Orlando – Long before it was a cult hit on film, Sordid Lives was near and dear to LGBT theater lovers around the country. The Del Shores-penned play won 14 Drama-Logue awards and was created on stages of independent theaters everywhere.
The southern comedy, which gained another mass audience when it was released as a film in 2000 and made Leslie Jordan a household name, has made it’s grand return to Orlando’s Theatre Downtown, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The revival of Sordid Lives runs through June 7.
“I’ve been doing this for 45 years almost 50 years and I don’t know if I’ve ever done another show that I think is any funnier,” says Frank Hilgenberg, who directs the play alongside his wife, Fran. “It is hilarious and completely politically incorrect.”
For the uninitiated, Sordid Lives tells the tale of one family coming together for a funeral after their matriarch dies in a tragic accident during a scandalous affair. Each of these characters suffers major personality flaws, which makes for some giddy comedy. Describing this small-town Texas family as colorful would be an understatement.
“All the characters are so relatable,” Frank Hilgenberg said. “This is the most colorful cast I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The play stars some local notables, including Jeff Hole as Brother Boy. Also in the cast are Robert Del Medico, Peri Hope Goldberg, Cameron Hentz and Marion Marsh.
Hole’s character of Earl Ingram, also known as Brother Boy, was made famous when Jordan played him in the film. In the story, the character is institutionalized for over 20 years because of his cross-dressing and homosexual tendencies. Other favorite characters are portrayed on stage as well, including Juanita Bartlett, who is known as the town drunk and talks to everything from herself to chairs, and Latrelle Williamson, who is a very tight wound bundle of denial.
“The beauty of this show when anybody that looks at it, is they know some people or have some people like this in their family,” Frank Hilgenberg said. “The bottom line is that when you put them all together. When you add up everybody’s ideas of the craziest people they know in their family and you put them in the same place you have a hoot, a real hoot.”
The play is climax happens at the funeral when all things are settled as Rev. Barnes presides.
In 2008, the LOGO channel resurrected Sordid Lives in series format. The single season of the show covered the events leading up to the film, and saw the return of many of the original cast members to reprise their roles.
Similarly, Theatre Downtown has brought back many of its original cast members from its 2010 presentation of the play. It was one of the theater’s most popular productions, so it made sense to bring it back for the 25th anniversary.
Tickets are $22 for general admission and $18 for seniors and students. For details, visit TheatreDowntown.net.
