In The Event That...
You Don't Think Musical Theater is Gay Enough
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You don't have to be a musical theater queen to enjoy The Keith, Melissa and Tom Show! but it doesn't hurt. The trio, composed of songwriter Tom Wilson Weinberg, urban planner Keith Kaczorowski and actor/singer Melissa Kolczynski, will perform nearly two dozen songs by gay and lesbian composers in their cabaret show.
"It wasn't hard to find lesbian and gay composers," Weinberg said recently in his Rittenhouse Square apartment. "It was difficult to whittle it down to a 65-minute show."
The show features an eclectic mix of songs that cross decades and genres, including everyone from Laura Nyro and Leslie Gore to Cole Porter and Ma Rainey. A medley of songs from West Side Story provides a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, "because it's the gayest play ever," says Kaczorowski with a laugh.
The show allows the singers, who have a common interest in musical theater and met and performed together over the years, to "stretch" their vocal cords and musical stylings. "I get to sing to stuff I normally don't," acknowledges Kolczynski. "I'm doing more obscure stuff, such as lesbian composer Cris Williamson's 'Sweet Woman.' I was not familiar with her until I was working on this show."
Audiences, too, will appreciate being exposed to the songs and composers showcased. One group that certainly benefits is the William Way Center Library, who will receive proceeds from the show. "We specifically wanted to earmark the money for the William Way Library because the city libraries are going through turmoil, closing branches," says Kolczynski. "We wanted to boost the gay community's availability to literature."
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