Travel a little south (to Chula Vista, that is) and you’ll find a story about the south (Texas, of course) as OnStage Playhouse presents Del Shore’s gay comedic romp, Sordid Lives.
Billed as a black comedy about white trash, writer Del Shores developed this clever, campy and often raunchy tale based on his experience growing up gay in conservative, rural Texas. Keeping up with his fast-paced, southern-accented, laugh-inducing script can be a little difficult, just as challenging as remembering all the colorful and wild characters he’s created.
The star of the show, Peggy, is actually dead. Sissy, Peggy’s sister, is afraid that all the family skeletons will come flying out of the closet at once as they gather to mourn the family’s matriarch. She plays mediator between Peggy’s daughters, the conservative Latrelle and the more liberal LaVonda, as well as trying to comfort her neighbors, Noleta and husband, G.W., who is the one that killed Peggy – under extremely humiliating circumstances, no less.
And that’s just half the cast.
“It’s King of the Hill with a drag queen in it,” explained Teri Brown, OnStage’s Artistic Director. Yes, a drag queen – just one of the two gay characters in the show (although it’s been confirmed there are at least four gay actors in the show, possibly four-and-a-half).
The characters of Sordid Lives aren’t afraid of doing things that are off-limits in a family show – having affairs, cross-dressing and stripping to their skivvies. But neither do they shy away from serious themes such as bigotry, guilt, homosexuality, forgiveness and acceptance.
If this short synopsis is a bit confusing, then don’t fret; you won’t miss a joke even if you can’t follow the Texas-sized family tree. On the other hand, if you skipped passed the synopsis because you already know all the characters and storyline quite well, then you must be one of the many fans to have seen the Sordid Lives movie, starring an equally-wild cast with Leslie Jordan, Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke and Beau Bridges.
“I had this script for years, and I had seen the movie,” explained Brown, who also plays the wild daughter LaVonda in the show. “It’s a very iconic movie with very iconic characters and there was a lot of the fear of putting it on stage. Will we get the right actors? Will people do the comparison? So I’ve been holding onto Sordid Lives for almost 10 years, waiting just for the right director.”
That director is Thomas McCaverly. His fascination with the show is what inspired him to lead the crazy clan of southern characters.
“I have definitely seen the movie and am a fan of the movie,” he said. “I thought this needs to be done … and I was willing to take it to whoever wanted to do it. I thought about shows that hadn’t been done in a while, shows that people hadn’t been familiar with, and shows that definitely would mean something to me as well.”
The cast and crew are expecting – and are even welcoming – the undeniable and understandable comparison of the play to the motion picture.
“There is one thing I made totally clear, even back during auditions: there is no way we can recreate what happened in the movie. These are not those actors,” McCaverly said, adding, “The play and the movie are really pretty different entities. They really are.”
Del Shores wrote the original play, then rewrote the script for the movie, then created a television mini-series (a prequel with Rue McClanahan as Peggy), and then went back to re-write the play. Still, the stage production is quite different than the film.
“The thing what really surprised me, when I actually read it (after seeing the movie), is it is four separate stories,” said Dave Hibler, the cross-dressing Brother Boy. (The play is) like four separate one acts that are all tied together.”
“And they all come together at the end,” Brown added.
“After I read the play, and then watched the movie, I liked the construction of the play much better” Hibler continued. “The movie is so choppy that you are not getting all of these messages; whereas with the play, you have time to think what each scene is giving you, and about each character.”
The show’s message, regardless of medium, remains true.
“It’s a play about acceptance and family values,” explained Michael Fuller, who plays Peggy’s sexy and charming – and gay – grandson.
McCaverly agreed, and even wrote that as part of his Director’s Notes: “Many might consider this one man’s gay coming out story. I don’t see it that way. The theme at the heart of this hilarious tale is one of acceptance.”
The show’s two gay characters – Peggy’s cross-dressing son Brother Boy and younger gay grandson Ty – have already come to terms with their sexuality. Sordid Lives shows how everyone else deals with their lifestyle.
“Everyone else is open to gossiping and finger pointing,” Brown said. “Every single character talks crap and gossips about someone else, except these two (she points to Hibler and Fuller).”
“Well, they got some gossip going on, too,” McCaverly added.
“I gossip about Tammy, but that’s celebrity gossip,” Hibler said, referring to Tammy Wynette – one of the women he dresses up as during the show.
“They are also the most down to earth and grounded,” Brown continued.
“And honest with themselves,” Hibler added.
A show with all these “homo-sex-uals” – as the conservative Latrelle likes to emphasize – is not the type of show you might expect outside the borders of our gayborhood. Especially in Chula Vista. Especially with an audience base that is a bit older.
“You look at some … of the shows that we’ve done, and hopefully you can see there is a good mix and a good balance,” Brown explained with pride. She said OnStage has done everything from Rocky Horror Show to Arsenic and Old Lace. “I think one of the things I try to concentrate on is a balance – a balance of shows, a balance of mix.”
As for the older audience?
“I think we don’t give our senior patrons – who have been theater-goers for years and who are the base of a lot of smaller theaters – we don’t give them enough credit,” she answered.
“They are a lot more savvy than you think,” McCaverly added.
Brown continued in a hushed voice. “They love the dirty shit,” she said.
For a good laugh mixed with some southern charm, see Sordid Lives, playing now through May 7. OnStage is located in Chula Vista at 291 Third Ave. For tickets or more information, call 619-422-7787 or log on to onstageplayhouse.org.
