Gay Play Tuesdays: VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM
Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
by Charles Busch
October 22nd at 7pm
“Nothing escapes the demolition by laughter… The audience laughs at the first line and goes right on laughing at every line to the end, and even at some of the silences. That’s no mean achievement.” – The New York Times
Join us for our special Halloween Edition of Gay Play Tuesdays, which will take place on October 22nd at 7pm, when we will read the 1984 camp, drag classic Vampire Lesbians of Sodom by Charles Busch! This month’s festive edition will take place at our Clark Cabaret & Bar and will feature frighteningly good drink specials — as well as some other tricks and treats! Costumes or festive dress are not necessary… but most certainly encouraged!
One of the longest running plays in Off Broadway history, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom tells the saga of two fatally seductive vampiresses whose paths first collide in ancient Sodom. Their bitter rivalry as bloodsuckers, but more importantly as actresses, endures for two thousand years, with stops in 1920s silent movie Hollywood and contemporary Las Vegas.
Described by The New York Times as having “costumes flashier than pinball machines, outrageous lines, awful puns, sinister innocence, and harmless depravity,” it was first performed at the Limbo Lounge in Manhattan’s East Village in 1984 and moved Off Broadway in June 1985 to the Provincetown Playhouse, where it ran for five years.
To sign up for Gay Play Tuesdays: Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, please fill out the form!
What is “Gay Play Tuesdays”?
What makes a “gay play?” Is it dependent on the identity of the author or characters? The reception of the play by LGBTQIA+ audiences? The play’s politics? Or is there something else, less definable, that might make a play a gay classic?
Join our Resident Dramaturg, Jesse Marchese, for a monthly free play reading salon where we will investigate some of the most impactful, provocative, and fearless “gay plays” from the 20th and 21st centuries. Being a “salon,” this is not a professional performance. Rather, we treat each session as a classroom where the plays are our teachers.
We will treat every session as a first read through, assigning parts on a first come, first served basis. You are welcome to come and read a role out loud or just listen along – no experience necessary! Once we finish reading through the play we will engage in a short discussion of its themes and ideas.
