Drama Club

THEATER: The Gay Goings-On At New York’s Fringe Festival

Every August, theater lovers congregate in Lower Manhattan for New York’s Fringe Festival, the birthplace of future hits like Urinetown and Dog See God.

It’s a ragtag, shoestring-budget amalgamation of musicals, plays and one-man shows that keeps alive the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney pluck that shouts, “Kids, let’s put on a show!”

Let’s raise the curtain on the gayer goings-on waiting to sashay on stage at this year’s FringeNYC, running August 10-26.

Alice & The Bunny Hole
With that title, is it bad that our minds immediately went smutty? Apparently not, since this modern retelling of Lewis Carroll’s classic  includes online dating, twinky go-go boys, height-altering cocktails and a black bunny that you just know will be full of sass. Anything’s better than Wonderland, Frank Wildhorn’s big budget Broadway fiasco based on the same source.

August 13, 16, 17, 18, 24, at LA MAMA

Becoming Butch
In his one-man show, Vincent James Arcuri takes audiences from Queens to West Hollywood as he recounts how he tried to suppress his more effeminate qualities in order to become less sissy. For example, he took elocution lessons to lessen the “flame” in his voice! We hope he learned that even the limpest wrists can move mountains.

August 17, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 and the Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre

Standby: The Musical
In a unique take on the afterlife, five travelers are stuck in Purgatory, re-imagined as the standby line at an airport. One of those sorry souls is Andrew, a gay man contemplating suicide because he’s not accepted by his family. Don’t do it, Andrew! Dan Savage tells us it gets better!

August 10, 14, 18, 22, 23 at The Players Theatre

Redlight
Basing it on his own life, Ryan Kipp writes and performs this one-man show about a straight guy who unwittingly finds himself working at a all-nude strip club (hummuna-hummuna).  All we’re saying is there had better be an extended striptease.

August 10, 15, 16, 18, 25, 25 at The White Box at 440 Studios

Gay Camp
Here’s the premise: Two confused boys are sent to a place called “Camp Acceptance” where they learn how to queen it up. It includes Gay Twister. Look at the photo at right. Need we say more?

August 11, 14, 17,18, 22 at HERE Theater

Non-Equity The Musical!
Unemployed actors smiling through gritted teeth as they take dinner orders will get a kick from this musical about non-union actors trying to survive in the big, bad city. One song is called “I Wish I Had A Penis.” Don’t we all, sister.

August 11, 15, 21, 23, 25 at The Players Theatre

We Crazy, Right?
Mix up white gay guys with Dominican sass, and you’ve got this little play about same-sex marriage, foster care and adoption. We’ve a feeling the new trend in homo theater will be about trying to form the (excuse the overuse of the term) “modern family.”

August 10, 12, 18, 19, 24, 25 at Jimmy’s No. 43

Pink Milk
Now this sounds artsy: A mix of theater, dance, music and performance art that spotlights the  story of tragic gay genius Alan Turing, the WWII codebreaker who was persecuted for being gay and eventually took his own life. With a backdrop like that—and a singing daisy tossed into the mix—this one’s a guaranteed head trip!

August 10, 12, 15, 18, 19 at the Gene Frankel Theatre

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