The play that put Mae West in jail & 5 other shows at Cape Cod theaters
You'll see it here almost first: Provincetown Theater begins its back-indoors season with the first of several premieres, calling its summer opener a "re-premiere" because Mae West’s “The Drag” pretty much hasn't been seen in nearly a century.
“The Drag,” running May 19-June 5 at the 238 Bradford St. venue, will be the first professional mounting (beyond college and activist events) of the actress’ “homosexual comedy” in the U.S. since it was shut down by the Vice Squad in 1927, according to artistic director David Drake. Opponents claimed the play was “corrupting the morals of youths,” everyone involved was thrown in jail, and West paid the bail, Drake says.
In a fascinating piece of theater and Hollywood history, Drake says West was concurrently starring in her play “Sex” on Broadway at the time, and she was soon after sent to jail from New York City — largely as a way to discourage her plans to bring “The Drag” into the city. The trouble getting her work done on stages in the East led her to go west to Hollywood, Drake says, where she made history as a frank-talking, high-paid movie star.
“When they arrested her, they thought, well, we'll stop her in her tracks in New York so she doesn't have the money or the time or the energy to bring that other play in,” he says. “So everybody else got arrested for ‘The Drag,’ but she got arrested for ‘Sex’ to stop short ‘The Drag.’ … They thought they would entangle her in so much legal mess and money that it would just shut her down.”
That situation, Drake says, also led to laws against depicting homosexuality on stage in New York. “There was nothing about heterosexuality, so it wasn't really about sex, it was really about stopping the queers,” he says.
“The Drag” is a melodrama that tells the story of a closeted Park Avenue newlywed and his secret double life with a pack of Greenwich Village drag queens. The script includes a “nature or nurture” debate between a doctor and a judge about homosexuality, as, Drake says, West tried to figure out that question herself while using jokes from her gay friends. The play also includes scenes with women about how to attract and satisfy both men’s and women’s sexual needs.
So in the play, West was “empowering women to claim their sexual space, and she's empowering gay people to claim their sexual space at a time when both were trying to be shut down,” Drake says. “I'm trying to adhere to what she really was doing … to have a conversation about personal actualization and sexual expression and sexual liberties. In that way, she was a trailblazer for feminism and queer rights.”
Drake wrote about “The Drag” for the Advocate magazine 20 years ago and has since been interested in producing the play, but awaited the rights being released. The show was originally scheduled for the 2020 Provincetown season before pandemic shutdowns, but Drake notes its themes are even more timely now with the controversy over civil rights as the U.S. Supreme Court potentially moves to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“That’s the way this play still speaks to us, in its old fashioned, funny, campy, melodramatic way,” he says. “Those kinds of forces of censorship and oppression are coming back into our political landscape and in a way that seems unthinkable to many of us. … We’re in a very precarious time right now, I think, politically and the play still speaks to that.”
The Provincetown cast includes Bill Salem, Paul E. Halley, Judith Partelow, Nicholas Dorr, Nathan Butera, Thom Markee, Jameson Redding, Katie Pentedemos, William Mullin, Alex Juchniewich, David Chick, Steve Carey, Dan Trotter, and Eric and Racine Oxtoby.
See Sue Mellen's review below. Information and reservations: https://provincetowntheater.org/.
It’s a cowboy musical comedy
Cape Rep Theatre opens its indoor season (and the company’s 37th year) with the regional premiere of Ethan Lipton’s off-Broadway hit “Tumacho,” which producers promise offers singing cacti, and a good guys vs. bad guys plot in a “dusty, forsaken frontier town" threatened by Big Bill Yardley.
The show runs at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays May 18-June 12 at the theater, 3299 Main St., Brewster. Tickets: $35 (with May 20 as Pay-What-You-Can-Night, group rates and student rush) Reservations and information: 508-896-1888 or www.caperep.org.
