Buddies in Bad Times Theatre proudly welcomes a Cabaret Company production written and directed by the boundary bursting founder of Buddies, Sky Gilbert. If that wasn’t enough in itself, the show is being choreographed by outrageous and outlandish Keith Cole.

A beautiful young man moves to the big city. There, he falls in love with an older man, while at the same time another man falls in love with him. Dancing Queen plays on gay culture’s fear of aging to ask scandalous questions about sex, love and monogamy. Buddies founding Artistic Director, Sky Gilbert, collaborates with notorious performance artist Keith Cole to tell the story of an inter-generational love triangle through dance and theatre.

Mini Review

Dancing Queen looks at a variety of gay relationships, from the lighthearted crush to the stereotypical one night stands, challenging the foundations of what is deemed “normal”. Bouncing back and forth between the thumping club anthems of today and the symphonic dream like sequences of yore, we follow the intertwined and entangled character development of three separate individuals. An aging 40 something picks up a twinkish 20 something at a bar for a random encounter, that leaves the twink wanting more than just sex. While at the same time a younger writer contacts an older writer in hopes of finding a mentor to critique his latest work, then finds the elder falling in love with him and can’t offer the same reciprocal feelings in return. As Act II begins, we start to see these three characters as one entity, close yet distant.

Gilbert does a great job of keeping the pace flowing with plenty of humour. It’s easy to feel empathy with each character as they deal with their emotions, most everyone having been in similar situations in the past, no doubt. The interlude vignettes act as great scene changers, and the period piece routines are choreographed wonderfully in 1920′s English attire, a time when boys would be boys and men would be men. Cole does a great job of keeping things comical, and the quick custom changes come off flawless. The ending is somewhat perplexing, but as one attendee remarked, “That’s just Sky”.

Running Time: Two Hours with a Fifteen Minute Break

Featuring Nick Green, Ryan Kelly and David-Benjamin Tomlinson
Set and Lighting Designer Andy Moro
Costume Designer Sheree Tams

Running from April 18 to 29, 2012

Tickets available at Buddies box office or online at totix.ca, priced from PWYC to $30.00

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

12 Alexander Street
Toronto, M4Y 1B4 | View Location map
Box Office: 416-975-8555