Why hasn't there been many musicals with two gay male leads?

[Merboy]

All I can think of is La Cage aux Folles. There haven't been many traditional "Rodgers & Hammerstein's"-esque book musicals with two gay men in the romantic leads. I can't think of a standard song sung by two men...

 

You'd think with all that talent and all those gay men in the theatre they would have written a gay romance.

 

I was thinking with re-invention, the little gem of a movie Latter Days could be turned into a musical, but it would have to heavily tweaked. I'd like to see the romance between a sexy barely dressed party boy (Christian) and a shy sweet conservative Mormon boy (Aaron) but in song and dance.

[foxy]

Well there’s Falsettos. Not sure if that meets your criteria.

[+ WilliamM]

"The Opposite of Sex" with David Burtka never played on Broadway, but was featured in Williamstown about a decade ago. Burtka was okay, but not ready for New York in a musical. And it has been a long time since he was naked off-Broadway in Edward Albee's "The Play About The Baby."

[+ WilliamM]

As to "Latter Days," it would be very difficult to match Steven Sandvoss' charm and audience appeal to gay audience.

[N13]

Saw this and enjoyed it!

 

Boy Meets Boy

Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording

Music Bill Solly

Lyrics Bill Solly

Book Bill Solly and Donald Ward

Productions 1975 Off-Broadway

2012 London

 

Boy Meets Boy is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Bill Solly, and book by Bill Solly and Donald Ward. It opened on Sep. 17, 1975 at the off-Broadway Actor's Playhouse in NYC. It was produced by Christopher Larkin and Edith O'Hara in association with Lee Barton.

 

The show is a fast-paced, light-hearted musical-comedy, featuring a 1930s style Astaire/Rogers romance between two men, and a same-sex marriage. The world of the play posits that in 1936, same-sex relationships are considered every bit as normal as heterosexual ones. The play begins against the background of the abdication of Edward VIII and ends with the Duke of Windsor's (and the protagonists') June, 1937 weddings. This is appropriate, as one of the major themes is "Giving it Up for Love" ("the nightclubs and the taxis / and the tickets to the smash"). The action occurs in the Savoy Hotel, a few elegant nightspots in London, a bar in Spain, and a black-sheep aunt's disreputable establishment in Paris.

 

The show had its London Premiere in Dec of 2012. The cast included Olivier Award winner Stephen Ashfield (Book of Mormon, Taboo) as Casey O'Brien with Johnjo Flynn as Guy Rose and Ben Kavanagh as Clarence Cutler

[bostonman]

Back in the day, I don't think audiences would have accepted an overtly gay romantic couple. La Cage was indeed the first large-scale Broadway musical to go there, and although it's made a name for itself over time (and won the Tony award), I have to confess I don't think it's a very good show. But that's neither here nor there.

 

Almost a decade before La Cage, A Chorus Line did feature several pivotal gay characters (certainly Paul, with his devastating monologue about his early coming out). But, no gay relationships. The 70's also brought us Rocky Horror, which some people may not know was a stage musical before it became a cult film. Hair had the character Woof, who called himself bisexual.

 

But, since then, we've certainly had more musicals that either feature gay plots, or at least contain important moments dealing with gay characters, relationships or identity.

 

Some important ones I would highlight:

A Man Of No Importance (off-Broadway)

Fun Home

Kiss Of The Spider Woman

Spring Awakening

Avenue Q

Rent

The Color Purple

Hedwig And The Angry Inch

Billy Elliot

Zanna, Don't! (off-Broadway)

Hello, Again (off-Broadway)

 

Despite the arguments that Bobby in Company could be gay (it's nowhere in the original text, and I'm not wanting to open up that argument), Sondheim finally did give voice to a gay character in the show that at one point was called Bounce, and is now in its final state as Road Show. When Bounce was revised into what became Road Show, a hetero duet from the former was rethought and revised to be a gay duet in the latter. ("The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened.")

[+ WilliamM]

The gay relationship in Spring Awakening does not involve Jonathan Groff's lead character.

[bostonman]

The gay relationship in Spring Awakening does not involve Jonathan Groff's lead character.

 

I never said that it did.

[+ E.T.Bass]

I never said that it did.

I loved how Deaf West Theater production of Spring Awakening portrayed that gay kiss. So sweet.

 

 

Edited November 21, 2018 by E.T.Bass

[Nvr2Thick]

Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit - Guys and Dolls

[bostonman]

Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit - Guys and Dolls

 

Marry the man today and change his ways tomorrow?

[+ nycman]

To answer the question...because you have to sell tickets.

 

The 10% homo crowd...will buy tickets to a show with 2 straight leads.

 

The 90% straight crowd....won’t buy tickets to a show with 2 gay leads.

 

Do the math.

[+ Cash4Trash]

Yank was at the York Theater several years back but never made it to Broadway.

[bostonman]

To answer the question...because you have to sell tickets.

 

The 10% homo crowd...will buy tickets to a show with 2 straight leads.

 

The 90% straight crowd....won’t buy tickets to a show with 2 gay leads.

 

Do the math.

 

And yet, La Cage has already had 2 revivals.