Reviews
"Clue On Stage”
By Sue Mellen
Written by: Sandy Ruskin, based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn; directed by Karen Hepinstall, presented by the Academy of Performing Arts
What it's about: Look on the highest shelf in the spare bedroom and you’ll probably find your Clue game. It’s piled atop Monopoly and checkers. Inside the box are your old favorite murder suspects, including the blustering Colonel Mustard, the effervescent Mrs. Peacock and, of course, the ever-popular sexpot Miss Scarlett. Well, here they are onstage, roaming through an old ramshackle mansion — complete with the conservatory, study and billiard room, of course — finding body after body in their path. A good number of twists and turns leave the amateur detectives in the audience wondering until the very end “whodunnit.”
See it or not: Go if you’re a “whodunnit” fan or have always wondered what Professor Plum would be like in real life.
Highlight of the show: Perhaps the show’s best feature is the sense of constant activity. The characters careen between 14 scenes as they search for the murderer stalking them and bring the audience along to the surprising conclusion.
The cast seems to be having fun bringing these familiar characters to life. Bragan Thomas is flaky and animated as Professor Plum; Amanda Gordon is a seductive Miss Scarlett in her sequined evening gown; Alison Hyder plays an overbearing old biddy in her voluminous satin dress; and Sean Whalen as butler Wadsworth does a hysterical death scene. Then there’s Mr. Green (Ryan Van Buskirk), who starts out as a simpering Mr. Bean character, then… (well, I won’t ruin the surprise).
Fun fact: The Clue game’s original name was Cluedo. It was developed by British musician and murder mystery fan Anthony Pratt, who played piano in the elegant homes of the English countryside. While he tickled the keys, he watched as party guests play-acted dastardly crimes, feigning death and falling to the floor. Pratt patented the game in 1947 and sold it to U.K.-based Waddington’s and the U.S.-based Parker Brothers.
Worth noting: Director Hepinstall also created the costumes, the best being the skimpy attire for French maid Yvette (Jasmine Netherwood), complete with fishnet stockings.
One more thing: It’s going to be a musical summer at the Academy Playhouse, with plans for the classic “Guys and Dolls,” “Mary Poppins” and “Something Rotten.”
If you go: 7 p.m. May 21, 26-27 and 2 p.m. May 22 and 29 at the Academy Playhouse, 120 Main St., Orleans; $30 adults, $20 under age 16; 508-202-1952, www.academyplayhouse.org
"The Drag”
By Sue Mellen
Written by: Mae West, with musical arrangements by Jon Richardson; presented by The Provincetown Theater, directed by company artistic director David Drake
What it's about: This is a “re-premiere” of what came to be known as Mae West’s “homosexual comedy.” But that term is really a misnomer. Thanks to Drake’s direction, the show is actually a clever blend of comedy, music and drama, with a couple of old vaudeville-style bits thrown in for good measure. It tells the story of an ill-fated romance between two young men, David Caldwell (Jameson Redding) and Rollie Kingsbury (Thom Markee), who is married to the young ingénue Clair (Racine Oxtoby). Rollie also hosts parties with a corps of Greenwich Village drag queens while the unsuspecting Clair is out shopping or at the opera. This, of course, was all something of a sticky situation way back in those other ‘20s. No matter the term Roaring Twenties, most of the world was still in the clutches of the conservative 19th century, and the mere mention of homosexuality was taboo.
See it or not: Go for the fun of the costumes, humor and — just for good measure — a dramatic history lesson. There was a lot going on behind the scenes of that seemingly traditional world our grandparents occupied.
Highlight of the show: The cross-dressing bits and musical numbers are just sheer delights. First there are the costumes, which, thanks to designer Zahrah Agha, are all sequins and sparkle. When the many performers are strutting down the stairs in Rollie’s Park Avenue apartment, kicking up their heels for a Charleston or lined up on stage in musical numbers, it’s a feast for the eyes.
There is also a wonderful segment in which Hal Swanson/The Duchess (William Mullin) and Hell’s Kitchen Kate (Stephen Carey) do a series of vaudeville-style one-liners poking fun at the conservative world they occupy circa 1920. Carey’s character is clothed in a Mae-West-style costume, complete with a huge, feathered hat. Great fun!
