Daniel's Husband

C+

It would be easy to dismiss Michael McKeever’s (Clark Gable Slept Here) play as the theatrical equivalent of a gay Lifetime movie, but it was sufficiently well-received during its recent run at Primary Stages that it has been brought back for an encore run at the Westside Theatre. Architect Daniel (Ryan Spahn; Summer and Smoke, Gloria) and gay pulp fiction author Mitchell (Matthew Montelongo; A View from the Bridge, The Ritz) are entertaining Mitchell’s older literary agent Barry (Lou Liberatore; Burn This, As Is) and his latest boy-toy Trip (Leland Wheeler), a home health care aide. Over after-dinner drinks, Trip innocently asks why Daniel and Mitchell, who have been together seven years, have not married. His question sets off a vehement tirade by Mitchell against marriage, gay assimilation and conformity. Daniel would like to marry, but Mitchell is adamant and their disagreement is a sore spot in their otherwise harmonious relationship. Another source of unease is the impending arrival of Daniel’s overbearing mother Lydia (Anna Holbrook; Raising Jo), whose visits are a cross for Daniel to bear. When catastrophe strikes, Mitchell has to pay a high price for his choices. Montelongo makes the most of this climactic moment. Brian Prather’s (Freud’s Last Session) midcentury modern living room set befits an architect. Gregory Gale’s (Rock of Ages) costumes suit their characters well. Joe Brancato’s (The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith) direction is unobtrusive. While this cautionary tale is both manipulative and predictable, it is elevated by good actors who make the characters and relationships convincing and by high production values. Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission.

Gigantic **

This musical with a book by Randy Blair and Tim Drucker, music by Matthew roi Berger and lyrics by Blair has been kicking around in various forms since 2009. As “Fat Camp,” it won Best of Fest award at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in a production directed by Alex Timbers. In 2012 American Theatre of Actors revived it with several cast changes and a set by Beowulf Boritt. Why talents such as Timbers or Boritt were attracted to this pedestrian show and why Vineyard Theatre decided to give it a third New York outing are mysteries to me. The antics at a summer camp for overweight teenagers are a slender {pun not intended} thread for a full-evening musical. During the second act, the authors try frantically to liven things up with a production number featuring a dozen or so life-size dancing animals that bears no relation to anything else in the show. Likewise, as part of the color war, one team, with no rationale whatever, performs a scene from “The Crucible” dressed in Pilgrim costumes made from trash bags. The energetic, appealing cast give it their all. They are all good, but Bonnie Milligan, Larry Owens and Leslie Kritzer stand out. The music is generic pop-rock, with many songs sounding almost alike to me. I might have appreciated the music more had it not been blasted at levels that were painful to bear. The woodsy set by Timothy R. Mackabee is quite attractive and Gregory Gale’s costumes are inspired. The choreography by Chase Brock is lively and the direction by Scott Schwartz is smooth. Too bad the the quality of the material does not match the high level of the production. Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes including intermission.

The Tribute Artist ***

If you are not a fan of Charles Busch's brand of female impersonation or of the kind of silliness that is often based on vulgarity, you can skip this play and the rest of this review. If, on the other hand, you enjoy high camp, you'll want to get to 59E59 for his newest play's Primary Stages premiere. To call the plot "convoluted" would be to oversimplify it; "preposterous" is a closer fit. The characters are Adriana (Cynthia Harris), a dying dowager with a townhouse in Greenwich Village; Jimmy (Busch), a drag queen --- oops, forgive me, celebrity tribute artist -- who stays with Adriana when he is in town; Rita (Busch stalwart Julie Halston), their lesbian friend who is an unsuccessful real estate broker; Christina (Mary Bacon), Adriana's feckless estranged niece; Oliver (Keira Keeley), Christina's teenage son who until recently was Rachel; and Rodney (Jonathan Walker), Adriana's shady long-lost lover. The madness does not reach the inspired level of Busch's "The Divine Sister" and it drags in spots [pun intended] but there are lots of funny lines along the way. Anita Louizos's townhouse living room set is sumptuous, Gregory Gale's costumes are droll, and Katherine Carr's wigs are perfect. Carl Andress, Busch's long-time director, does the honors again here. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes including intermission.