Escape Reality With The Big Gay Jamboree
From the Oscar-nominated producers of Barbie and from the mind of Marla Mindelle, the gay queen of Off-Broadway (who brought us the hit Titanique ), comes The Big Gay Jamboree, a new musical comedy that’s pushing the envelope…and the gay agenda. Photos: Matthew Murphy.
The gays are back, and we’re FUNNY. Yes, times have been tough for our community, and we are under attack. Yet again. More now than ever because now everyone, everywhere has discovered that we are here, we are queer, and we are truly here to stay. For real.
And so it’s a thrill to discover, via the New York stage, that the gays have not lost their sense of humor, nor their mastery of parody, or their thirst for the performative—despite all of this persecution IRL. In fact, we are mounting productions bursting with the type of talent, sequins, and hilarity that we used to be famous for. Consider the Broadway hit Oh, Mary!, which gives Abraham Lincoln a hilarious queer makeover. And what about DRAG: The Musical, which brings this art form, masquerading as a rock musical, to the bright lights of Off-Broadway? Meanwhile, down on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is the Big Gay Jamboree, which is a gaytastic blast.
The protagonist is Stacey, a binge-drinking fag hag who, during a blackout-drunk episode, gets trapped inside a corny 1950s musical, which takes place in the mythical Midwestern town of Bareback (yes). There, no one has ever heard of queer people, apparently, the only Black character is required to sing gospel music, and no one seems to realize there is another world beyond the forest—think Music Man meets Oklahoma! on shrooms, with a twisted touch of The Wizard of Oz.
Starring one of the “brightest stars of New York theatre” (Vanity Fair), out Celine Dion interloper Marla Mindelle, The Big Gay Jamboree will leave you howling with laughter, even if you don’t get all the musical theater in-jokes and queer comedic references. Because the thing is, the singing and dancing in Jamboree are as good as anything you will find on Broadway, and this show veritably bursts out of its modest proscenium arch setting. This is kind of the gag, and you can make whatever metaphor you like about the LGBTQ community…in which we are constantly serving excellence, as we would even if we were hungover and trapped in a McCarthy-era musical production, ahem.
It’s a great night out, and in part, we can thank producers Sue Wagner, John Johnson, and Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap for getting it off the ground because it is so queer, so absurd, and so raunchily hilarious that anyone else may have passed it over. But not someone who understands New York gays! Which our Margot Robbie does! She was reportedly originally attached in 2019 to make Jamboree into a big gay movie musical, but after it stalled, Mindelle retooled it for the stage, and Robbie happened to catch Mindelle in a performance of Titanique, and the flame of interest was rekindled.
LuckyChap issued this statement: “We’ve been admiring Marla Mindelle’s work for quite some time and our adoration only grew when we were blown away by Titaníque. We knew that we wanted to be a part of bringing Marla’s The Big Gay Jamboree to the stage. We’ve been wanting to find a way into the theatre space and couldn’t be more thrilled for this to be our first foray alongside the incredible team involved.”
The Big Gay Jamboree marks LuckyChap’s theater debut.
Directed and choreographed by Connor Gallagher with precision-perfect pizzazz—and with a clever book and solid songs loaded with snark and satire—The Big Gay Jamboree will leave you saying, ‘What election?’
And because we all need that laugh—and because we seriously must reclaim camp—run, dance, and skip your way to the Orpheum Theatre (126 2nd Avenue, New York City). Continue your mirth after the show and go out for cocktails. Just don’t make it 18 Jägerbombs. Don’t be like Stacey, be like Marla Mindell. She’s a New York treasure, so see her before she retires from musical theater, which she has threatened to do.
If you are not familiar, Mindelle is a stunning creature of the stage with a touch of classic Hollywood about her—rather like Ann Miller and Ann-Margret had a lesbian love child. Mindelle won the 2023 Lucille Lortel Award and Obie for portraying Céline Dion in the hit Off-Broadway musical Titanique. As a co-author, Titanique also received the 2023 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. Mindelle also received an Outer Circle Critics Nomination for her portrayal of Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act on Broadway. Other credits include Cinderella, South Pacific, and The Drowsy Chaperone.
Go. Go now. Get your tickets at biggayjamboreethemusical.com.
