‘Fabulous’ over blasphemous

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The theater has never been a stranger to controversy, and Atlantabs newest addition recently garnered a wave of backlash. Currently in its inaugural season, Out Front Theatre Companybs mission is to highlight and share LGBTQ stories, which historically have been underrepresented in art and media. As the company segues into its third production b Paul Rudnickbs biblical play The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told b conservative and religious groups have sprung up to voice their opposition to what they view as bblasphemy.bRudnickbs play spins the fundamentalist remark bGod made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steveb into a queer retelling of one of the Biblebs most well-known stories. Flipping the script, the play indeed replaces Adam and Eve with lead characters Adam and Steve alongside Jane and Mabel, a lesbian couple with whom they decide to start civilization. The two gay couples bnavigate the centuries together as friends, and encounter various different odd characters, we follow them through a crazed historical pageant that brings us down to a present-day NYC.bConsidering the fact that many fundamentalist groups have always been at odds with the LGBTQ community, their disapproval of the play does not come as a shock, although it was still unexpected for Out Frontbs artistic director Paul Conroy. bI worked on a production of this show in Boston about 10 years ago,b Conroy says. bAnd when I produced this show in Boston, we didnbt hear a peep.bSince announcing the showbs return to Atlanta, Conroy and Out Front have experienced a swarm of calls and emails. And a circulating petition has garnered more than 40,000 signatures and promises of protests in hopes of shutting the production down, an idea Conroy and his cast will not consider.bIn the beginning, I think there definitely was a sense of looking over your shoulder, just kind of this uneasiness,b Conroy says. bTheybre an amazing cast and they all get along so well and theybre having so much fun with the show in that, itbs just an added weight that on top of learning lines, and on top of worrying about costume changes, and set changes, and all these other things. Therebs just this kind of phantom looming in the background, too.bOut Frontbs choice in plays is never meant to create such tension but to do the opposite. bMy hope is that doing a show like this, with the current state of the world, it will give people some empathy,b Conroy says. bAs a state, as a country, as a world, webre becoming more and more divided and what we need to be doing is coming together. And not necessarily agreeing, but acknowledging each other and understanding. Therebs nothing wrong with saying, bI understand what youbre saying. I donbt agree with you, but that doesnbt mean that I canbt understand it.bb

While Conroy seeks out art that inspires and invokes conversation, Out Frontbs aim first and foremost is simply to entertain. bAudience members sides are going to hurt with laughter. And then at the end of it, theybre going to be able to look back and see the greater themes and understand that regardless of how someone identifies b whether thatbs sexual orientation, whether thatbs religion b that we really are all people and that we all have these unifying, connecting thoughts and these unifying and connecting parts of ourselves. It doesnbt matter what race you are, what age you are, webre all human in the end.b
The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. April 27-May 14.B $15-25. Out Front Theatre, 999 Brady Ave. N.W. 404-448-2755. www.outfronttheatre.com.