“Life Is a Lesbian Cabaret, Old Chum”****
by Elyse Orecchio (guest reviewer)
From time to time Theatre's Leiter Side will be posting reviews of Off-Off Broadway shows my schedule prevents me from seeing. I hope you find the expanded coverage useful. Sam Leiter
When Caitlin Lee Reid took the stage in the intimate cabaret at
The Duplex and declared herself a Broadway Baby dyke, I expected the next hour
to be a raunchy affair (in a good way). And it was, but the one-woman show was
also full of big heart, tender storytelling, and best of all, some real gems
from the musical theatre canon.
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| Caitlin Lee Reid. Photo: Oh Honey Beavers |
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| Caitlin Lee Reid. Photo: Oh Honey Beavers. |
Written by Reid and Will Larche, with direction and choreography
by Joe Barros, Lezzie With a “Z” is an autobiographical outline of brief
anecdotes between excerpts of show tunes, with a focus on Reid coming of age as
a lesbian (spoiler alert: Lady Gaga convinced her to come out to her friends in
college) and being gay-married and gay-divorced (her words) by age 27.
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| Caitlin Lee Reid. Photo: Oh Honey Beavers. |
Besides Reid, the driving force in Lezzie is the
excellent repertoire selection. There’s a good amount of Sondheim to please the
Duplex crowd, not one but two songs from Wonderful Town, and a
sweet rendition of “Just in Time” (Bells Are Ringing). It was
particularly fun to hear Reid’s “Ring of Keys” (Fun Home), typically
sung by a tween. In a moment of empowerment, the audience was invited to take
out their own keys and shake them loud and proud. Thanks in part to the
two-drink minimum, the participation level was high and the effect was
rewarding.
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| Caitlin Lee Reid. Photo: Oh Honey Beavers. |
Lezzie with A ‘Z’ will be
donating all proceeds from the April 15 and April 19 performances to Broadway
Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The Duplex
61 Christopher St., NYC
Through April 26
