Queering the Fringe
Our top LGBT picks at this year’s New York International Fringe Festival.
August 05, 2015
Clockwise from top left: the cast of She Rantulas; Lady Winifred & Didi; Alex Mahgoub; Jay Malsky as Elaine Stritch; Mark Della Ventura in Small Membership; Ryan Walter and Bobby Goodrich in Divine/Intervention; Matt Jennings; Diaghilesque.
The New York International Fringe Festival, now celebrating its 19th year, spotlights some of the country’s most exciting new theater. “We look for innovation, vibrancy, and diversity,” explains FringeNYC producing director Elena K. Holy.
While Fringe doesn’t have an official LGBT category, Holy says that the team behind the festival often finds that the “best, boldest, and bravest new work” comes from queer playwrights, directors, choreographers, and creators. The LGBT selections, like all Fringe shows, are incredibly diverse, representing many genres and points of view, according to Holy. “We cannot wait to share what all of our artists bring to FringeNYC.”
With 200 shows and 1,100 performances over the 16-day festival, there’s a lot of information to sift through. Thankfully, Holy and other FringeNYC insiders helped us pick 2015’s queerest shows.
BABA
Spectrum, 121 Ludlow St (btwn Rivington/Delancey Sts)
How does an overweight nerd become one of New York’s most high-profile real estate brokers? Through murder, drugs, and bisexuality in Alex Mahgoub’s play.
DIAGHILESQUE
The Theater at the Y, 344 E 14th St (@ First Ave)
KineticArchitecture Dance Theater reimagines the iconic works of early 20th century Parisian company Ballet Russe through the lens of contemporary feminism and trans issues. Holy calls it “one of the most gorgeous and moving dance pieces I’ve ever seen.”
DIVINE/INTERVENTION
Lynn Redgrave Theater @ Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St (@ Lafayette St)
Conceived and directed by Drag Race alum Mimi Imfurst, this buzzy show takes place on the night of drag legend Divine’s death as she grapples with her male alter ego. “It’s very dark and very cool,” Imfurst says.
JOKER
The Kraine Theater, 85 E Fourth St (btwn Bowery/Second Ave)
Set in Hawaii, Joke deals with themes of love and loss in the run-up to marriage equality as a man’s past comes back to haunt his happy family life.
ELAINE STRITCH: STILL HERE
Spectrum, 121 Ludlow St (btwn Rivington/Delancey Sts)
Jay Malsky stars as Stritch as she prepares for her last cabaret tour in this solo show. “It’s a loving homage that shares Elaine’s joy of performing as well as her struggles with alcoholism and diabetes,” says Malsky.
THE LADY WINIFRED & DIDI SHOW
Drom, 85 Avenue A (between Fifth/Sixth Sts)
Foul-mouthed, racially insensitive, toweringly tall torch-singing duo Lady Winifred and Didi improvise a musical spectacle that is “totally tasteless.”
SHE-RANTULAS FROM OUTER SPACE IN 3D!
Lynn Redgrave Theater @ Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St (@ Lafayette St)
Drag queens take on your favorite ’70s sci-fi and horror B movies in this genre parody writer-director Ruff Yeager calls a “hilarious satire that looks at being different through the delicious lens of camp and nostalgia, with loads of fabulous style.”
SMALL MEMBERSHIP
The White Box at 440 Studios, 440 Lafayette St (btwn Astor Pl/E Fourth St)
This hilarious show takes a look at the drama, anxiety, and terror that come with the big problem of having a small penis.
THE UNIVERSE OF MATT JENNINGS
Spectrum, 121 Ludlow St (btwn Rivington/Delancey Sts)
Gay nerds will love this geeky show about a gay Trekkie with conflicting identities. “It’s about embracing the things within ourselves that are not accepted by society, and one man accepting the things he cannot change while learning to love the man that he is,” Jennings says.
The 2015 New York International Fringe Festival, August 14–30 at various locations. All tickets are $18. Visit fringenyc.org for more info and showtimes.
Tags:
Photo/Artwork:
Issue:
