The queer community’s relationship to musical theatre and Broadway is as deep as it is passionate. They go together, one might say, like ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dingity-da-dinga-dong.
But though many of Broadway’s most famous productions are held up as beacons of queer culture, very rarely do they contain explicitly gay or trans characters and plotlines.
With Big Gay Musical, a hilarious theatre production that returns on Dec. 14 to The Great Hall, co-creators CJ Wiley and Lauren Beatty flip the script with a campy, over-the-top reimagining of characters and songs from some of the most iconic musicals: Moulin Rouge, Grease, Chicago, Rent, Wicked and many more.
Featuring a talented, all-queer cast of Toronto musicians and actors, Big Gay Musical seems like a rather ordinary story on its surface: A young artist named Elfie (loosely based on Wicked’s Elphaba) moves to the “big gay city” in hopes of becoming a star, where they meet a gaggle of colourful characters who help them on their journey. But when Elfie finally lands an audition for a new musical, they discover their ex is auditioning for the same role.
The show itself, Beatty tells The Grind, is unlike anything you’ve seen on stage. “Honestly, it’s just a night of pure, unadulterated queer joy.”
As you may have guessed, Big Gay Musical emerged out of the universe of the Big Gay Night, a concert series for local queer and trans musicians. Founded by Wiley, who is a musician themself, Big Gay Night has become a staple in the city, offering a fun and safe space for 2SLGBTQ+ people.
Late last year, Wiley and Beatty were brainstorming ideas for the next Big Gay Night. “This was just after the first Wicked movie had come out and all the gays were freaking out about it,” Beatty, who is a singer, actor and comedian, recalls.
“We were discussing how crazy it is that so many musicals are queer-coded, but it’s always this wink-wink thing. But what if there was something that just punches you in the face with it?”
Hoping to capitalize on the sudden popularity of musicals sparked by Wicked, Wiley and Beatty decided to create their own musical, one that “embraces the inherent queerness that musicals already possess,” Beatty explains. “Let’s give the queers what they really want.”
The production came together with remarkable speed. After sketching out the script, Beatty and Wiley reached out to their friends Meredith Shedden and Veronique Beaudet, two artists involved in SPURS, a popular line-dancing night for queer people and their friends. “Those two were so well-versed in theatre and musical theatre,” Beatty explains. “We knew if anyone could make this happen, it was them.”
Next, they pulled together an all-queer cast of local actors and singers, and set a ridiculously ambitious date for mid-February.
“It was down to the wire,” Beatty says with a laugh, explaining that the cast only had time to rehearse the show twice. “I think the first time we even ran it from start to finish was show day. It was very much a stumble through the first time, and the second time went better, but was still rough.”
And yet, the sold-out show went off without a hitch.
“The audience loved it,” Beatty reflects. “It was honestly one of the best nights of my life. Everyone was just laughing, singing on the top of their lungs along to every song. It was a blast.”
This year’s remount of Big Gay Musical, which has been expanded from two acts into three, promises to be even more of a romp.
“There’s an awesome live band, and everyone’s got a drink in their hand,” Lane Webber, a singer and actor who plays Elfie, tells The Grind. “And the dialogue is just constant jokes — I don’t think there’s a single unfunny line.”
“It’s also a very interactive show,” Webber adds, describing the show as a blend between your standard musical theatre production and a rowdy midnight movie where the audience is chanting or singing along to each big moment.
“We want people to honestly feel like they’re part of the musical, not just watching it,” Beatty says. To that end, the upcoming remount of Big Gay Musical will use its intermissions to lead the audience in a short singing tutorial, prepping to sing (in harmony) to upcoming songs.
“The world is kind of f–ked right now, for lack of a better word,” Beatty says. “Queer people are dealing with a lot right now, and the depressing winter months are starting. That’s a wicked combo.”
“We want to create an event where anyone can just show up and forget everything that’s going on and be surrounded by the community that they love and the people that make them feel safe… it’s just a beautiful kind of escape.”
The cast includes: Lane Webber, Kayla Hritkuz, Pkat Nye, Lauren Beatty (Blush), Jem, J Stead (Orangey, Skye Wallace), Rafael Callejas (Housewife, MBG), Julia Wittmann (Absolute Treat, Ducks Ltd.), Meredith Shedden and Veronique Beaudet.