Fun fact: West actually wrote this and other plays under her pen name Jane Mast and her own name. This play was a follow-up to her controversial offering “Sex.” West wrote and performed in a number of plays and films, including “I’m No Angel” and “Klondike Annie,” two early talkies that catapulted her to fame. (And you thought she just sashayed on stage breathing “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime.”)
Worth noting: “The Drag” never quite made it to Broadway. Instead, the show played throughout June 1919 at Gay City, an LGBTQ community center in Seattle, then opened in 1927 on the east coast in Connecticut and New Jersey, eventually being closed down by the vice squad. (You have to wonder if that’s where the phrase “banned in Bayonne” comes from.)
One more thing: The theater has five full-length plays slated for its 2022 season. Next on the docket is “The Lady Hamlet” by noted novelist and playwright Sarah Schulman. This look at a contest to become the first female Hamlet on Broadway is slated to run June 27-July 21.
If you go: 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through June 5 at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St.; $40; 508-487-7487, www.provincetowntheater.org.
"St. Francis”
By Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll
Written by: Miranda Jonté; directed by Jason Mellin; presented by Cotuit Center for the Arts
What it’s about: A passionate and often contrary veterinarian (played by Jonté) who runs a California dog rescue struggles to care for the animals and people she loves while learning to trust that humans, not just dogs, can help to heal her. Challenges she faces include her shelter about to be displaced by a Starbucks, her beloved teen assistant trying to get into college, and dealing with some people’s inhumanity to animals.
See it or not: This moving production feels like picking up a good book and being parachuted, and welcomed, into a small community filled with quirky residents who look out for each other and have histories together — with the beauty and joy of the human-dog connection as a through line. Some aspects of their lives are left unexplained and unexplored, but the gaps are remedied by the acting, directing and writing success of this group creating characters you come to care surprisingly deeply about in just 100 minutes.
Highlights: Jonté is extraordinary and heartbreaking as prickly, fiery, righteous Tessa, who will take on the world and put herself at risk to protect the dogs she adores and feels driven to help. The smallest movements of her face and body tell as much about Tessa as Jonte’s own script as she struggles to find, and accept, her place in her community. Jonte is backed by a strong cast led by Mellin, excelling in both direction and his warm characterization of old boyfriend Will, and Emma Fitzpatrick giving infectious, jubilant energy to vet wannabe Molly.
Fun fact: Shelter mascot George is played by real dog Laszlo, the first canine actor ever in the Black Box theater at the Cotuit Center for the Arts.
Worth noting: In the tiny theater space, the show’s backdrop is a wall with chalkboard paint, where various cast members note locations, scene names and, most tellingly, progress with the health and adoption status of the shelter’s dogs.
One more thing: In a curtain speech, Mellin jokingly warns about the foul language in the script, but perhaps more troubling to some will be the explicit descriptions of how some people have cruelly abused the dogs taken in by the shelter. That treatment sears Tessa’s soul, and may haunt you afterward.
If you go: 7:30 p.m. May 2-14, 19-22 and 26-27, plus 2 p.m. May 15, 22 and 29 in the Morton and Vivian Sigel Black Box Theater at the center, 4404 Route 28. Tickets and information: https://artsonthecape.org/explore/st-francis.
“Into the Woods”
By Barbara Clark
Written by: Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book); directed by Donna Wresinski with musical direction by Pam Wannie; performed by Eventide Theatre Company
What it’s about: This musical fantasy focuses on some of the fairy tales that involve the classic search for happily-ever-after, a theme that evolves instead into the cautionary “Be careful what you wish for.” The depth and wit of Sondheim’s extraordinary musical legacy are perfectly captured here, combining the adventures of iconic characters from the Brothers Grimm as they journey into the woods on their personal quests, only to learn that their choices have dark consequences, and some cannot be undone.
