Musical Monday: Pride - Part 1

(Originally posted on Minnesota Theater Love)

This is not going to be your typical Musical Monday post. I figured with it being Pride weekend I would list a few cast recordings with gay characters. Clearly this is not all-inclusive but when looking through my stacks of cds, these are what I came up with.

Applause - A show based on All About Eve. Lauren Bacall made her broadway musical debut in this show playing the Bette Davis role. It was written by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams with a book by Comden and Green. I can't say that Lauren has a great singing voice but her song "But Alive" takes place in a Greenwich Village Disco, where she is taken by her hairdresser. From what I have read, this was one of the first shows where homosexual characters were casually accepted.

Avenue Q - is there anything that I can write about this show that hasn't been written already? I think not. Buy it, download it, love it - especially for the song "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada."

The Boy From Oz - A star vehicle for Hugh Jackman, this show is about Peter Allen. It is a jukebox musical but I think most American's don't know the music of Peter Allen so it may not sound like a jukebox musical. The book of the musical was written by Martin Sherman (who also wrote BENT). And if you aren't aware, Peter Allen was gay even though he was Liza Minnelli's first husband.

Bring It On The Musical - yes, a cheerleading musical written by Tom Kitt, Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda. What I find significant about this show is that there is a trans-identified character that no one bats an eye at. Beyond that, it is a really fun musical.

La Cage Aux Folles - A classic musical by Jerry Herman with a book by Harvey Fierstein. It is considered to be the first gay musical. It deals with drag queens and the leading couple is a same-sex couple. It has been revived a few times on Broadway, and there have been quite a few productions here in the Twin Cities. One of these productions was at the Unicorn Theatre and I was in it. It was a LOT of fun!

A Catered Affair - Hey look, another gay musical written by Harvey Fierstein! John Doyle directed the Broadway production which starred Harvey Fierstein, Faith Prince, and Tom Wopat. It won 12 Drama Desk awards. The story deals with a family whose only daughter is getting married and the trouble that comes up while they try to deal with finances. Harvey plays the gay uncle who is not invited to the wedding, yet is still supportive of his sister (played by Faith Prince).

A Chorus Line - Another classic that I don't think I need to write much about. A few gay characters who are open about their sexuality, great music and fantastic dancing. What is not to love?

The Color Purple - Based on the book by Alice Walker, and the film by Steven Spielberg, the book was written by Marsha Norman. The story is quite beautiful, and there are some gay scenes but not any gay characters.

Company - Stephen Sondheim's 1970 musical deals with Bobby who has married friends, three girlfriends and is still single. The storyline switches between various scenes and setting in a non-linear manner. However it seems to me that the role of Bobby (especially as played by Raul Esparza) can be easily read as bisexual.

Elegies / Falsettoland / March of the Falsettos / In Trousers / A New Brain - all of these pieces were written by William Finn. They all deal directly with openly gay characters and situations. In fact, In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, and Falsettoland make up a trilogy of musicals dealing with Marvin who becomes aware of his sexuality and deals with it through out the three one-act works. Elegies is a song-cycle about the death of friends and family. It was written partially as a response to 9/11.  A New Brain is another show with a serious topic - a gay composer dealing with an inoperable brain tumor. Finally, just so you don't think that William Finn only writes about serious matters - he wrote The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens - This song cycle was written by Janet Hood, with book and lyrics by Bill Russell. And yes, Bill Russell who also wrote the book/lyrics to Side Show. The song cycle is a mix of monologues and song inspired by the AIDS Quilt and the Spoon River Anthology. The monologues are from the perspective of those who have died from AIDS, while the songs deal with the feelings of the family and friends who are grieving the loss.

As I am working through this stack, I am realizing that there are musical dealing strictly with the gay experience, and then there are those where there are gay characters but not much more.

Full Monty, Hello Again, The Producers, and The Rocky Horror Show. All of these have gay characters. Some of them use the gay characters strictly as comedy, while others have a bit more depth.

Then you have shows like Kinky Boots, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Living in the Bonus Round, A Man of No Importance, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, RENT, Road Show / Bounce, and Taboo who have major characters who are gay.

Of these, there are just a few that I would like to bring attention to....in Part 2.