old Globe following their wildly popular Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show! and Crime and Punishment, A Comedy. Filled with their signature imaginative staging, irreverent farce, and special effects, this hilarious scare-fest is the perfect way to get spooky this season!  Could be a lot of fun, but it’s all new to me. Playing 9/20 – 10/27, with an LGBTQIA+ night on Friday, October 4^th. www.theoldglobe.org

Photo by Matthew Murphy

THE BENT:  As other gay theatre companies have been laid to rest, Palm Springs’ vibrant LGBTQ+ company, The Bent, is preparing for their third season and they are literally a very hot ticket.  Performing at the Palm Springs Cultural Center (formerly the Camelot Cinema), they are using reserved seats for the upcoming season, and those seats are selling quickly.  The season starts with F**king Men by Joe DePietro. A fascinating, funny and provocative story of sex, love and connection as it follows ten men through a series of erotic encounters that change their lives in small but significant ways. A smash hit in London, F**king Men takes a sharp and insightful look at the experiences of modern gay men as they navigate their conflicting desires for the comfort of monogamous love and the thrill of sexual freedom. 10/11 – 10/27.

Followed by I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers by John Logan. About real life 1970’s ruthless super-agent Sue Mengers. Bette Midler earned raves playing Mengers in the Broadway premiere. The New York Times describes Logan’s Mengers as “dropping names as if to the rhythm of a disco beat, snapping out wisecracks like acid-tipped darts that find the sweet spot every time and proffering profanity-laden advice about how to get ahead in show business” all while waiting for Streisand to call and fire her. Academy Award nominated actress Cathy Moriarty will be starring as Sue Mengers!  Moriarty was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as well as a Golden Globe and the British Academy Award, for her film debut in RAGING BULL with Robert DeNiro. 12/6 – 12/22.

February brings Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the gay rights movement. This hard to believe but historically accurate tale merges madcap sitcom-style laughs with provocative drama as two closeted U.S. State Department employees struggle to maintain their cover – and their sanity – in 1950s America. These married co-workers not only share a secret, but they are also next-door neighbors who share a wall. 2/6 – 2/16.

The season rounds out with The Cake (4/4 – 4/12) and The Inheritance Part One (5/9 – 5/25).

If you are reading this, chances are you visit Palm Springs at least once a year or live there. This is a theatre company you want to get to know, and a season ticket is a wise investment. www.thebent.org