BWW Reviews: Theatre Out Spotlights 'Southern Baptist Sissies'

As far as insulting labels go, the term "sissy" seems so much more genial nowadays compared to the searing, more hurtful epithets thrown about so vehemently as hate speech in today's heated geopolitical environment. Regardless, the term still stings: it describes a person—usually male—whose behavior is seen as cowardly and emasculated. Because cowardice is seen as an "undesirable" behavioral trait in the male species, the term was subsequently bestowed upon those certain men whose mannerisms take on an effeminate quality. Ironically, though, as the fight for equality soldiers on, these so-called "sissies" are in fact mustering up a significant amount of bravery and courage in order to face bigotry and outright hatred every single day.

Recent events in the American political arena have certainly illustrated that, even to this day, there is—and perhaps, always will be—a conflict between the strict doctrine of most factions of organized religion and the equal-rights-seeking gay community. This heated, often deeply painful struggle is even more pronounced for those caught in the middle of these two opposing worlds. This internal conflict it causes—to stay truthful to one's sexual identity, as well as abide by the long-ingrained teachings of their church's gospel—is the subject of Del Shores' stirring SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES, presented by Theatre Out, Orange County's sole gay and lesbian theatre company, at the Empire Theatre through September 2.

Smartly directed by Christopher Diehl, Theatre Out's revival of Shores' funny yet often melodramatic 2000 play focuses much of its strung-together vignettes on the deep-rooted strife of four young teens' coming of age in the religious Deep South. All four boys are choir members of the Calvary Baptist Church, located smack-dab in the middle of good ole' Texas, the "buckle of the bible belt," as one character hilariously points out.

Like his earlier 1996 hit play Sordid Lives (which achieved cult status thanks to its 2002 film adaptation and its subsequent short-lived TV series incarnation), Shores peppers SISSIES with similarly-colorful Texan personalities that have, perhaps, been plucked affectionately from his own upbringing in the twang-laced South of his youth. It's a much darker comedy to be sure, filled with utter heartbreak and moments of devastating pathos.

One by one, each of the boys share their own personal story about growing up with these "unnatural" urges, carving out individual paths in dealing with their burgeoning homosexuality. The leading voice and narrator is Mark (Justin Hambey), who we learn—via snarky, sharp-tongued asides to the audience—grows up to be a jaded, and rather self-actualized writer, still stinging from a Southern Baptist childhood filled with disappointments and heartbreak. In his present day voice, he recounts his younger days, frustrated over the church's narrow, immovable view on gay people. Mark acidly postulates that if the Bible's passages are indeed to be taken literally as the indisputable guidelines for good, Christian living, then "in God's eyes, eating shrimp is just as bad as sucking c**k."

As a young teenager entrenched in the church's teachings, Mark narrates how the church's repetitive doctrine proved to be an obstacle in his and his peers' formative years. The ultimate contradiction Mark cannot understand? The church's stance to love the sinner (somewhat, if he repents), but hate the sin (a lot). Led by Calvery Baptist's commanding resident preacher (Delfin Lopez), the congregation, Mark feels, simply surrenders to teachings blindly.

The methods each young man chooses to disguise (or, in one case, display) their true proclivities become the play's main source of dramatic tension. There's guilt-stricken Andrew (Paul Anderson), a sweet but highly-conflicted young man who thrusts himself wholeheartedly into both remorseful prayer as much as he does into his exciting exploration of gay nightlife. Far different from the other boys is Benny (the impressive Tito Ortiz), who proudly embraces his true identity by being publicly flamboyant (he brings a lace-decorated fan to church, for goodness' sake) and even dresses comfortably in drag. Though outwardly fearless in his self-acceptance, his face reveals a lifetime of hurt and inner turmoil.

And then there's bible scholar T.J. (the riveting Michael Rachlis), who does his best to mask his true self by adamantly citing anti-gay holy scriptures verbatim, and feigning relationships with females in the hopes that his own gay desires will somehow subside. This proves even more problematic later on, when Mark develops romantic feelings for his best friend T.J., after the two pursue private, clandestine meetings of a sexual nature. Thinking their trysts were leading to something more, Mark is taken aback when the complex T.J. refuses to succumb to his true feelings. Mark is left to deal with the pain of the rejection.

Meanwhile, in a smoke-filled gay bar called the Rose Room, the audience is yanked occasionally from the sardonic melodrama of our main quartet to meet the diminutive, ascot-wearing Preston "Peanut" Leroy (Stan Jenson), sharing drinks and stories with a creatively-named barfly Odette Annette Barnett (Lori Kelley). Peanut is undoubtedly of a certain age, even calling himself "a tired, old queen," which only hints to a backstory perhaps filled with loss, unrequited feelings, and a life helped along by liquor. The likable, alcoholic Odette, meanwhile, lobs witty one-liners at her gay friend, coaxing the audience to pontificate why a sassy, seemingly lively woman like her spends her nights drinking at a gay bar (though she does admit that she felt safer drinking among the gays).

