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‘Come From Away,’ ‘Urinetown’ enjoy great D.C. productions

Two splashy musicals on local stages through mid-Oct.

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Urinetown, gay news, Washington Blade

The strong cast of ā€˜Come From Away,ā€™ a new Broadway-bound musical. (Photo courtesy Fordā€™s Theatre)

ā€˜Come From Awayā€™
 
Through Oct. 16
 
Fordā€™s TheatreĀ 
 
511 Tenth St., N.W.
 
$20-90
 
888-616-0270

 

ā€˜Urinetownā€™
 
Through Oct. 9
 
Constellation Theatre Company
 
$25-55
 
1835 14th St., N.W.
 
202-204-7741

 
Small towns have long served as reliable settings for American musicals. Keeping in that tradition, Irene Sankoff and David Heinā€™s ā€œCome From Awayā€ takes place in Gander, a remote burg in northeastern Newfoundland.

Based on a true story, the Broadway-bound show currently enjoying an uplifting run at Fordā€™s Theatre, tells how little Gander with its nearby big airport cared for nearly 7,000 passengers for five days following 9-11 when scores of planes were rerouted to the Canadian province. Totally unprepared for hosting thousands, the townā€™s small but plucky population willingly opened its homes, schools and businesses to feed, clothe and shelter the stranded travelers.

Of course, a situation in which wary globetrotters mix intimately with trusting folks is ripe for humorous misunderstandings, heartfelt moments, the forging of unlikely friendships and even romance. ā€œCome From Awayā€ delivers on all that as well as giving layered, believable characters.Ā  Propelled by a driving rock musical score, events unfold swiftly and unpredictably; there are solemn moments but the musicalā€™s lighthearted moments prove its most poignant.

The solid cast is led by charismatic out actor Jenn Colella who plays Beverley Bass, American Airlinesā€™ trailblazing first woman pilot who melodically relays her story with ā€œMe and the Sky.ā€ Colella also hilariously plays a Gander librarian who continuously misconstrues meetings with various men as near erotic encounters.

The Kevins (Chad Kimball and Caesar Samayoa) are a gay couple who share the same name. They adapt to Gander culture with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Samayoa also plays Ali, an Egyptian Muslin passenger who quickly becomes the object of suspicion once the background of the perpetrators of the 9-11 attacks is revealed. Sharon Wheatley and Lee MacDougall are the unlikely couple whose future is sealed at a raucous Gander V.F.W. hoedown. Astrid Van Wieren and Joel Hatch revel in their roles as salt-of-the earth townies, and D.C. triple threat Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan memorably plays the townā€™s animal rights activist who singlehandedly saves various pets and a pair of zoo-bound chimps stuck in cargo.

Scenic designer Beowulf Borittā€™s ā€” dark tree trunks backed by a wall of mismatched planks ā€” conveys both the solidity and remoteness of the rural community. Broadway veteran director Christopher Ashleyā€™s staging is pretty much seamless. Itā€™s a smooth production. Ashley came out during the mid-ā€˜80s in New York when he was directing out playwright Paul Rudnickā€™s ā€œJeffrey,ā€ the first comedy about HIV/AIDS.

Before Fordā€™s, ā€œCome From Awayā€ played in San Diego and Seattle, and now is slated to open on Broadway in March.

At Constellation Theatre Company, another town is facing another challenge. Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotisā€™ ā€œUrinetownā€ is set in a dystopian time and place where a decades-long drought has caused private bathrooms to be outlawed. The townā€™s populace must pay to pee in public amenities, or else be banished to Urinetown. The lucrative toilet monopoly is owned by evil Cladwell B.Cladwell (played by Nicklas Aliff with a voice eerily reminiscent of MGM actor Frank Morgan, best known as the Wizard in ā€œThe Wizard of Ozā€).

When folks can no longer meet increasingly exorbitant bathroom fees, heroic Bobby Strong (Vaugh Ryan Midder), an employee at the nastiest loo in town, courageously stages a rebellion. Heā€™s joined by the big bossā€™ dutiful daughter turned hardcore revolutionary Hope Cladwell (Katie Keyser). Mr. Cladwell fights to maintain power but the will of the people and their urgent need to pee is unstoppable.

