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.
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.
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.
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
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