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When it opened in August of 1996 at the Douglas Fairbanks Theater in New York, Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly got critical raves from the likes of the Times, the Post, and the Observer. Better still, it got raves from its audiences.
During the show's Boston run, which begins next month its success is going to help Vermonters living with AIDS.
Thanks to the Lyric Stage, among others, the May 15 performance is a benefit for the Vermont People with Aids Coalition. The group not only receives proceeds from ticket sales, but from a special RCA/Victor donation: 50 CDs of the original New York cast recording. Autographed by author Mark Waldrop and composer Dick Gallagher, the discs will be sold in the lobby during the performance.
Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly is a wonderfully exuberant gay musical review. The lyrics from the opening number say it all: "The show's a queer one, there's no doubt; just to be in it, you got to be out!"
Pigs follows the story of a young Howard in high school as he dreams of Broadway, glamor, and feather boas. Unfortunately, guidance counselor Miss Roundhole has other ideas for Howard. After evaluating his case, she declares he only has four career options: watch repair, chicken farming, garden supply, or plumbing. She then announces that Howard will be a success in the theater world "when pigs fly."
Defying Miss Roundhole, Howard sets off for Broadway. However, in his enthusiasm, he rents a theater that is still under construction. Many of his costumes and set pieces can't fit into the theater. And as his costumes get bigger, so do his problems; it doesn't look like he'll be able to prove Miss Roundhole wrong.
Following Howard's efforts to get his show up and running, the audience meets an odd lot of characters. There's a mermaid, a centaur, and an overweight showgirl who's been on the line a little too long. There's also one poor man hopelessly in love with three men he knows he can never have: Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and Strom Thurman. His torch songs to the objects of his affection are not to be missed.
The first act closes with what should become the gay national anthem: "You can't take the color out of Colorado; you can't take the Mary out of Maryland!" Mr. Crabtree's previous show — Howard Crabtree's Whoop-Dee-Doo — played to sold-out houses in Boston during its four-week 1996 run and won him the Boston Design Award.
