HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADAM ALBERTA
features humor, drama, music and tales of contemporary black gay life. The play
opens with a grand musical performance by Alberta. Legendary drag queen star
Madam Alberta decides to throw a birthday party and invites a few close friends.
Cougar, the young painter creates her portrait as he questions Alberta and the
other characters about their personal gay experiences. Billy, the lesbian social
worker and Keesha, her new romance toss humorous verbal insults back and forth
with Alberta in a gay version of the “dozens” then Billy and Keesha rein-act the
dramatic scene of how they met. In a private moment Alberta reveals to Billy her
plans to have a sex change operation and they gossip about Keesha and Cougar who
share a scene at the beach. Ray, Alberta’s lover Ray arrives and tells the story
how he and Cougar first met. Both men exchange personal histories and Cougar
confesses his confusion about his sexuality as well as the fact that he’s now
homeless. The men are drawn to each other in a father and son kind of way. Ray
sends Cougar to Alberta, she performs a rousing musical number at the club,
Cougar makes his plea, she accepts him and he moves in with the gay couple as
their son. All goes well at the party until Alberta insists on a dangerous game of “truth or dare.” The characters reveal major secrets of their lives, issues representing the full spectrum of the black gay lifestyle. Major truths and secret horrors are told as they confess to each other purging their souls of personal fears and past mistakes. All laugh and cry together in triumph and share a happy ending.
(pictured above: David Drumgold as Madam Alberta from the current production of Happy Birthday Madam Alberta - Studio at the Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC
DREAMS AND
VISIONS Retired Four Star General
Franklin Jones has just died and his children reunite from all over the world to
bury him. Zeke begins the play taking numerous phone calls, receiving flowers,
plaques and telegrams of condolences. Franklin arrives and takes charge of the
funeral event. The siblings gather in the living room and reminisce about
growing up together until a mysterious woman appears. Glory knows nothing of the
world outside her religious commune. She’s distraught, excommunicated by her
people and about to give birth. Babs persuades Glory to tell her story and
reveal her relationship with the General. Babs becomes upset when she learns the
truth and begins to fight Glory who soon begins labor. Franklin insists on
keeping the news of Glory and the child a secret and saves the day assisting her
as she gives birth on the couch. Glory nurses her healthy newborn son as the
family departs for the funeral. Zeke gives the eulogy then the family quickly
goes their separate ways except for Zeke and Franklin. Glory exits the house and
abandons the baby in order to find her destiny in the world. Zeke joins the
religious commune that Glory spent her entire life in and Franklin remains alone
to raise the child.