Zachary Zane is a Brooklyn-based sex and dating expert, columnist, activist, and author of 'Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto' and co-author of 'Men’s Health: Best. Sex. Ever.'
Gay Theater Fans Will Love These 8 New On- & Off-Broadway Shows
There are a number of terrific plays and musicals with gay themes that are premiering in New York in 2018. Some are on Broadway, some are off, but they are all fabulous. Here are eight of the most highly anticipated shows of 2018!
Darren Criss and Jinkx Monsoon, who will be in a one-night-only 'Hamilton' performance.
Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock; Sarah Morris/Getty Images
Hamilton is about to get really queer!
Drag Race superstar Jinkx Monsoon and Glee’sDarren Criss are set to star in a one-time-only performance of a spinoff of the popular musical.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Broadway musical, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that a special edition of his “Ham4Ham” concert series will return on May 13 with special guest stars.
The on-off performance is an impromptu concert series that started back in 2015, but Miranda announced on Instagram that tonight’s free concert will feature cast members of current Broadway musicals and will celebrate Hamilton’s monumental anniversary.
Jinkx and Criss might be best known for their roles on TV shows, but they are both currently on Broadway. Jinkx is currently starring in Pirates! The Penzance Musical and Criss is one of the leads in Maybe Happy Endings.
Criss’ co-star Helen J Shen is also set to star alongside the cast of Buena Vista Social Club.
Miranda announced the news alongside a photoshopped picture of the stars who will be in the show outside of a Hamilton show. He wrote in the caption that the performance will be live-streamed on the Hamilton musical’s official Instagram account for people who can’t attend in person.
Hamilton premiered off-Broadway in 2015 before becoming a sensation that swept the nation. The play is a combines hip-hop, jazz, and R&B and takes the audience from Alexander Hamilton’s early life through becoming the George Washington’s right-hand man to his death in the infamous duel with Aaron Burr.
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Governors Association Evening Dinner on February 22, 2025 in Washington, DC; Sondheim Theater exterior featuring Les Miserables play posters in London, UK on September 29, 2024
Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images; Bestravelvideo/Shutterstock
A performance that took place at the White House National Governors Association Dinner over the weekend is raising questions across social media.
Video circulating online shows the U.S. Army Chorus filing into the dinner while singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Misérables. Specifically, they sang the reprise version, promising, "Even the darkest night will end / And the sun will rise."
Les Misérables is, of course, a story about one man’s quest for redemption, set against a backdrop of injustice and revolution. The poor are oppressed and abused by the wealthy ruling class, and the government is seen as the enemy.
"Will you join in our crusade? / Who will be strong and stand with me?" the lyrics ask. "Somewhere beyond the barricade / Is there a world you long to see?"
People horrified by the current administration’s sweeping changes in just a month after taking power were quick to hope that this was a bold display of resistance from the choir. After all, it’s literally a song about a revolution against the government.
— (@)
"Oh my gosh! #Resistance takes on many forms. The military choir choose to sing a revolutionary song from Les Misérables to make a point to all in attendance. This is so amazing! Keep fighting the good fight in whatever way you can America"
— (@)
"They picked Les Mis—a musical about standing up to tyranny. They protested you at your own event and you were too stupid to get it."
— (@)
But others weren’t so certain. For one thing, Donald Trump himself has used this song at his rallies in the past (to the fury of the musical’s creators). And we know he has spent years claiming to be the one standing against the establishment, and that his base eats it all up without a moment of critical consideration.
— (@)
There’s also the fact that this was the reprise of the song from the end of the musical — after the revolution failed.
"I mean, the rebellion does not end well in Les Mis," one redditor pointed out. "[The song choice] could even be 'go ahead and rise up, we will just cut you down' kind of messaging from the government."
So the intention behind the performance remains unclear. But choosing it certainly caused a stir, and resulted in a lot of people across social media pointing out the potential irony, if nothing else.
— (@)
"Going to lose my mind. Apparently the White House chose “Do You Hear the People Sing?” to be performed at the Governor’s Ball. You know, the Les Mis song famously calling for a people’s revolution in 1800s France? About overthrowing the government? Through violent populism??"
— (@)
“’do you hear the people sing’ is a protestagainst government tyranny as it was set during the paris uprising of 1832 and not for nothing but i believe a general knowledge of les mis and it’s themes should be required for kennedy center board membership"
— (@)
"the irony of singing les mis a week after he called himself the king is wild"
— (@)
"These people think they’re cultured enough to run the Kennedy Center yet think having 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' sung at them is a compliment."
— (@)
"i was filled with so much hope when i found out about how 'do you hear the people sing' was sung at the white house governors ball thinking 'wow it’s crazy that none of them understand what this song means'. until i found out that they think they’re the revolutionaries"
Tosha Gaines Photography for Central Alabama Pride
Genesis
Tosha Gaines Photography for Central Alabama Pride
Alabama is embracing queer joy! Yes, even in this economy.
Recently Central Alabama Pride and Beyond the Rainbow Productions teamed up for an incredible night of drag performances, community togetherness, and a radical rejection of anti-LGBTQ+ hate for their event Love Is a Drag: A Celebration of Art, Expression, and Resilience.