Narrators Officer Lockstock and precocious waif Little Sally (cast standouts Matt Dewberry and Jenna Berk) explain the action and what makes a successful musical. Ably staged by Constellationā€™s artistic director Allison Arkell Stockman with energetic and inventive choreography by Ilona Kessell, this darkly funny meta musical successfully pokes fun of its own genre, parodying shows like ā€œLes Mis,ā€ ā€œWest Side Story,ā€ ā€œChicagoā€ and others.

A.J. Gubanā€™s set is an appropriately depressing mix of corrugated metal and piping, and Robert Croghanā€™s costumes are mostly modern Okie though the bigwigs wear brightly colored suits and Hope is unmissable in her bright red skirt and bunny-eared bow.

As water becomes an increasingly valuable commodity in the world and class divisions widen, the 2001 musical gives cause for pause. At one point (in the Constellation production), a white actor states, ā€œPolice protect the peace,ā€ and an African-American actor asks, ā€œDo they?ā€ But mostly, ā€œUrinetownā€ remains a wickedly funny romp.

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Theater

Talented pair of local queer actors tackles ā€˜Little Shop of Horrorsā€™

Fordā€™s production features terrific score

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Chani Wereley (Audrey) and Derrick D. Truby Jr. (Seymour) in the 2024 Fordā€™s Theatre production of Little Shop of Horrors. (Photo by Scott Suchman)

ā€˜Little Shop of Horrorsā€™Ā 
Through May 18
Fordā€™s Theatre
511 10th St., N.W.
$33-$95
Fords.orgĀ 

Ever since premiering off-Broadway in 1982, ā€œLittle Shop of Horrorsā€ has drawn a devoted following of avid audiences as well as performers eager to act in the show. Now playing at Fordā€™s Theatre, the doo-wop, dark comedy features a terrific cast including a wildly talented pair of local queer actors whoā€™ve longed to appear in the show since they were kids. 

Set in the urban 1960s, Alan Menken and Howard Ashmanā€™s hit show with a terrific score follows the wacky rise of Seymour, a nebbishy florist in a Skid Row shop who changes his fortunes by unintentionally marketing an exotic, human eating plant.  

Chani Wereley, 28, who plays Seymourā€™s love interest Audrey, a hyper femme downtowner with an edge, has had her on eye the role for years. Wereley says, ā€œAudreyā€™s been around the block more than once, but I approach her as a person who moves through the world with love and hope.ā€

The queer D.C. native adds, ā€œOn long trips to visit family in Canada or Florida, the first thing weā€™d do is pop a ā€˜Little Shop of Horrorsā€™ video [film version] into the carā€™s VHS player. Iā€™ve watched is so many times, I could quote the whole movie to you.ā€

After auditioning to play Audrey in director Kevin S. McAllisterā€™s production at Fordā€™s, Wereley never thought sheā€™d book the part, and when they said she got it, she cried.  

Similarly, Tobias A. Young, 34, the pansexual actor who voices the part of the bloodthirsty plant affectionately dubbed Audrey II, explains his intense interest in the work: ā€œI started watching the film in ā€™86. Growing up as a little gay boy in Calvert County, Md., I wanted to be blonde Audrey [played by Ellen Green in the movie]. I didnā€™t know much about musicals at the time, but I was absorbed.ā€ 

When asked by Fordā€™s to play the voracious plant Audrey II without auditioning, his reply was an unhesitant ā€œyes.ā€ 

Voicing a role requires Young to sing from backstage in a black box rigged with monitors and a mixing board. He says, ā€œpeople ask if Iā€™m singing from inside of the ever-growing, scary plant. No, Iā€™m not, and thatā€™s fine. But letā€™s face it, actors love to be seen on stage, but I donā€™t feel entirely unseen as Audrey II.ā€

Heā€™s worked hard and successfully with formidable puppeteers Ryan Sellers and Jay Frisby to bring parts of himself to the carnivorous plant ā€” his sassiness, own movements, and even a tilt of his head; their efforts have drawn the actual Young into the show. 

Both Wereley and Young possess gorgeous, emotive voices as evidenced by Wereleyā€™s striking rendition of Audreyā€™s ā€œSuddenly Seymour,ā€ and Youngā€™s soulful ā€œFeed Me (Git It).ā€ Additionally, both actors are also big on queer representation in theater. 

