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International Gay & Lesbian Review

Sharing the Delirium: Second Generation AIDS Plays and Performances

by Therese Jones
abstract

Rani Bush:

AIDS. No longer an event to be comprehended but a reality to be accommodated. The shifting representations of AIDS by playwrights and performance artists are inspired by society's shifting perceptions of and responses to the pandemic, now in its second decade. The seven works in this collection reflect the creative genius and political commitment of the artists/activists who produced them and who share the delirium of living in the midst of dying.

Unlike many first generation plays, humor is not incidental but essential in second generation AIDS theatre, and this anthology provides an entire spectrum of comedic drama, satire, farce, romance, burlesque, and slapstick. Included are: The Baddest of Boys by Doug Holsclaw, Myron: A Fairy Tale in Black and White by Michael Kearns, Queen of Angels by James Carroll Pickett, Satan and Simon DeSoto by Ted Sod, AIDS! The Musical! by Wendall Jones and David Stanley, What Are Tuesdays Like? by Victor Bumbalo, and My Queer Body by Tim Miller.

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International Gay & Lesbian Review
Los Angeles, CA