Gay Broadway

Queer artistry and amusement have been as much concerning the beauty and resilience demonstrated by the community as it has been pertaining to nuanced portrayals of the human experience. Accompanied by considerable amounts of attitude and glitz injected in, for good measure. Although representation in film and television has been an uphill battle, especially following the passage of the Hays Code, theatrical productions have been an arena where the queer community has consistently shone.

Below are several of the most exceptional LGBTQIA+ shows that have graced the Broadway stages and left a lasting impact for the ages.

Cabaret

A Kander and Ebbs masterpiece, Cabaret made its debut on Broadway in nineteen sixty-six. The play has been revisited multiple times on Broadway alone and garnered so many awards, it's difficult to keep track. However, every accolade is well-deserved. The musical is based on John Van Druten's nineteen fifty-one play I Am a Camera which itself was inspired by Christopher Isherwood's semi-autobiographical novel Goodbye to Berlin (1939).

The narrative is situated in Berlin during 1929-1930, a period when the "gay capital of Europe" transformed from a utopia for queer individuals into a hotbed of fascism and Nazism, both of which criminalized all things gay and beyond.

My Son's a Queer, (But what can you do?)

Unsurprisingly, this one made the roster. With a title like that, there's no need for neon signs to let us know where to look for a queer narrative on Broadway. The neon sign is purely for the ambiance. However, My Son's a Queer, (But what can you do?) is present to recount the incredible story of Rob Madge and their childhood effort to stage a Disney parade in their living room for their parents.

Initially set to run on Broadway during the current season, the play has unfortunately been postponed to the 2024-25 season. As much as we are all saddened, we can be confident that when it does premiere, it'll be a tremendously effective show.

The Book of Mormon

Out of all the shows on this list, this one is perhaps the least queer, at least on its surface. The Book of Mormon is a satirical examination of organized religion, particularly the Mormon church, and is a source of great hilarity for that reason alone. However, periodically, the script artfully weaves in homosexuality and the suppression of queer identities in extremely religious contexts, most noticeably within the song "Turn it Off."

Amidst a sea of queer media that emphasizes the pain of existing in an unaccepting society, it can be wonderfully refreshing to be able to shift the focus onto those instigating the repression and simply enjoy a good laugh.

Bare: The Musical

Naturally, in case you're seeking something that is more overtly queer and addresses religious suppression, give Bare: The Musical a try. This coming-of-age rock musical is everything you would want from an LGBTQIA+ musical on Broadway, charting the life and tribulations of high school pupils in a Catholic boarding school.

Fun Home

Based on Alison Bechdel's memoir of the same name, Fun Home is a musical that scrutinizes the cartoonist's own lesbian identity as she grapples with the specifics of her closeted gay father's life. The name Bechdel may seem familiar to many, as it is the name of the notorious Bechdel Test, a methodology employed to measure how well-represented women are within film. It was named after it first appeared in her 1985 comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For as "a little lesbian joke in an alternative feminist newspaper."

Bechdel's work - and her life - are revolutionary and Fun Home offers a glimpse into her wonderfully queer world.

The Color Purple

One of the most significant facets of the queer experience is the intersectionality of numerous struggles, such as race and gender, which define the battle for equality. The Color Purple was originally a novel by Alice Walker that depicted the experiences of several black girls and women in the old South, each encountering a unique yet interconnected struggle. Yet, the queer love at the core of the tale is comparatively unknown.

The relationship between the characters Celie and Shug, portrayed boldly within the novel, has been unjustly downplayed for decades, with only more recent adaptations portraying it in its genuine form. Its inclusion contributes so much nuance to an already emotionally charged tale.

Take Me Out

Take Me Out represents a dramatic exploration of what emerging as a sportsman in a generally unforgiving environment might be like. While it premiered in two thousand and two, a long time after the initial queer baseball players came out, the play was composed prior to those momentous occasions.

To enhance the narrative's subtlety, it is set within the locker room of a baseball team, a space that is as much fueled by the triumphant quest for glory as it is riddled with homophobia. Furthermore, this play addresses that and a great deal more, probing what it signifies to exist as a queer man within such a space.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

The weightiness of queer content can occasionally take its toll, but if there's one thing the queer community is skilled at, it's staging a truly phenomenal performance! Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a jukebox musical that pairs pop music with a road trip, a chain of comedic blunders, and two drag queens and a trans woman who are heading to perform at a drag show at the other end of the Australian desert.

A Strange Loop

This Tony Award-nominated production, billed as the 'Big, Black, & Queer-Ass American Musical,' is one you cannot skip in a list of LGBTQIA+ shows on Broadway, and there's one very poignant reason why: it isn&x27;t just a darn good queer musical, it&x27;s also just a darn good production overall.

A Strange Loop follows a man named Usher, who works as an usher and is a Black queer man writing a musical about a Black queer man writing a musical. Therefore, the title. The show holds the distinction of supporting actor L Morgan Lee being the first openly trans person to earn a nomination in an acting category for his work in this production.

The Normal Heart

Larry Kramer's autobiographical play centers on the AIDS epidemic. Notably, it is set at a time when the disease was claiming the lives of gay men even before they knew its name. It follows a Jewish-American writer and gay activist named Ned Weeks who strives to raise awareness around the "silent killer," against a wall of silence and apathy from those in power, a pattern that continues even now when the horrific experiences of queer people of this era are brought to the forefront.

The Rocky Horror Show

An experimental, counterculture musical production that explored gender fluidity, sexuality, liberation, and freedom in the 60&x27;s, Rocky Horror is a timeless masterpiece of social commentary wrapped in a glittery bow. Everything concerning this show conveys queer, from the celebratory symphony of corsets, stockings, and rock ballads, to the profoundly homophobic reviews it received, which it steamrolled past to become a cult classic across all media formats.

Honorable mentions

Even though this list has highlighted a few selected titles that have appeared on Broadway over the recent decade or so, there is a legacy of queer identity being a defining trait of theater itself. Here are a few honorable mentions of titles that have redefined Broadway.

1. Rent: A rock musical that tracks struggling young artists in Lower Manhattan during the AIDS epidemic.
2. Kinky Boots: Charlie seeks to salvage his father&x27;s shoe factory by forging an improbable alliance with drag queen Lola.
3. Hedwig and the Angry Inch: A rock musical that follows a fictitious band featuring a genderqueer East German singer, inspired by androgynous 70&x27;s glam rock and luminaries like David Bowie, John Lennon, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop.
4. La Cage aux Folles: The first Broadway smash centered around a gay couple, this musical follows Georges and Albin, their drag nightclub, and the comedy that unfolds when they encounter a conservative politician.
5. The Boys in the Band: A groundbreaking depiction of gay existence in 60&x27;s and 70&x27;s New York.
6. A Chorus Line: One of the earliest Broadway productions to highlight queer narratives by way of young dancers auditioning for a musical.
7. Angels in America: An intricate and exceedingly complex exploration of the AIDS epidemic, frequently regarded as a "turning point in the history of gay drama."
8. Torch Song Trilogy: A play centered on a Jewish gay man, drag queen, and torch singer who wrestles with disillusionment concerning love in 70&x27;s New York.