Though members of the LGBTQ+ community have always embraced the world of musical theater, for a long time, the feeling wasn’t necessarily mutual — at least in terms of on-stage representation. Thankfully, that’s slowly changing. In recent years, musicals and plays by and about the queer community have started to pop up more frequently. And when they have, they’ve often garnered critical acclaim and piles of prestigious awards.
Thanks to COVID-19, Broadway, the center of theater, is still down, with no information about a possible reopening. But in other parts of the world, theaters are already beginning to map out their schedules for a proposed return later this year. The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., for example, is eyeing a mid-October reopening, while Los Angeles’ Ahmanson Theater plans to follow in close succession with a return in November. Even more exciting, these theaters are using their 2021-2022 season to spotlight a wide array of shows with LGBTQ+ themes.
After opening with a revival of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol timed to the 2021 holiday season, The Ahmanson will then host the North American premiere of the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which follows a gay high schooler as he overcomes his bullies to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a glamorous drag queen. After earning rave reviews during its original 2017 run on London’s West End, the crowd-pleasing musical has now been adapted into a feature film starring newcomer Max Harwood in the titular role. (After the pandemic pushed Disney to delay its October 2020 and subsequent February 2021 release, the film currently has no set release date — though it could still premiere later this year.)
Following Everybody’s Talking, The Ahmanson will continue its first post-pandemic season with several other queer productions. In April 2022, the renowned theater will present the critically acclaimed Hadestown, an inventive reimagining of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, which earned Black queer Broadway legend André De Shields a Tony after its Broadway debut in 2019. A few months later, they will premiere Dear Evan Hansen, which was written by gay songwriter Benj Pasek alongside his writing partner Justin Paul. That story follows the titular Evan as he lies about his friendship with a recently deceased queer classmate. Dear Evan Hansen will be immediately followed by The Prom, an uplifting musical about a troupe of self-obsessed Broadway performers who convince a conservative Indiana high school’s administrators to allow a lesbian student to attend the prom with her closeted girlfriend. (Coincidentally, like Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, both Dear Evan Hansen and The Prom have been adapted into films; The Prom premiered last year while Dear Evan Hansen is set to hit theaters this fall, on September 24.)
Over in Washington D.C., The Kennedy Center also has plans to host runs of Hadestown, The Prom, and Dear Evan Hansen. And midway through their 2021-2022 season, the theater will also present a run of Mean Girls: The Musical, which originally starred gay performer Grey Henson as the beloved out-and-proud Damien. (Henson received a Tony nomination in 2018 for his breakout performance.)
This trend extends across the pond as well. In London, perennial RuPaul’s Drag Race favorite Alyssa Edwards is currently gearing up for her own stage show on the West End. Written by Brad Loekle and directed by Spencer Noll, Alyssa, Memoirs of a Queen has been billed as an autobiographical one-woman show about the endlessly entertaining season 5 and All Stars 2 contestant. Considered the first high-profile stage show from a Drag Race alumni to hit the West End, Memoirs of a Queen will run for one week at The Vaudeville Theater this June.
It’s exciting to see theaters around the world entrusting their comebacks to so many queer productions. After a year and a half of losing money thanks to the ongoing pandemic, iconic venues like The Ahmanson, The Kennedy Center, and The Vaudeville Theater are in desperate need of hit shows that are guaranteed to sell tickets. As such, it’s reassuring to know shows that highlight the LGBTQ+ experience are worthy of top billing. Let’s start saving up our coins now.
Check out the schedule for The Ahmanson Theater and The Kennedy Center’s new seasons here.
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