See it or not: Wresinski’s stunning, high-energy production has captured Cape Cod’s top performing talents under one roof in a marvelous ensemble, as characters set out to fulfill a wish, break a curse or secure riches. Every single performer on the stage is a stand-out, with the lead roles played by Steve Ross (narrator, Mysterious Man) , Madison Mayer (Cinderella) Jake Venet (Jack), Anthony Teixeira (the Baker), Holly Hansen (The Baker's Wife), Rebecca Riley (Little Red Ridinghood) Sara Bleything (The Witch), Hope O’Conor (Rapunzel) and Beau Jackett and Alex Valentine as the princes.
Highlights: Sets (by designer and technical director Guy Trudeau) and costumes (by Brian Simons and Cindy Parker) earn top star billing alongside the performers. Exceptional lighting and special effects stand out for their flawless and precise delivery, inventiveness and just plain beauty. Greg Hamm designed the lighting, executed by Vickie Marchant, with Toby Wilson and Jackett behind the sound design.
Interesting fact: The original 1987 Broadway production earned Tony Awards for best original score and outstanding lyrics. Unlike many shows in which musical numbers provide diversion and simple entertainment, here the song lyrics blend with spoken lines to form the actual narrative, as characters tell their stories of fidelity, revenge, love and quest.
Worth noting: The show begins and ends with “I wish,” but wishes fulfilled come with unexpected twists. Cinderella just wants to attend the ball, but her prince may turn out to be a bit less than charming. Jack sets out to sell the family cow and ends up with a handful of beans. The childless baker and his wife want a family, but must tangle with a gnarly witch with an agenda of her own.
One more thing: As characters come to see the unhappy consequences of their individual pursuits, they’re inspired to come together to save each other and their community. The musical effectively delivers the lesson that “no one is alone,” and collective action may in fact be the magic ticket out of the woods.
If you go: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through May 22 at the Gertrude Lawrence Stage at Dennis Union Church, 713 Main St., Dennis. $35; 508-233-2148; www.eventidearts.org.
“Sandy Toes & Salty Kisses”
By Barbara Clark
Written by: Michael Parker and Susan Parker; directed by Marti Baker; presented by Barnstable Comedy Club
What it’s about: You name it, it happens, as confusion triumphs in this classic farce that unfolds at the Lovers’ Landing Beach Hotel on the Gulf Coast. Room mix-ups, mistaken identities and illegal shenanigans interrupt the pre-nuptial planning under way, as Uncle Bubba assumes the identity of hotel wedding planner Madame Coco, and plans go awry in every corner of the seaside venue.
See it or not: Witty dialogue and an appealing script grease the action, and an ensemble cast of new and familiar faces conveys the sense that they’re having a fine time onstage. The possibly not-too-bright receptionist, Candy (Meg Sullivan), effectively links up much of the action and offers some of the show’s best lines.
Highlights: Tom Pucci provides a high note as longtime hotel employee Wilberforce “Uncle Bubba” Brown, as he is forced to step into the persona of Madame Coco, who has unexpectedly eloped, leaving the hotel high and dry. His “Madame” comes complete with shoulder-length wig, shimmery dressing gown and aggressive bosom. Pucci is also glib and funny as the perpetrator of the hotel’s more iffy “side” activities, his favorite line being “I was gonna tell you eventually....”
Fun fact: The Barnstable Comedy Club is celebrating its 100th season of providing drama and comedy for Cape Cod audiences, and performances egan in the 1920s out of the rented Village Hall. The theater group purchased the building in 1961, and it has remained the Club’s home.
Worth noting: Hyannis native Stephen Lattimer steps on stage for the first time in “Sandy Toes,” in the role of the photo-snapping Douglas Dupont. Lattimer worked behind the scenes in the West Coast drama scene for years, with performing as his long-range goal.
One more thing: Jaunty nautical décor enhances a bright, pleasing stage set, giving an appropriate seaside flavor to this comic romp.
If you go: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through May 22 at Barnstable Comedy Club, 3171 Route 6A, Barnstable Village. $25, $23 seniors & students. 508-362-6333, www.barnstablecomedyclub.org.
Contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @KathiSDCCT.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod theaters: the play that put Mae West in jail & 5 other shows
