And Baby Makes Seven
Directed by Marc Stuart Weitz, lesbian playwright Paula Vogel's daring 1984 black comedy -- initially met with homophobic derision and not staged in New York for more than 20 years -- toys with the true meaning of family as a lesbian couple (gamely played by Constance Zaytoun and Susan Bott) prepare to raise a baby with their gay best friend. What sacrifices are required to become a parent? For starters, they must kill their three imaginary children.
Purpleman at the New Ohio Theatre, closed.
Bootycandy
Out actor Phillip James Brannon anchored out writer-director Robert O'Hara's audacious and uproarious satire about the sexual awakening of a gay black man who grows up reading Jackie Collins and dressing like Michael Jackson. A standout among the stereotype-skewering sketches, a butch lesbian named Genitalia (Benja Kay Thomas) swaps gut-busting vows during a "non-commitment ceremony" with her 'round-the-way-fabulous lover (Jessica Frances Dukes).
Playwrights Horizons, closed.
It's Only Kickball, Stupid
Playfully staged by Adam Fitzgerald between classroom tables, out playwright Caroline Prugh's bittersweet comedy tackles a tomboy's unrequited crush on a spunky gal pal in the '80s. The memory play scores with a shift into adulthood so that Fiona (out actress Lori Prince) and her gay confidant can work through feelings she couldn't process at a time with no lesbian role models. "I thought homosexual was only something that happened to men," she says.
kef productions at the Hartley House, closed.
The Killing of Sister George
This rare revival of Frank Marcus's controversial bruise-black comedy starred a commanding Caitlin O'Connell as a butch and boozy actress whose beloved character is being killed off a BBC Radio drama, straining her sadomasochistic relationship with a childish female lover. Even without the shock value of the 1964 premiere and its X-rated 1968 film adaptation, this restrained production, despite missteps in design and direction, was a twisted treat.
TACT at the Beckett Theatre, closed.
The Money Shot
Misogyny and homophobia are served in Neil LaBute's broad but viciously funny Hollywood satire about a dinner party where two insufferable movie stars, Karen and Steve, argue about an upcoming sex scene with their significant others. Twilight's Elizabeth Reaser chewed scenery between shrimp puffs as Karen, whose career suffered after she came out, and Callie Thorne got the last laugh as her brainy girlfriend, who has the hots for Steve's vapid wife.
MCC at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, closed.
