‘Brer Rabbit’ returns with gay director at helm


MORE INFORMATION:

‘Brer Rabbit & Friends’
April 11 – May 26 at the Center for Puppetry Arts
www.puppet.org
 
‘Sister Act’
April 23-28 at Fox Theatre
www.broadwayacrossamerica.com

In all, he has worked with the company in various productions as a performer/puppeteer for the last decade.

“Brer Rabbit & Friends,” a staple at the Center since 1978, has been modernized here in Jon Ludwig’s take, with four central characters — Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Sister Mud Turtle — spinning distinctly Southern stories.  

Stephens feels Ludwig’s version makes the stories more accessible. 

“If you read the stories, it can be hard to get through the dialect,” he says. 

As a director, one of Stephens’ contributions is wanting the production to reflect an African-American culture. To that end, he has worked with music director Renee Clark to “deconstruct” the live music accompanying the stories. 

“I want it to be what we listen to as African-Americans,” he says.

As an educator himself working with third through eight graders, Stephens feels there is a mix of patrons who are aware of Brer Rabbit coming in and those not. He thinks this works well for both, and he also thinks gay audiences will appreciate this adaptation. 

“In ‘Brer Rabbit,’ these are all different people, and despite the fact that there may be things they don’t like about each other, they are family, all connected,” he says.

Gay male patrons can also appreciate a show about a “cute adorable fuzzy dancing bear,” he teases.

‘Sister Act’ returns

As part of the Alliance Theatre’s 2006-2007 season, the company staged an early version of “Sister Act,” based on the Whoopi Goldberg film. It took some time but the musical eventually wound up on Broadway in 2011. Now it’s back in the ATL for the first time since the Alliance version. 

One of the cast members is openly gay Charles Barksdale. The performer was not involved in the Alliance show but is aware of many of the changes, most of which are new musical numbers and some narrative tweaks.

“Sister Act” has an original score by Alan Menken of “Beauty and the Beast” fame and some script work/help from Douglas Carter Beane, who wrote the Tony-winning, gay-themed  “The Little Dog Laughed.”

While the movie is set in San Francisco, the musical takes place in Philadelphia in the age of disco, the ‘70s. Deloris Van Cartier is a lounge singer who witnesses a mob murder and has to hide out in a convent — and pretend to be a nun.

Barksdale plays TJ, who is the nephew of the villainous Curtis. He feels the character is a lot like him.

“He is comic relief,” he says. “The character is a little weird, ridiculous. His brain seems to have stopped working when he was age 12.”

He has two numbers and also figures in the finale. When he saw the show on Broadway, Barksdale was surprised at how gay it seemed to him, despite no LGBT roles. 

“Sister Act” has a drag character, subtle gay context, “sequins and sparkle” galore, and humor that “seems written for a gay man,” he says.

A native of San Antonio, Barksdale attended the University of Texas. He has split his time after college taking on roles both in opera and in musical theater.

On Stage

“The Drowsy Chaperone”
Through April 14 at Aurora Theatre
www.auroratheatre.com

This Tony-winning musical follows a lonely, sexually ambiguous musical theater junkie who puts on the cast album of his favorite show and sees it pop to life around him.
 
“Designing Women Live 7”
April 11 – 14 at Onstage Atlanta
www.onstageatlanta.com

Two new episodes of the TV classic are being staged – “Suzanne Goes Looking for a Friend” and “The Emperor’s New Nose/How Long Has This Been Going On?” – and done as fundraisers for Process Theatre and Onstage Atlanta’s new home.

“The Fabulous Lipitones”
Through April 21 at Theatrical Outfit
www.theatricaloutfit.org

Openly gay Glenn Rainey stars in this new musical about a small town barbershop quartet competing for a national championship

“Hello, Dolly!”
Through April 28 at Georgia Ensemble Theatre
www.get.org

Courtenay Collins plays the title role in the first classic musical staged by Georgia Ensemble Theatre, directed by Heidi Cline-McKerley.

“Zorro”
Through May 4 at Alliance Theatre
www.alliancetheatre.org

Openly gay director Christopher Renshaw brings this flamenco musical to the stage, with Broadway vet Adam Jacobs as Diego/Zorro.

 

Top photo: Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Sister Mud Turtle take centerstage as the Center for Puppetry Arts mounts ‘Brer Rabbit & Friends’ April 11 – May 26. (Courtesy photo)