Review Roundup: CAN I BE FRANK? by Morgan Bassichis at SoHo Playhouse

Can I Be Frank?, written by and starring comedian, artist, and writer Morgan Bassichis, directed by 2025 Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!; Josh Sharp’s ta-da!), based on and with original material by the late comedian and performance artist Frank Maya is playing now at SoHo Playhouse. Read reviews for the show!

In a desperate attempt to prove they can think about someone other than themself, Morgan Bassichis turns to the work of queer comedian, musician, and performance artist Frank Maya. Maya was among the first out gay comedians on network television and on the precipice of mainstream success before he died from AIDS-related complications in 1995. This new “solo” performance humbly attempts to ensure Maya’s legacy is no longer overlooked while finally resolving the bottomless queer search for fame, father figures, and laughter in times of crisis. 

Can I Be Frank? was originally developed and produced at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club.

Amelia Merrill, New York Theatre Guide: Bassichis delivers an evening of highbrow comedy that won’t soon be lost to the archives. Maya refused to apologize or equivocate about his life and identity, and Bassichis refuses to apologize about using Maya’s persona as a vehicle for fame.

Melissa Rose Bernardo, New York Stage Review: Is Can I Be Frank? derivative? Perhaps. But it’s also an ingenious way to pay homage to an underappreciated artist.

Michael Sommers, New York Stage Review: It is vital for younger generations to realize that one significant reason our present culture is so nasty and decadent is due to the untimely loss to AIDS of multitudes of arts-makers they never knew existed, like Frank Maya, and this show is a good reminder.

Nicole Serratore, Exeunt: There is a windup of rightous outrage that is meant to lead us from honoring a history of men lost too soon to AIDS to connect to a rage we should feel about our government today. These are generation defining moments, but the show does not build towards this. Instead, there is more of a sudden catapult of political ideas that just get launched towards us at the end. Rage about AIDS, our government, and the violence all around us. It wants to be a meaningful call to action, but how did we get here?

Gregory Fletcher, Stage and Cinema: Morgan resurrects Maya’s voice with both reverence and playfulness. He performs Frank’s controversial Liberace rant, and later a monologue about dating called “The First Time You Go Home With Someone.” He sings three of Maya’s songs: “Polaroid Children,” “Boxes of You,” and “Mourning and Militancy,” and he also recreates signature Maya bits: an audience Q&A (for which Morgan provides pre-written questions), “Letters from Dead People” (featuring a note from Lucille Ball), and — most astonishingly — a letter from Frank himself, written to Morgan! Okay, even if it’s not true, the moment is funny, absurd, and yet moving all at once.

Average Rating: 78.0%