Meanwhile, Back at the Raunch
The Gay Comedy Jam sets "things" in motion
BY PAUL FRISWOLD
Riverbront Times, March 2006
What do you get when you take one stage, gather three gay monologists and add a pile of cucumbers (oh, the mind reels at the possibilities)? Before you catch the vapors, know that the final product of this unusual mathematical formula is, in fact, four nights of incredible...theater.
See, you thought the answer was something naughty, but it is instead "THEA-tre." But rest assured that sex is at the huge, pulsating center of this weekend (and then some) stand — so you know you have to check out at least two of the nights, because once is never enough.
Ragged Blade Theatre brings Matthew Crehan Higgins, Michael Cross Burke and Nick Tarr to the Theatre at St. John's (5000 Washington Place) Thursday through Sunday (March 16 through 19) for the St. Louis National Gay Comedy Jam, and these fellas have but one mission: to put the gaiety back in gay. Higgins does it with his autobiographical The Casual Sex Diary.
It's nominally a one-man show, but his candid look back at the four years of sexual activity he documented in his desk calendar involves appearances by many men. Maybe you'll see your own story in Higgins' odyssey from man to man; maybe you're actually one of those anonymous businessmen he favored. We're not here to judge.
Burke, however, is here to judge. His Cucumber Dreams is a combination of autobiographical and found text, imagery, an electronica soundtrack and a cast of 30 cucumbers that explores the disparate world of conspiracy theories, the sexual proclivities of the bonobos apes (hint: they vote Republican — Log Cabin Republican) and Burke's worst date ever. His judgment? The personal is the political, and some of us are lacking in making the distinction.
Tarr's Hot Jammin' Comedy is, as the name implies, straight-up comedy. Well, maybe not "straight"-up. Tarr frankly and fondly discusses all the hot-button topics: gay marriage, how best to position the Web cam, which movies would work better with all-gay casts, etc. Audience participation is ruthlessly extracted at times. Come prepared — or vice versa.
Showtimes and performances vary nightly; tonight's a double bill, with The Casual Sex Diary (at 8 p.m.) followed by Hot Jammin' Comedy. Call 314-276-8693 or visit www.raggedblade.com for a full schedule. Tickets are $15 for one show, $25 for two or $35 for all three. Through March 19
Theatre at St. John's, 5000 Washington Place , St. Louis
