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Were the recordings of Funny Girl or My Name is Barbra among your first and favorite albums? Did you perform a number at every family gathering, just because you had a built in audience? If so, Phil Geoffrey Bond’s My Queer Youth at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, could very well be about YOU as well as the artist on stage. And if not, then you are certainly going to learn a thing or two about being different from all the other kids around you.
Mr. Bond leads his audience through a winding road of emotion, as he describes his childhood years growing up as a Gay man in Indiana. As he puts it, “Growing up in farmland, Indiana is not for sissies…or is it?” An obviously gifted storyteller and writer (Mr. Bond was the 1993 recipient of the Presidential Scholar in the Arts, awarded to him by President Clinton), he takes us along on his personal journey thru his formative years.
As I sat there deeply involved in his story, his artful language transported me into a Technicolor big screen movie. I could actually see the bike in the woods and the blue Honda with the red-headed sax player sitting in the passenger seat. This kind of transport usually only happens to me when reading a Harry Potter novel, or a Gregory McGuire fairy-tale re-imagining.
To be fair to my readers, I must include my disappointment in the poor audio/video of the otherwise enjoyable piece. I am not sure if it was the placement of the wireless microphone on his shirt, or the sound engineer in the back of the room, but the issue remains the same - it is difficult to hear Mr. Bond from the middle of the Laurie Beechman, which is a fairly small house. And while the video and pictures that appear on the large screen on stage are definitely an integral and enjoyable part of the performance, they were at times small and out of focus.
The direction by Tony and Drama Desk Award winning Michele Pawk, was at times choppy and some segments just ended very abruptly, as did many of the songs played in the background. The bare set includes the aforementioned video screen as well as a chair and a few boxes that Mr. Bond has been told to schlep around the stage to sit and stand on.
I believe that this piece has legs, and will continue to grow and find a large audience. Mr. Bond told me that he does have plans for the show. I hope that they are able to overcome these very small defects in an otherwise deliciously perfect theatre experience.
My Queer Youth’s two remaining performances are Friday, March 26 2010 @ 7pm and Sunday, March 28, 2010 @ 7pm. For reservations, please call (212)695-6909. The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located at 407 West 42nd St., in the heart of New York's theatre district. Tickets are $18. Please note there is also a $15 food/beverage minimum, and full dinner and bar menus are available.| < Prev | Next > |
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