Pride Series mixes reality and fairy tales (no pun intended)
The Bailiwick Repertory Theatre is well known for their use of LGBT themes in the shows it presents. This year’s Pride Series, originally established in 1989, is a perfect example of the rainbow-rousing reputation which earned the company an induction into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1996.
This year’s series, overseen by artistic director David Zak, features two shows, The Cousins Grimm and Two Spoons, that cater to gay and lesbian theatergoers’ love for drama, hilarity and... fairy tales?
Queering the Brothers Grimm
The Cousins Grimm, which runs through August 23, is a brand new original musical that aims to both modernize and "queer up" the classic tales of the Brothers Grimm. The production, directed by Scott Ferguson, features music and lyrics by Dan Martin and Michael Biello and a libretto by Ted Sod, who originally sprouted the idea. The production at Center on Halsted is not only the show’s Chicago debut, but also its national debut.
"My first impulse was to make a contemporary story, ’Manhattan Grimm,’ but then I got this concept of queering it up," explained Sod. "We started to realize that these narrators telling the story were becoming three dimensional people, and we had to give them an identity. The identity we came up with was that they were the descendants of the Brothers Grimm, one gay man and one lesbian, and both wanted to write a musical based on their great-great-granduncles’ material."
The story takes place in Manhattan, tracing the experiences of Leon and Jackie, the two queer cousins, facing existential crises of sorts. Along their adventures, they come a Frog King who rescues a lost Blackberry for an attractive, if pretentious suitor and a Sleeping Beauty who awakes to the kiss of her lipstick lesbian lover.
Sod said the most challenging aspect of the show was not the "queering up" of the classics, but rather, trying to make it all fit into a narrative, rather than a revue-style show. He credited a talented production team and cast for their help with the effort.
"The show has a lot of heart. It’s about us as a gay community, asking why we don’t have our own stories like these," shared Sod. "The stories are archetypes. They are really about unconditional and everlasting love ... We ask, ’Why do we need to live vicariously in these tales? Why do we have to substitute ourselves for the princess and prince, why not have two princes or two princesses?’"
Ordinary lives
Conversely, Two Spoons, written by Peter Mercurio, is a quite different endeavor, examining the relationship between Steve and Larry, gay dads who parent a three-year-old son. The couple is just on the verge of marriage when a vacation away from home challenges their commitment to each other and challenges their own, and their audience’s, conceptions of family and fidelity.
Though the play touches on the highly politicized themes of gay marriage and families, Mercurio, who has a son of his own with his partner, was hesitant to claim political motivations. Rather, his motivations were mundane and familiar to that of any writer.
"I wasn’t trying to make a grand statement about gay marriage or gay parenting. I just wanted to talk about something I knew a little about - our ordinary lives - and add some drama to it," Mercurio said. "It came from the desperation of not being sure where I was going with my career and knowing that I wanted to write about gay characters, something close to me."
The show, which has previously been staged in productions in Florida and New York, is labeled a comedy but is not short on heart, owing to the script’s intimate roots. The production is directed by Patrick Walsh and features actors Kevin Bishop and Kevin M. Grubb in the starring paternal roles.
"There are some very heartfelt serious moments, such as where one of the leads, Steve, has to come to terms within himself whether he will be a responsible parent or pursue the fantasies occurring in his head of freedom and doing more outside the relationship," Mercurio shared. "He faces the questions related to how to have contacts with other men and still be parents. How can you do that? Is it possible?"
Two Spoons runs through August 23. Both shows call the Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre home, with ticket information and a show schedule available by logging on to www.bailiwick.org or calling 773-883-1090.
