30 Days of NYMF: Gonna Have A Party!

GONNA HAVE A PARTY!
GEMINI THE MUSICAL COMES TO NYMF
by Charlie Gilbert (composer/lyricist of Gemini the Musical)

Mention the title Gemini to theatergoers of a certain age, and they're likely to recall laughing themselves sick at Albert Innaurato's outrageous comedy of bad manners. It opened at the Little Theater (now the Helen Hayes) thirty years ago, with a memorable television commercial that helped imprint several of the play's lines ("Take human bites!" "I'll just pick.") upon the collective subconscious of a generation.

I never saw that TV commercial, but I saw Gemini in a regional theater production in the early 80's. Albert and I were strangers when we began the process of adapting his play for the musical stage a few years ago. I wasn't born and raised in South Philly like my collaborator, but I was living there in 2003 when we began work together, and the play's volatile, profane characters are my real- life neighbors. Our show had its premiere at the Prince Music Theater in 2004, and being chosen for NYMF's "Next Link" series has given us an exciting opportunity to bring this South Philly story to a New York audience.

Putting together a NYMF show is a whirlwind process. Everything – the staffing, the casting, the fundraising, the revising, the rehearsing – happens at an intense, breakneck pace. As I write this, we are at the end of our third week of rehearsals, and the results are terrifically promising. Leading the charge is Linda Hart as Bunny Weinberger, the blowsy, foul-mouthed neighbor of the play's protagonist, Francis.  Linda earned kudos for her portrayal of Bunny in the Second Stage revival of Gemini in 1999, and played the role in the Philly premiere of our musical version.  She portrays this outrageous broad with zest and seasoned mastery. Linda's not the only veteran stager in our crew, though; two-time Tony nominee Joel Blum brings his charm and impressive pipes to the role of Fran, and Bethe Austin is hilarious uttering Lucille's unforgettable "I'll just pick."

The younger cohort of our cast are bright young stars from the country's top musical theater conservatories, most notably Dan Micciche, who brings notable fervor and musical artistry to the leading role of Francis Geminiani. They're a talented crew and they've quickly bonded with the older generation.

Coming out in 1973 (the time in which the play is set) was quite a different thing than it is in our own time, when gay life has been assimilated into so many aspects of American culture, but it's still a formidable challenge for young adults seeking to declare their own unique identity. I am a father of two young adult sons, and Albert and I both teach at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where our classrooms are full of such seekers. We've tried to keep the play real as a tribute to the importance of their struggle. It wasn't that long ago that we faced it ourselves.