June is Gay Theatre Month

Theatre stages are bursting out all over with pride. In June, rainbows, flags and glitter come out in full force. The SF Bay Area is blessed with at least three gay theatre companies that I know about: New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC), Theatre Rhinoceros, and Theatre Q. They perform year around. But they tend to pull out all the stops for June.
NCTC is doing three productions. We have seen only one of the shows, “It's Murder, Mary!” by Andrew Black and Patricia Milton. It is a campy murder mystery parody. On a dark and stormy night, a group of eight gay stereotypes arrive at a secluded home near the Russian River. Murders ensue. The theatre is also presenting a new play “Men in Uniform” and a drag cabaret show called “Katya: From Russia With Love”.
Theatre Rhinoceros is in rehearsals for their last show of the season, “Ishi: The Last of the Yahi.” It is written and directed by John Fisher and opens July 3rd.
Theatre Q in Palo Alto is presenting “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde”, by Moisès Kaufman. We have heard good things about this production and are hoping to see it before it ends on June 22nd.

Several local non-gay theatre companies are now showing their gayest play of the year. Our favorite that we’ve seen is Cole Porter’s “Out of This World”. It is being done by 42ND Street Moon, a theatre group whose mission is to do lost or forgotten musicals. “Out of This World” was Porter’s follow-up to “Kiss Me, Kate” in 1950. The musical is a saucy farce about Greek Gods and Hollywood movie types on the prowl in 1950s Athens looking for hot sexual action (men and women, men and men, and women and women!). The book for the musical was revised in 2000 by the co-founder of 42nd Street Moon with the blessing of the Porter Trust.
The Magic Theatre is presenting a very gay play. It the first scene, two gay couples get naked and hookup in a new work called “Octopus”. The theatre calls it a post-modern gay story but it is really an under-developed script warning of the dangers of AIDS and open relationships. The actors and sets are great but script is second rate. It is extended through June 21.

TIP: Half-price tickets for many select performances, sporting events and family activities are often available on Goldstar Events. Areas include San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Boston, and Chicago.