Though both are very jovial and trade stories of a hilarious nature, the two are clearly lonely, both harboring a feeling of longing behind their amusing comic banter. They too, in their own mature days, are still also striving for a little companionship and acceptance. They curiously both share a history with the Baptist Church, but have now retreated to sitting by the piano man (the silent but musical Richard DeVicariis) to watch the younger ones have all the fun across the room. We are left to ponder... does Peanut personify the future these young, guilt-ridden boys will retreat to once the dust settles from all their angst?

Despite retreating to sitcom devices and slightly jumbled narrative transitions, SOUTHERN BAPTISTS SISSIES is arguably Shores' richest play, and perhaps even his most deeply personal. The humor is truthful, biting and sarcastic, but also has hints of genuine despair, covering layers of guilt and inner turmoil beneath its crunchy, Southern-fried exterior. Though it would have been better for Shores to aim the focus a bit deeper on the four main teens' coming-of-age journey, I can appreciate the idea behind Shores' inclusion of Peanut and Odette's scenes as a humorous and even contextual contrast to the main stories illustrated by the four boys. Peanut and Odette's big payoff doesn't come until the end of the second act, so their sprinkled scenes throughout the play—though genuinely funny— feel a bit more like they would be better off in their own separate, stand-alone show.

Having seen a production of the play almost a decade ago in Los Angeles (which even featured an end-of-show song performance from future Tony® winner Levi Kreis), Director Diehl does an assured, excellent job with Theatre Out's revival production, disguising some of the script's minor shortcomings by offering the audience a well-paced, utterly engaging show. Here the vignettes seem to flow better, making a more cohesively thought-provoking play that makes great use of its small space. The intimacy of this type of space works well in such emotionally-charged theater pieces.

The show's wonderfully talented ensemble cast also adds to the show's overall power. Each of the four young lead protagonists offer very compelling, touching performances. This is especially evident when each actor is given his own spotlight via monologues to verbalize his character's personal plight.

Anderson's confused, tortured young man is truly moving, while Ortiz does over-the-top quite well as the flamboyantly fierce Benny, eliciting much-deserved cheers during each of his many lip-synced numbers. Lopez is as believably commanding in his sermons behind the pulpit as he is when counseling the teens' troubled parents. Hambey, though quite good in his solo soliloquies, is most effective when interacting with his fellow actors, especially in his scenes with his mother (played by the hardworking Roxie Lee, who also deftly plays all the boys' mothers) and in his electric interplay with the very intriguing Rachlis.

As Odette, Kelley is plucked right out of a sitcom: she is quite amusing as she shoots off her one-liners, yet exudes the perfect tone during her more reflective moments. Jenson, much more effervescent here than his excellently acerbic turn as a nightclub drag queen in Theatre Out's Bent, does a nice job portraying Peanut. His new, fresh take on the comic part is much appreciated, making the role his own instead of merely aping Leslie Jordan, the characteristically-unique actor who embodied the role in the original production. One thing Theatre Out seems to do well quite often lately is its casting choices, and this play's lineup is no exception.

Overall, Theatre Out's SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES makes for a thought-provoking night out in the theater, as we are asked to look into the lives of people who want nothing more than acceptance and freedom to be who they truly are, and to not be ashamed of it. While many believe that faith and being gay cannot co-exist, this play attempts to spotlight what happens when one tries to overpower the other, in an amusing and sometimes heartbreaking way.

To paraphrase Harvey Fierstein, we all just want to be loved, is that so wrong?

Photos by Bill Boland for Theatre Out.
Trio Set, Top: Roxie Lee, Paul Anderson & Justin Hambey. Center: Tito Ortiz.
Bottom: Stan Jenson & Lori Kelley. Middle Inset: Michael Rachlis & Justin Hambey.

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Tickets to Theatre Out's production of SOUTHERN BAPTISTS SISSIES are priced $18 (adults) and $15.00 (students with valid student ID). Special prices are available for select performances. Performances are scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays and select Thursdays are at 8:00 pm and select Sunday matinees are at 2:00 pm. Dates are August 13-14, 20-22, 26-29 and September 2-4.

Del Shores' SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES is directed by Christopher Diehl with production design by David C. Carnevale. The show has an approximate running time of 2 hours with one intermission. Please note that the play contains nudity.

Theatre Out's home is The Empire Theatre in the Artists' Village in downtown Santa Ana, located at 202 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA. Tickets are available online at www.theatreout.com or by calling the Theatre Out Box Office at (714) 826-8700.

Visit www.theatreout.com for more information.

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