When her young pals were listening to Britney Spears, Wereley was dancing to retro tunes like ā€œMashed Potato Time,ā€ and her favorite song to this day, the Shirelleā€™s girl group anthem ā€œWill You Still Love Me Tomorrow.ā€ As Audrey, Wereley eschews the characterā€™s usual platinum hair for a bouncy brunette, cherry-streaked wig, tight pencil skirts, swing coats, and her very own half-sleeve tattoo. 

ā€œItā€™s important for people to see themselves on stage,ā€ she says. ā€œSeeing me or someone like me is inherently interesting. Being that person on Instagram or with the institution, cast, or audiences is meaningful. Itā€™s important.ā€

In 2011, a couple years after finishing high school, Young landed a part in ā€œDream Girlsā€ at Tobyā€™s Dinner Theatre, and heā€™s been working professionally ever since. Growing up, he didnā€™t see a lot of himself ā€“ Black and queer ā€“ on social media. He now wants to be open and honest for those out there who might not feel seen, he says

An introvert who lets everything loose on the stage, Young says, ā€œtheater is a safe space for queer people. Thatā€™s the first place we feel safe, particularly in school. And this is why we need theaters in schools, now more than ever.ā€

He adds, ā€œWhatā€™s great about Fordā€™s is its surprises, especially when they switch up casting. Itā€™s meaningful to see the shows you love, but why not see them with a twist? Using unexpected actors and incorporating queer people just makes it that much better.ā€

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Theater

Woman crashes ex-girlfriendā€™s wedding to a man in new play

Nonbinary playwright Bryna Turner brings ā€˜At the Weddingā€™ to Studio

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Playwright Bryna Turner (Photo by Lila Barth)

ā€˜At the Weddingā€™
Through April 21
Studio Theatre
1501 14th St., N.W.
$45-$99
Studiotheatre.org

For nonbinary playwright Bryna Turner, the way to theater was first as an actor. But as gender non-conforming, they couldnā€™t really see a future in it, so they decided to write their own plays.

ā€œAt the Wedding,ā€ Turnerā€™s play about a woman named Carlo who crashes her ex-girlfriendā€™s wedding to a man, is currently making its area debut at Studio Theatre with a production staged by out director Tom Story.  The comedy made its world premiere at LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater and was featured in the New York Times Best of 2022 ā€œUnforgettable Theatrical Momentsā€ category. 

Brooklyn-based Turner, 33, is inspired by experience, storytelling, and language. With ā€œAt the Wedding,ā€ they humorously explore loneliness, estrangement, and a love for living.

WASHINGTON BLADE:  How do we meet Carlo? 

BRYNA TURNER: In the opening monologue, Carlo is at the kids table at a wedding reception telling them not to make her mistake. Youā€™ll fall in love but that will only break your heart. That kicks the show off and this is who weā€™re dealing with.  

BLADE: How was falling in love for you? 

TURNER: My experience when I fell in love was that I was joining the human race. But then comes heartbreakā€¦. that other thing everyone was always talking about. Poems and music took on new meaning. 

BLADE: But you can find a laugh in pain? 

TURNER: Comedic tone is important to me because thatā€™s how I view the world. I like to have a laugh when things are hard or sad. 

Also, I feel like itā€™s a way to bring people in. You relate to a character who makes you laugh. Two of my plays begin with a lesbian yelling at the audience. Itā€™s almost like crowd work.

BLADE: Were you ever hesitant about writing queer plays? 

TURNER: I was lucky at Holyoke [Mount Holyoke College where Turner was an undergrad]. Director Brooke Oā€™Hara was teaching there when I attended and she brought in some queer plays; she showed me there was a canon to join and that was exciting.

BLADE: When did you first identify as nonbinary? 

TURNER: In 2022. Iā€™d been butch-presenting for over a decade. Then during the pandemic, I began spending more time alone. When alone, you grant yourself more permission to think. 

For me, Iā€™d always wanted to be independent and not ask for anything, to be butch on my own. As nonbinary, suddenly I had to ask people to use my pronouns. Also, it granted the opportunity to allow people to surprise me in mostly positive ways.

BLADE: Was becoming a produced playwright tough?

