The Lisbon Traviata: A Benefit Reading at Brief Cameo Productions

Brief Cameo Productions is proud to kick off Pride Month 2026 by celebrating the work and legacy of a true LGBTQ+ trailblazer.

Join us for ONE NIGHT ONLY benefit reading of The Lisbon Traviata at the Centerbrook Meetinghouse on June 2nd, 2026 at 7:00 PM, featuring a cast of BCP audience favorites reading a sharply funny and captivatingly tragic script by five-time Tony recipient Terrence McNally (Ragtime, Master Class).

The Lisbon Traviata centers on a revealing conversation between Stephen (Jacob Iglitzin), a depressed literary editor and opera fanatic, and Mendy (Bryan Quinn), a flamboyant opera queen. The two dish late into the night, distracting Stephen from his failing relationship with hilarious riffs on opera records, Maria Callas, and more. But when Stephen returns home to confront his boyfriend Mike (Nathan Szymanski) and his boyfriend's new - and considerably younger - lover Paul (Galen Donovan), a tragedy begins to unfold on the scale of the grand opera he loves so much.

Featuring McNally's signature "flair for crackling dialogue" (Variety), The Lisbon Traviata is "a defiant attempt to confront demons" (NY Times), exploring themes of obsession and jealousy, paralleling the very same grand passions of Verdi’s La Traviata itself.

This reading is directed by BCP Associate Producer Alan Piotrowicz, with stage directions read by Sydney Yargeau.