By Michael Gifford and Ross W. Berman IV. At: Annoyance Theatre & Bar, 851 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: 773-697-9693 or www.annoyanceproductions.com; $10-$12. Runs through July 31
There are many unanswered questions that The Broken Gay Folk Revue—an hour-long show playing in the sparse Small Theatre of the recently opened Annoyance Theatre in its spacious new Belmont Avenue digs—poses.
But damningly, two likely end questions that many audience members might ask are: "Is that all there is?" and "What exactly is the point of this show?"
As it stands, The Broken Gay Folk Revue is an unadorned affair directed by Chris Kervick that only features a few chairs, a couple of music stands and a table for a water pitcher and glasses for scenery.
As for content, there are a number of personal essays read by Michael Gifford from binders elaborating on why he isn't a stereotypical homosexual and his self-applied label of "Broken Gay." He also dryly details a few of his unsuccessful exploits in online dating, pubic-hair removal and dabbling in BDSM.
Gifford also defends the use of the frowned-upon expression "straight-acting" for guys whose outward appearances and likes come off as more heterosexual rather than stereotypically gay. Gifford's plain-spoken delivery of sometimes racy content can be funny in a deadpan way, but he needs to move beyond having his eyes glued to his text and engage more directly with the audience.
Gifford's essays alternate with a number of tangentially related and tedious folk songs sung by a largely closed-eyed Ross W. Berman IV accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica. Many of Berman's songs include female pronouns in the lyrics, so don't be surprised if you ponder their purpose in a "gay" show.
But then perhaps The Broken Gay Revue could all be a wry and subversive take on more flamboyant queer performance art with its unassumingly bland style and a chosen musical genre more associated within the LGBTQ community among lesbians rather than gay men. But if that is what the creators of The Broken Gay Folk Revue were truly aiming for, they should have made it much more obvious and specifically contrarian.
For one thing, the show needs a better thesis statement about why Gifford and Berman have teamed up together on this project. Some self-aware banter between the two commenting on their empty surroundings and motives could also be potentially more amusing than what they currently offer.
As it stands, The Broken Gay Folk Revue kind of comes off as a way for two artists with different agendas to save on money by sharing the same bill and theater rental space. So don't be surprised if your self-devised answers to the questions posed by The Broken Gay Folk Revue tend to be negative.
But then again, a baffled audience reaction might have been what show's creators had in mind.
