Third Time's a Charm

by Lewis Whittington

theater

For years, "gay play" used to be an excuse for parades of gay minstrels, camping and nudity. But now that those things are on mainstream TV, the queer stage has become more daring — it actually reflects the diversity of queer life. Such is the mission of The Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival in its third year. The festival is the theatrical progeny of Matthew Cloran (artistic director) and Bill Esher (managing director). Their idea was to stage works about queer life by playwrights with different points of view. This may be the year that they fulfill that mission most, with a carefully pared down festival of six shows. Yank!, by Cherry Hill natives David and Joseph Zellnik, is a gay WWII musical about a foxhole love affair between a war reporter and a private. Melissa Kolczynski and Michael David Winter's 'Round Midnight is a one-woman noir musical about a chanteuse and a private dick — with puppets. C'est La Guerre! is Michael Ogborn's musical manifesto about living, dying and surviving at the height of the AIDS epidemic. (Ogborn will also revive some of his old late-night cabaret songs, with a solo performance called A Night at the Blue Parrot). Lounge-Zilla!, by the Oops Guys, Fiely A. Matias and Dennis T. Giacino, follows the theatrical shenanigans of a gay comic duo. Leslie Jordan — Karen Walker's foil on Will & Grace and Betty White's conversion project on Boston Legal — makes a Philly stop on his national tour of his comic monologue Like a Dog on Linoleum. Stuart McMeans, Paul Castrataro and Fred Anderson give a sneak preview of their new one-act musical Fags and Cellphones in a staged reading about gay urban life (warning: "naughty" language and irreverence!). Finally, Jonathan Wilson presents Kilt, a family drama about tartan and redemption.

Third Annual Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival, June 9-19, various venues, festival box office at the Arden Theatre, 215-922-1122. General festival information: 215-627-6483 and www.philagaylesbiantheatrefest.org.