Buffalo Theater: The show is old, but this staging is fresh

By Melinda Miller
(Image above, L-R: Ryan Bieber and Robert McKnight as Homer and Chris. All images courtesy of BUA/Production photographs by Jay Rosado)

The thumbnail description of “Gulp! The Gay Beach Musical” pretty much says it all. If you are intrigued by the idea of “a rarely seen queer musical comedy from the 1970s,” by all means head to Compass Performing Arts Center on Elmwood Avenue this month.

Buffalo United Artists has resurrected this 50-year-old farce in all its in-your-face gay glory, and it is a revelation. Written before AIDS and “Will and Grace,” “Gulp!” sings and dances its way through a multitude of themes: attempted suicide, contract murder, drowning, rejection, sexual frustration, blasphemy and one very severe allergic reaction.

Still, it’s all in good fun.

Vinny Murphy, in his directorial debut, has been blessed with a cast that makes the most of their day at the beach. The setting is Coney Island on June 28, 1977, the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, also known as Gay Liberation Day. Now, on this stretch of sunny sand, six young men will find their own form of freedom.

The characters come in a rainbow range of gayness that reflects the times, from suicidal denial to closeted clergy to queen-for-any-day-of-the-week. The actors embrace the stereotypes with affection, understanding what it meant to play gay when the play was new, half a century ago.

Robert McKnight is practically coquettish as Chris, whose opening subway journey sets the campy tone using a comically analog special effect. His dream man is Homer (Corey Bieber), a lifeguard who, ironically, would rather be dead.

They are joined by Ryan Blunt as Teddy, a bewigged drag queen who is very comfortable in his own skin; Michael Flanagan as “cheeky” priest Father William, who has more than one secret; Zachary Kushner, representing the Village People as the aptly named “Manny,” a formidable construction worker, and Matt Rittler as Birdie, a Brooklyn gossip columnist with an inexplicable Southern accent.

The ensuing action is a mash-up of emotions, mix-ups, mayhem and music. Proclamations of love intertwine with stunning revelations and complex back stories (along with one bare backend). The Coney Island beach may not the Bridge of San Luis Rey, but in the end, we know that these six guys were brought together for a reason.

Several reasons, actually.

As mentioned, “Gulp!” was written in the mid-1970s, by pioneering playwright and producer John Glines, helped by Stephen Greco on the book and Robin Jones for the lyrics. That is a good pedigree: Glines (who earlier wrote for “Captain Kangaroo”) went on to win both Tony and Drama Desk awards for other shows.

Glines would later tell Playbill (source is Wikipedia) that he was trying to encourage acknowledgement and acceptance by taking full credit his breakthrough work, which includes the Tony Award-winning “Torch Song Trilogy.” Glines explains that even in the 1960s, gay playwrights and actors didn’t use their own names when dealing with homosexual themes. He says in the article: “A gay play (at the time) meant something pornographic. I thought by using my own name, it would be a forerunner — it would force others to do the same.”

It is in that spirit that BUA has revived “Gulp!.” The musical’s goofiness and madcap action are elevated by the integrity of its historical significance.

BUA has respected that without choking on it. The show may be old; the staging is fresh. 

Nicole Cimato provides a frisky choreography that lights up the small stage. With some jazz hands here and Hope & Crosby shuffle there, there’s a lot to like. Plus, Bieber and McKnight in particular boast fine singing voices, and the musical direction by Lucas Colon and Nikki Fae Dahlen, with live piano from a perch above the stage, is just right. Sage Becker and Mike Doben use the sound and lighting with comic and sometimes celestial 🎶 precision.

Although “Gulp!” does not entirely transcend the weight of time, it is more than a museum piece. I know they say that “history may not repeat itself, but it rhymes.” Now, 50 years after a brave artist dared to put his real name on a gay musical comedy, it is nice to see that history on stage again, singing and dancing its heart out.

Buffalo United Artists presents “Gulp! The Gay Beach Musical” to open its 34th season of work examining the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer experience.

Performances are at Compass Performing Arts Center, 545 Elmwood Ave., on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 5 p.m., through Sept. 27.

Tickets are $30 at buffalounitedartists.org or at the theater box office day of show. Run time is approximately two hours.

For another take on “Gulp!” and its theatrical importance, check out Anthony Chase’s review at theatertalkbuffalo.com.