It was an unforgettable night filled with incredible drag performances from queens including National Entertainer of the Year Genesis and RuPaul’s Drag Raceseason 17 star Kori King. The energy was crackling with a profound sense of community. It wasn’t just a drag show, it was a bold, unapologetic celebration of the resilience of our community but a celebration of art and queer love.
That it was taking place in Alabama was particularly poignant at a time when that community, like many others around the nation, is facing an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. This night was created as a political statement in direct defiance of that as well as “a reminder that no matter the political climate, the LGBTQ+ community will continue to take up space, celebrate its identity, and lift each other through creativity and expression,” according to the event’s press release.
"Drag is an art form that has always been rooted in resilience,” said Josh Coleman, President of Central Alabama Pride. It’s about celebrating who we are, telling our stories, and creating spaces where authenticity thrives. In the face of adversity, events like this remind us of our strength, our unity, and our unwavering commitment to visibility."
Keep scrolling for a peek into the incredible night’s events.
T. Chelle
Tosha Gaines Photography for Central Alabama Pride
Amidst the contentious political happenings in the United States, Adam Lambert is drawing praise for the way he handled an uncomfortable moment during a recent Broadway performance.
Since last fall, the American Idol alum has been taking on the role of the Emcee in Cabaret. For those unfamiliar with the musical, it centers on nightclub performers during the Nazis’ rise to power in Berlin.
One particular performance within the show sees the Emcee dancing with a gorilla and singing about how much he loves her despite society not approving of their relationship. It’s aimed at the audience of the fictional nightclub, and ends with a joke meant to appeal to the growing antisemitic sentiment among them.
"I understand your objection," he sings. "I grant you, the problem’s not small / But if you could see her through my eyes / She wouldn’t look Jewish at all."
According to attendees, a number of audience members at Wednesday’s matinee performance of the show burst into laughter before Lambert could even finish the line. Playwright David Rigano recounted the moment in an open letter to the actor shared across social media.
"As I was shaking my head that we live in a world that didn’t get the point of that joke, you turned to them and - without dropping character, without dropping the accent - said, 'No. This is not comedy. Pay attention,'" he wrote.
In a subsequent video reacting to his post going viral, Rigano further explained that, as a big Cabaret fan, he’s accustomed to that moment drawing "shocked or uncomfortable chuckles as the realization sets in," but stressed this was different.
"This was just straight up laughter. And he turned his head, he looked at them, and then the laughter grew stronger, as if they thought he was doing a bit," he explained. "I do not think that this was malicious laughter. I do not think that this was antisemitic laughter. But I do think it was complacent laughter by people who weren’t really getting the point of what the commentary was."
After Rigano’s initial post went viral, Lambert shared it to his Instagram stories, followed by a screenshot of a comment he left in response.
"I really consider it a privilege to be working with such a gifted cast and creative team on a show that has so much to say about what is happening RIGHT NOW," he wrote. "It’s been relevant since it premiered in the late '60s and I HOPE audiences walk away THINKING and feeling empathy towards how marginalized groups can be scapegoated as a political strategy."
— (@)
If the actor didn’t miss a beat in his on-stage reaction to the audience’s laughter, it would seem one reason for that is because it wasn’t the first time it had happened. At least one person in Rigano’s Instagram comments drew attention to a reddit post from nearly two weeks prior about the same moment in Cabaret during a different performance.
"People laughed… And it was like time stopped," they recalled. "Because it was so clearly not funny. And Adam Lambert plays it very seriously and with such beautiful nuance that it is so obviously not a funny moment."
Although the specifics of what Lambert apparently said to the audience at that time differed somewhat, the sentiment remained the same. The redditor noted that some attendees were "taking every opportunity to laugh at any mention of Jews," but that after Lambert stopped and drew attention to it, the crowd grew so quiet "you could hear a pin drop on the moon."
"I was sick in my seat for the rest of the show," they added. "I cried for ages after the show was over because it is just so painful to confront the reality of the world we live in now."
Lambert will continue performing as Cabaret's Emcee on Broadway until Orville Peck takes over the role on March 31.
The former Disney Channel star is devoting all of his time and energy into a slew of passion projects that are spicy and so gay.
His latest venture is a brand new play he wrote called Foursome which, as you can expect, is about sex between four queer men. Now this is pushing the gay agenda!
"It's exactly what you think! It's very different from Disney Channel. There is sex in it. There is a foursome scene in it. I don't know why I've been inspired to write about sex this year so much. I guess I was just really horny this year," Montgomery tells PRIDE.
While the title of the play and the steamy content may initially entice audiences, the show is much more than just sex.
"What it's really about is growing up. It's these four queer friends who love each other deeply and they're navigating sex, romance, friendship, and commitment. It's a romantic comedy of them figuring their way through that."
Foursome isn't the only project that has fans of Montgomery on the edge of their seats. The actor will be reuniting with other Disney alum such as Debby Ryan and Alyson Stoner in the upcoming horror movie Howdy, Neighbor.
"It's a queer, campy, horror comedy that we've already shot. A group of my queer best friends making a scary movie? That's what dreams are made of! This is a great way to grow up together. It's scary, but it also has a nasty sense of humor to it."
Fans can check out the reading for Foursome this Friday at IAMA Theatre Company. To see the full interview with Matthew Scott Montgomery, check out the video at the top of the page.