PRIDE GUIDE 1995 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 53

Reality kicks off 11th season with "kiss felt around the world'

Reality Theatre, Columbus's premiere innovative and thought-provoking theatre company has announced its 1995-1996 season which marks its eleventh year in Central Ohio. Over the next fifteen months, Reality will present works which have graced both past and current Broadway theatre marquees. From the works of Paul Rudnik to Tennessee Williams, the upcoming Reality season will give audiences a touch of the Big Apple in their own backyard.

Opening June 1 and running though the June 24 is a co-production between Reality Theatre and Act Out Productions of David Drake's The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. This revival of last summer's Ohio premiere will bring audiences the kiss felt around the world. From Obie Award winning actor and playwright Drake comes an insightful, wickedly funny journey through life, sure to become a classic in the literature of gay pride, enlightenment and activism. The play chronicles a gay man's journey of self-discovery viewed in a series of carefully constructed scenes which are alternatively lyrical, brutal, and hilarious. The title does not refer to a real kiss, but to the moment the character received the "kiss" of gay pride and self-awareness from seeing Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart.

From Paul Rudnik, the author of I Hate Hamlet comes the outrageous comedy Jeffrey which debuts on July 27. The comedy skewers every gay stereotype imaginable while fearlessly celebrating what makes the gay lifestyle compelling and controversial. Running through August 19, the play asks the question, Can a person still find love in the age of AIDS? A controversial question is the focus of Jonathan Tolin's Twilight of the Golds, running September 14 through October 7. This drama explores genetic research which determines if a child will grow up gay, and combines the moral issues of abortion and the right to determine which lifestyles should exist.

From that great observer of Southern culture, Tennessee Williams, comes two one act plays under the title of Garden District, October 26 though November 18. The first piece, Suddenly Last Summer, is the story of a young girl who witnesses her cousin's brutal death and is coerced into denying it. The second play, Something Unspoken, is the story of a wealthy dowager and her companion of twelve years. One acts oblivious as the other tries to discuss the true meaning of their relationship and what lies between their unspoken bond. Kicking off the new year of 1996 is the January 4 premiere of Live With It by Elise Moore. Presented until January 27, this drama is a chronicle of playwright Joe Orton's rise to fame as a darling of the British theatre and of the dark and tragic journey of his lover, Ken Halliwell. The 1992 Tony Award-winner for best book and score, Falsettos, with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by William Finn and James Lapine, will take the Reality stage February 15 through March 9, 1996. Its story focuses on Marvin, a contemporary gay man trying to find romance in a landscape of hard times. Though shaped by the impact of AIDS, the work is a musical of jubilance and courage.

The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me.

Patient A, by Lee Blessing, is about the experience of Kimberly Bergalis, whose case marked the first known instance of alleged HIV transmission from a health care worker to a patient. Issues of testing, discrimination, and personal responsibility are examined against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic in America. This controversial story runs March 28 through April 20, 1996.

The final Reality Theatre production of the 95-96 season will be Bernard Pomerance's critically hailed The Elephant Man May 2 through the 25th, 1996. Based on the true story of John Merrick, who lived in London during the latter part of the 19th Century. Horribly deformed, Merrick changes from being a freak attraction in side shows to being in the care of a kind and prominent physician, where he becomes the favorite of the British aristocracy and literati. The alienation and eventual acceptance Merrick expe-

riences provides a poignant tale of the triumph of the human spirit.

Reality Theatre is located at 736 N. Pearl St., in Columbus' Short North Arts District. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students on Thursday evenings, $12 for general admission on Friday and Saturdays. All senior citizen tickets are $8.00. Opening night performances start at 7:30 p.m., and all other performances begin at 8:00 p.m. To make reservations or for information call 614294-7541.

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