A Gay Piazza

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:36am

Call me strange, but I always image shows that deal with sex/love/romance with the traditional couple (or couple to be) replaced by a gay couple.

I could definitely see Clara replaced by Claude. With a small amount of book revisions, it would work.

Thoughts? What about other shows that could play gay.

Company is another that comes to mind.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:42am

Well, many people have replaced characters in Company (like Marta becoming Marty)...it's not licensed as a change, though.
They even rewrote a scene for the revival of Company that has one of the male friends of Bobby hit on him to address the gay issue (Sondheim has always himself said Bobby's problem is committment, not homosexuality).

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:47am

I just thought this was a fun thread, not expecting it to ever happen or turn this into a discussion of the legality of it or what the authors' intentions were/are or whether it is licensed to be produced that way.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:51am

The Last 5 Years, with some revisions.

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:52am

I have always thought that it brought layer upon layer of subtext to "Mame" if "Auntie Mame" was really Uncle Mark in drag.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:53am

I could go for a gay pizza right about now.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 10:53am

There is no doubt that most of these suggestions would need some revisions, i.e. pronoun revisions.

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:03am

I don't think it's a case of changing 'she' to 'he', etc - changing the sexuality changes too much of the subtext, and shows weren't written for gay characters, they were clearly written straight for a reason, so why change them? The Last Five Years, which I'm sure was done as The Last Gay Years somewhere, just wouldn't work with a male Cathy - part of the beauty of it comes from the ideas of male/female relationship. I'm sorry this isn't a fun thread answer! But can't we be serious, as well?

[eslgr8]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:20am

I've imagined Miss Saigon as the love story between an American G.I . and a Vietnamese "rentboy." It could be quite a beautiful story, but of course there wouldn't be a child, which kind of destroys the second act.
I'd certainly love to see more same gender stories in musicals. Perhaps we just need some more daring composer/lyricist/librettist teams understake such projects.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:22am

Miss Saigon's second act would be a hurdle in keeping with the nature of this thread. My thought was to discuss those shows that would work in a male/male world with minimal modifications to the existing book.

[Tirso de Molina]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 11:40am

I think there are some pieces where a same-gender production could work, but not PIAZZA. The essential problem, it seems to me, is that this work is set in a very specific time and place: 1953 Florence. I honestly think it would stretch credibility to ask audiences to imagine a traditional, patriarchal 1950s Florentine family not only NOT batting an eye at their son falling in love with a male American tourist, but also arranging a Catholic church wedding and religious instruction (in pre-Vatican II Latin, yet) from the local priest for the boy. (Let's face it, Dignity had not been founded yet!) Furthermore, we'd be asking audiences to imagine that the family's ONE objection to the American boy is that he's older than their son, an objection serious enough to almost put a halt to the whole affair -- and which really only makes sense in a patriarchal society in which it's believed that a man should be older than his wife, the better to exercise his authority over the family. I really think you'd have to completely separate the action from the post-war Italian culture that's at the core of the piece ....

I do think some of the "forbidden love" musicals or subplots in musicals might accomodate this kind of reworking better, though!

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:08pm

Read the thread title and thought we had a big announcement from the sports department ... oh well

Anybody rememeber the off-broadway musical BOY MEETS BOY - a typical 20's light-weight musical but with the principal romantic interests all male. It was pretty much like every musical from that era but with a gay concept.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:59pm

i saw a production of BOY MEETS BOY once, it was fluff but enjoyable. i have an acquaintance working on a workshop of a new two-person play(he's an actor) that all takes place on a single date, but charts the entire relationship as they have dinner and talk. It's purposely being written to work with single-gender casting or mixed-gender casting. Should be intesting...

There was also the infamous Dallas production (i think the rights houses closed it down) of ANYTHING GOES with Reno being a drag queen (so i think he was a VICTOR VICTORIA like female impersonator, played by a man but referred to with the same pronouns).

Both Sondheim and Albee have taken precautions now (as did Beckett's estate, i think) about gender casting. Albee reportedly hates the theory that WOOLF is really about two gay couples or castings that go that way. i think you can still have gender-blind casting in ZOO STORY, though.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:01pm

yeah...i would like to see a gay piazza! but most likely it won't do too well financially....i think......by the way...has anyone seen "trolls,the musical"???

[gymman]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:05pm

No, but I've lived it.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:06pm

wow, lets have a Gay Dairy of Anne Frank....

the Diary of Andy Frank

A gay funny girl

Funny Queer


this thread is makign me laugh alot

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:08pm

Nicole Arnstein, Nicole Arnstein, I'll never see her again...

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:13pm

how come gymman?

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:13pm

Nonsense as to Miss Saigon's second act being a problem. Aren't you up on the latest?

They just need a surrogate mother, and that show has an abundance of women for hire.
Updated On: 7/25/05 at 02:13 PM

[gymman]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:30pm

Just a joke...met my share of trolls, that's all.

Maybe we can meet for a workout sometime, or a show.
I live in Fort Lauderdale.
Be back in town next week.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:32pm

Elphaba as a gay man. Sings I'm Not That Girl but Fiyero comes out of the closet and they sing As Long As Your Mine.

Posted: 7/25/05 at 2:34pm

How about "The Lion Queen?" When his father is killed, Simba can't take charge of the Pride as he's a Bottom. His Uncle Scar is, too. Simba's best friend Nala finally takes command and the final scene is Nala silhoutted on Pride Rock, Strapping one on.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 3:13pm

JoeKv99...I am on the floor in my cubicle laughing! Some songs....."I Just Can't Wait to be Queen", "He lives in you", Circle of D**es". Too gay!

Posted: 7/25/05 at 3:33pm

I like to think about the scene where Timon & Pumba take him out to his first gay bar to show him how to cruise. They educate him to the Hanky code and how to stand to look butch.

"Hakuna Matata...Means I'm versatile!"

[arky]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 5:40pm

Anyone heard of the australian musical starring David Campbell (when he just started out) called 'only heaven knows'. The plot is completely based around a gay couple, very touching but the music is a little simple, lots of emotion and heart.