Playwright: James Asmus and the ensemble; Score: Mike Descoteaux. At: Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway. Phone: 773-561-4665; $15. Runs through: July 31
Don't let the Catholic League or other homophobic religious organizations know about Annoyance Theatre's Sodomites!!! A Musical of Biblical Proportions. Or on second thought, do tell.
Any extra publicity generated for this charmingly sacrilegious new musical would only be beneficial. Chanting protesters outside the Annoyance would generate curious audiences to see what all the fuss is about, plus anyone seeing Sodomites!!! will seriously question why a bizarre Biblical story and other idiosyncratic passages from Leviticus are still being selectively used to justify discrimination against the LGBT community.
It's safe to assume that actor/playwright James Asmus and his comic ensemble drew their irreverent inspiration for Sodomites!!! from the hateful Kansas preacher Fred Phelps and his family from the Westboro Baptist Church ( plus a good dose of South Park-type humor—just look at how they depict Lot's wife ) .
The premise of Sodomites!!! is to riff on the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah as if its hero, Lot, was a societal malcontent like Phelps who obsesses constantly about the city's rampant homosexuality.
Framed as a flashback, Sodomites!!! initially shows Lot gloating over his former neighbors' destruction and his heavenly bestowed status as a "good man." ( Chris Witaske brings a hilarious dose of frat-boy stupidity to the role, which is compounded by his silly Biblical costume by Emily Candini that overemphasizes his very hairy chest. )
But things aren't so clear-cut when we actually meet the mild-mannered citizens of Sodom ( some of whom aren't exclusively gay ) , or meet up with the bumbling angels played by Erica Elam and Jim Fath who get very mixed smiting mission signals from God ( whose favorite film turns out to be Armageddon ) .
Asmus and the ensemble go out of their way to intelligently offend by questioning many moral aspects of the story, which includes the frequently omitted incestuous ending bit when Lot's daughters ( Irene Marquette and Christy Bonstell ) get pregnant by their father. Some might feel Asmus goes too far when he personally depicts God ( who jokes about raping the Virgin Mary ) , but it only fits the out-to-shock tone.
Sodomites!!! runs on a bit too long, plus its cast won't get major plaudits for their yelled singing of Mike Descoteaux's snappy score ( Descoteaux was also responsible for the songs in Annoyance's hit production of Love is Dead: A NecRomantic Musical ) .
But the entire ensemble deserves acclaim for their impeccable comic timing under director Sean Cusick, who also bravely acted on opening night after one week's worth of rehearsal when cast member Mort Burke pulled out to do a gig with comedian Bob Odenkirk ) .
So go see Sodomites!!! now before the protestors show up. Or better yet, wait for them to arrive and get a rise out by sharing all the show's juicy details.