Queer sighs of sadness were heard around the Rialto last month when it was reported that after a disappointing run of a mere 123 performances, the Britney Spears-infused musical (with a very queer subplot) Once Upon a One More Time would be shuttering on Broadway due to ticket sales that were, for want of a better word, toxic.
But luckily, theater that resonates with queer audiences is not just limited to Broadway. To paraphrase Mother Abbess’ famous line from The Sound of Music: “When God closes a Britney, he opens a bag of sequins.”
So, be prepared for some sparkles because this fall theater season. In venues around the country and on both sides of the pond, audiences can expect offerings that are written by gays, starring gays, or just flat-out gay gay gay.
La Cage aux Folles
Amid the recent spate of drag bans, the grandmama of all gay musicals, La Cage aux Folles, gained extra poignancy this year. And fueled by across-the-board rave reviews, Zaza and the Cagelles will be putting “a little more mascara on” in Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein’s tuner at London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre with performances extended into late September. (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London, through September 23)
Here Lies Love
What could possibly be gayer than setting the story about notorious shoe-obsessed Imelda Marcos on a dance floor? Given today’s political climate, this musical by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and DJ Fatboy Slim about the fragilities of democracy featuring gay co-stars Jose Llana (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as Ferdinand Marcos and Conrad Ricamora (ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder and Hulu’s Fire Island) as Ninoy Aquino. With son Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos, Jr. now in power, Here Lies Love is even more relevant than it was when it premiered at Off-Broadway’s Public Theater a decade ago. (Open-ended run, Broadway)
Gay Card
What would you do if you were a young queer, who, after a lifetime of not fitting in, went to college only to have your gay roommates revoke your “gay card?” Find out in the Chicago premiere of Ryan Korell and Jonathan Keebler’s new musical. (Performances at PrideArts, Chicago, through September 24)
Funny Girl
Due to the Barbra pedigree, the national tour of the recent Funny Girl Broadway revival makes this list on its cultural DNA alone. Add in a cast that includes rising diva Katerina McCrimmon (Encores’ The Light in the Piazza) as Fanny, gay heartthrob Stephen Mark Lukas (The Book of Mormon) as Nicky Arnstein, and gay anthem diva Melissa Manchester (“Don’t Cry Out Loud”) as Mrs. Brice, and queer ticket buyers around the country will end up feeling like “the luckiest people in the world” this fall theater season. (National tour opens in Providence, Rhode Island, with dates in gay mecca Fort Lauderdale November 14-26.)
Gutenberg! The Musical
Although it’s unknown if there are any LGBTQ+ themes in this tuner from the team behind Beetlejuice and Moulin Rouge, it does re-team queer cutie Andrew Rannells with his Book of Mormon co-star Josh Gad. Guttenberg! The Musical calls itself a “demented love letter to Broadway” – and that’s gay enough for us to put it on this list. (Broadway previews begin on September 15, with an October 12 opening.)
Merrily We Roll Along
Gay dreamboat Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, HBO’s The Normal Heart), Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), and Tony Award-winner Lindsay Mendez (Carousel) return after last year’s sold-out Off-Broadway run of Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical story of friendships and compromises, for a limited six-month run at Broadway’s historic Hudson Theatre. The production marks the musical’s first Broadway revival since its famous flop in 1981, which lasted 16 performances. (Broadway previews begin on September 19 with an October 10 opening.)
Sanctuary City
Without giving away too many spoilers, this play about the contemporary immigrant experience and the limits of friendship also includes queer themes. After numerous productions around the country, Pulitzer Prize-winner Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City makes its Chicago debut this fall theater season with Steppenwolf’s highly anticipated production. (Previews begin on September 14, with an opening on September 23. Performances through November 18.)
Melissa Etheridge: My Window
After wowing sold-out crowds at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages in 2022, Oscar and Grammy Award-winning queer rocker Melissa Etheridge brings her soul-bearing show to Broadway’s intimate Circle in the Square Theatre. Expect to hear some of her biggest hits, including “I’m the Only One,” “Here Comes the Pain,” and the show’s title song, “Come to My Window.” (Broadway previews begin on September 14, with a September 29 opening. Performances through November 19.)
Merry Me
Queer playwright Hansol Jung (Wolf Play and Netflix’s Tales of the City)’s lesbian sex farce, Merry Me, bills itself as an “intoxicating queer cocktail of restoration comedy and the Greeks, served with a heavy garnish of ridiculous” hits the boards of Off-Broadway’s famed New York Theatre Workshop. (Performances October 11 – November 19)
To Wong Foo The Musical
Drag queens Chi Chi, Noxeema, and Vida Boheme take to the stage when real-life husband and husband couple writer Douglas Carter Beane (Xanadu, The Little Dog Laughed) and composer Lewis Flynn (Lysistrata Jones) team up for the world premiere musical version of Beane’s 1995 cult-classic queer road trip movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Since opening in 2015, Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre has become known throughout the UK for its inventive revivals and original works in its intimate 145-seat theatre. (Performances October 21 – December 17)
Snatch Adams & Tainty McCracken Present It’s That Time of the Month
Perhaps the most intriguing production of the fall theater season, this queer spectacle features an unemployed six-foot-tall vagina Snatch Adams and recently #MeToo’ed comic Tainty McCracken. Created by Becca Blackwell (Survival of the Thickest, Sort Of, Bros) and written and performed by Blackwell and Amanda Duarte, this self-described “joyously vulgar queer spectacle” is already a shoo-in for our favorite play title of all time. If it delivers as notes promise, “you’ll laugh so hard you’ll go number three,” we’ll get a seat near the restroom. Presented by Soho Rep in association with The Bushwick Starr. (Off-Broadway performances begin on October 24, with a November 2 opening. Performances through December 3.)
dbmcvey
I saw Gutenberg the Musical Off Broadway years ago, and yes, one of the characters is gay, one is possibly lying. It’s really funny and really clever.
nm4047
Aren’t all musicals basically made for a gay audience?