Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays

For the past 11 years, Watertower Theatre's "Out of the Loop Fringe Festival" has wowed audiences with an exciting and unmatched artistic lineup. Featuring some of the best acts in theatre, music, dance and art from around the region and the world the "Out of the Loop" continues to bring all three spaces of the Addison Theatre Center alive with exciting contemporary work.

Included in this year's lineup is the marvelous "Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays" presented by QLIVE! As the title implies this production is a collection of nine plays with gay marriage as the common denominator. The plays themselves are short in length, broad inside this genre and produce both big belly laughs and a flow of tears. Not in the order performed, the plays include those below.

Austin Ray Beck and Joshua Sherman open and close the show playing two separate couples. In the opening "The Revision" Sherman's character is writing the vows for the couples upcoming marriage. Beck's character both playfully distracts him while suggesting contemporary, less than traditional revisions to the vows.

Beck and Sherman play a different couple in the closing "Pablo and Andrew at the Altar of Words." In this play, their characters are at the altar reciting lovely, moving and tear-worthy vows to each other. Beck and Sherman are both engaging and both of their couples feel natural and authentic.

"On Facebook" follows a single thread on Facebook initially about gay marriage but detouring in many directions. Many of the performers play different posters but this play belongs to Laura L. Watson as a closeted homophobe. Watson is very good at being very bigoted.

Erica Maroney and Lorens Portalatin play a couple about to board a flight to Iowa to get married in "This Flight Tonight." The conflict in this play is Portalatin's character's cold feet. Maroney is a real treat; she plays her character with a natural grace. You know the girl on TV who flicks her hair, places all her weight on one hip and delivers a delicious zinger? Portalatin is that girl.

Maroney plays a variation of her above character this time coupled with the wonderful Kristin Spires in "Traditional Wedding." Here the couple videotapes a verbal journey of their 14-year relationship up to and including Maroney's very pregnant character.

The two most emotional plays are "Strange Fruit" and "London Mosquitos." In "Strange Fruit" Joshua Sherman (again!) and QLIVE! Co-founder Kyle R. Trentham play a just-married tragic couple. Having just arrived at San Diego's famed Hotel del Coronado, Sherman is settling into their suite while Trentham runs out for a pack of smokes but never returns. Sherman and Trentham alternate telling their own part of the tragedy. Both gentleman present devastating, unforgettable portraits.

QLIVE!'S other co-founder Todd Camp takes center stage in the oddly titled but moving "London Mosquitos." Camp plays a character delivering a eulogy for his partner of 36 years. Camp is touchingly sincere and his eulogy-soliloquy will haunt you.

In the oft-told story with the contemporary twist Kristin Spires elicits bouts of laughter in "My Husband." Spire plays New York Jewish Mother to her single, gay son, Kyle R. Trentham. On the day New York approves gay marriage Spire goes into hyper-drive to out-do her friends by planning her single son's marriage.

Kristin Spires delivers a tour de force performance in the one-woman play "The Gay Agenda." Spires plays a suburbanite who proudly spits out a laundry list of pro-family organizations she belongs to, and she wants you to know specifically that she does not hate homosexuals. When the cute gay couple moves in next-door Spires befriends them but every time the couple says something, Spires's brain translates the words into a take-over the world gay agenda statement...that she speaks aloud.

For example, Spires unseen husband befriends the gay couple too, and even sets a golf date. But what Spires sees are these two hunky men making her husband grab his ankles causing her to yell aloud, 'my husband does not like anal sex!' Spires is a relentless comedic force of nature.

Not actually part of the play, but not to be missed is the beautiful photo slideshow accompanied by lush romantic music of actual gay and lesbian couples photographed at their weddings. It's a graceful and powerful presentation of love. Here's hoping that QLIVE! and/or Watertower Theatre can (or are allowed) to make this montage available after the run of the show.

"Standing on Ceremony The Gay Marriage Plays" is directed by Adam Adolfo and written by Mo Gaffney, Jordan Harrison, Moises Kaufman, Neil LaBute Wendy MacLeod, Jose Rivera, Paul Rudnick and Doug Wright.

QLive! was formed by Kyle R. Trentham and Todd Camp to produce rarely seen new works, local works, musicals, stand-up comedy, one-man shows and various live performances for all audiences