Awwww! I directed a rather bizarre, yet well-received production of Sex. The entire rehearsal period just smacked of Noises Off, but I have fond memories of the performances.
I do remember quite a stir with an Off-Broadway revue in the 70s entitled Let My People Come. It was similar to Oh! Calcutta!, but with less slapstick comedy and was more sexually explicit.
I found this from an article on adult musicals of the 70s by Jonathan Ward (edited for PG rating):
" In January of 1974, the single most liberated sex musical opened at the historic Village Gate Theater on Bleecker Street. Directed by Oesterman with music, lyrics and skits written by Wilson, Let My People Come was an underground sensation. It broke all barriers - simulated sex, orgies, lesbianism, homosexuality, simulated oral sex, bisexuality, all celebrated, all hilariously carefree. To deliberately upset the critics, Oesterman and Wilson didn't even invite them to review it, instead letting word of mouth carry the show. 'The critics don't know anything about young people and what they have to say about their bodies or their feelings or sex,' said Wilson. The ploy worked. The show wasn't reviewed in the Times until May, and by that time it was sold out every night, the cast had joined Actor's Equity and an album had already been recorded.
Billed as 'A Sexual Musical', Let My People Come was again a revue with no plot to speak of, but its energy, honesty and daring in regards to exploring sexual issues was a first...
...Naturally, there were some complications. Someone at the State Liquor Authority must have heard about the show as two undercover agents attempted to stop it by shutting down the club, claiming that liquor could not be served at a show depicting simulated sex. The producer attempted to weasel out of the charge saying that the show was in fact a "nude ballet." However, it wasn't until a group of actors, reviewers and personalities came to the show's defense against the charges of lewdness and indecency that the state backed off. Famed sociologist Alvin Toffler (Future Shock) and feminist Betty Friedan both testified in court that they believed Let My People Come was a legitimate work of art; an important one, in fact. 'I regard the Village Gate as a cultural institution of New York,' said Toffler. 'It has served as a testing ground for new talent, new ideas, new music. Let My People Come is directly in that stream of social comment... It is not dirty, just happy and healthy.' Friedan chimed in to say that she had seen the show twice and was planning to take her college-aged daughter. Eventually the charges were settled with the Village Gate having to fix minor building violations.
Let My People Come broke all box office records at the Village Gate and played for 1,167 performances. Unfortunately, once it went to Broadway, it suffered more setbacks. It was condemned by local theater groups and composer Earl Wilson, Jr. demanded that his name be removed from the credits, claiming, of all things, that the show had become too vulgar. The publishers of the Andrews Sisters' song 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' then sued Let My People Come and its producers, because of their parody entitled 'The Cunnilingus Champion of Company C'. In fact, it was an early test of the Fair Use statute, and Let My People Come lost due to the fact that the law didn't provide for direct parody without permission. A full 20% of the Broadway profits had to be paid out, and unfortunately, the show closed after 106 performances."
I actually have the LP, but have only heard it once. I remember the print ads when it toured.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