TURNER: I wanted to be a playwright at 21 and I had a play produced when I was 27. Now, looking back, I can see it happened pretty quickly, but at the time it felt like forever.  

While doing my MFA in playwriting at Rutgers University, I was working in the box office at the Public Theater in New York where I managed to see things like ā€œFun Homeā€ and ā€œHamilton.ā€ 

If I wasnā€™t working, I was commuting to Rutgers in New Jersey, and I was always writing. I had to be diligent. Iā€™m a perfectionist, but I got things done. I wrote scenes in between waiting for customers at the box office or on the train. It took a lot of energy; drive pushes you. 

BLADE: A while before ā€œAt the Wedding,ā€ you wrote ā€œPhases of the Moonā€ about lesbian poet Elizabeth Bishop. What sparked that interest? 

TURNER: Itā€™s about her time at Vassar College when she fell in love with a woman. Itā€™s set in the 1930s but itā€™s bit anachronistic. Thereā€™s a scene with a Tegan and Sara song. 

Bishop identified as a socialist vegetarian while at one of the most expensive womenā€™s colleges during the height of the Great Depression. I thought to myself, ā€˜I know that girl, too.ā€™ I love how we can know this person across nearly 100 years.

BLADE: Can you describe your formative years? 

TURNER: I grew up the youngest of four in a small coastal town surrounded by redwoods. It was pretty rural but included an enclave of hippies. Despite being a shy kid, I developed an interest in theater. My parents were relieved. I had tried a lot of things and quickly lost interest: soccer, ballet, Tee-Ball. I remember striking out and all my family laughing. I threw down the bat and that was it. 

BLADE: Do you think about who youā€™re writing for? 

TURNER: I do. Iā€™m thinking of a queer audience, and writing things that I want to see. In doing that, Iā€™ve been happily surprised that straight people want to come along too.

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Theater

D.C.ā€™s spring theater scene offers ā€˜Macbeth,ā€™ ā€˜Peter Pan,ā€™ Sedaris and more

Queer themes well represented in seasonā€™s productions

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Out actor Adam Chanler-Berat to play Andrew the archivist in ā€˜Unknown Soldierā€™ at Arena Stage (March 29-May 5). (Photo courtesy Arena)

Thereā€™s a lot on for theater this spring. And hereā€™s a queer heavy sampling. 

If itā€™s ā€œCompanyā€ youā€™re after, try the Kennedy Center. The national tour of the Tony-winning, gender-swapped revival of out legend Stephen Sondheimā€™s hit musical withBritney Colemanas forever single Bobbie is moored to the Opera House through March 31. Kennedy-center.orgĀ 

Signature Theatre in Arlington presents ā€œPenelopeā€ (through April 21), a one-woman musical featuring out Broadway star Jessica Phillips. With glass of bourbon in hand, Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, gets a few things off her chest. Think Trojan War. Sigtheatre.org

At Studio Theatre, nonbinary playwright Bryna Turnerā€™s ā€œAt the Weddingā€ is currently making its regional debut in a production helmed by out director Tom Story. Itā€™s a queer comedy about a woman crashing her exā€™s wedding with the intention of not making a scene. Good luck with that. Out actor Holly Twyford plays Maria, mother of the bride. Studiotheatre.org

At Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Justin Weaks is workshopping his new play ā€œA Fine Madnessā€ (March 17-24)). The solo piece is inspired by the talented out actorā€™s 2016 HIV diagnosis and the ensuing years he spent alone and processing. (Tickets are pay what you will – starting at $5.)

Also slated for Woolly is ā€œAmm(i)goneā€ (April 20ā€“May 12). Created and performed by queer theater maker Adil Mansoor, the personal story is about inviting his Pakistani mother to translate ā€œAntigoneā€ into Urdu as means of exploring the tensions between family and faith. Woollymammoth.net

At Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street, N.E., Mosaic Theater presents Rhiana Yazzieā€™s ā€œNancyā€ (March 30- April 21), a tale of ambition and ancestry soaked in ā€˜80s nostalgia. Staged by out director Ken-Matt Martin, the seven-person cast includes Lynn Hawley as Nancy, out actor Michael Kevin Darnall as Ronnie, and Anaseini Katoa is Esmeralda, a Navajo woman advocating for her community. Mosaictheater.org

Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., delivers divas. Meow Meow, the post-post-modern phenom from down under, brings her globally celebrated act to the parkā€™s Barns venue on March 21. And on June 8, a single show featuring both Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight promises to light up Wolf Trapā€™s cavernous Filene Center with legendary star power.Wolftrap.org Ā 

Arena Stage presents ā€œUnknown Solderā€ (March 29-May 5), Daniel Goldstein and Michael Friedmanā€™s sweeping musical about a woman in search of her familyā€™s past. The topnotch cast includes Lori Lee Gayer, out actor Adam Chanler-Berat, and Broadwayā€™s Judy Kuhn. Arenastage.org

At 1st Stage in Tysons, Va., wonderful out actor Michael Rusotto plays the titular sissy in Douglas Carter Beaneā€™s ā€œThe Nanceā€ (April 4-21). Set in 1930s New York, the action follows a queer burlesque actor as he navigates his way through a world where itā€™s safer to be gay onstage than off. Nick Olcott directs. 1ststage.org

Broadway at the National moves musically into spring with ā€œPeter Panā€ (April 9-21). Playwright Larissa FastHorseā€™s fresh adaptation of the eternal boyā€™s classic tale feels fresh without losing the familiar including terrific tunes like ā€œIā€™m Flying,ā€ ā€œI Gotta Crow,ā€ and ā€œI Wonā€™t Grow Up.ā€ Broadwayatthenational.com

Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) presents ā€œMacbethā€ (April 9-May 5) starring movie star Ralph Fiennes as the Thane of Glamis, and Indira Varma as sleepwalking Lady M. Staged by STCā€™s artistic director Simon Godwin, the production wonā€™t be performed in the companyā€™s usual digs but rather a borrowed former BET soundstage (1301 W St., N.E.) where the world of the Scottish play will be created. Exciting stuff. Shakespearetheatre.org

Attention dance lovers! In Fairfax, GMU Center of the Arts presents Martha Graham Dance Company ā€” the oldest modern dance ensemble in the countryā€” for just one night (April 13) with a program that showcases the companyā€™s legacy through iconic classics and new work. Cfa.gmu.edu

Also on April 13, bestselling gay author David Sedaris brings his inimitably hilarious take on life to the Strathmore in North Bethesda. Strathmore.orgĀ 

Kennedy Centerā€™s Terrace Theater presents Opera Lafayetteā€™s modern premiere of ā€œMouret’s Les FĆŖtes de Thalieā€ (May 3 and 4), an opĆ©ra-ballet that broke with serious French operas by putting contemporary characters on stage. Renowned French conductor/musician Christophe Rousset conducts. Operalayette.org

At GALA Hispanic Theatre, itā€™s Gustavo Ott and Mariano Valeā€™s ā€œThe Return of Eva PerĆ³n: Momia en el closetā€ (May 9ā€“June 9), a dark musical comedy filled with ā€œhistorical intrigue and spine-chilling entertainment.ā€ (Performed in Spanish with English surtitles.) Galatheatre.org

This spring, Creative Cauldron in Falls Church presents Kirsten Childsā€™ new musical ā€œThe Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skinā€ (May 16-June 9), the humorous and pointed story of a seemingly confident womanā€™s journey through racism, sexism, showbiz, and finally self-acceptance. Angelisa Gilyard directs. Creativecauldron.orgĀ 

For one night only, the Alden Theatre in Mclean, Va., presents ā€œMama, Iā€™m a Big Girl Now ā€” The Three Leading Ladies of ā€˜Hairsprayā€™ā€ (Saturday, June 8) with Marissa Jaret Winokur, Kerry Butler, and Laura Bell Bundy. Broadwayā€™s original Tracy, Penny, and Amber are staging a rare reunion to celebrate the hit musicalā€™s 20th anniversary. Mcleancenter.org

And on time for Pride, the Gay Menā€™s Chorus of Washington presents what promises to be a beautifully rendered multidisciplinary event. Titled ā€œPortraitsā€ (Sunday, June 16 at Lincoln Theatre), the concert features visual art, music, and dance, representing a vibrant spectrum of sexual, gender, racial, ethnic, and cultural identities in a nine-movement commission combining the work of nine visual artists, nine composers, nine choreographers, and sung by the Chorus and featuring 17th Street Dance. Gmcw.org

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