ICE CUBES: Famous people read 8 @ Wilma Theater

Penned by Academy Award-winning scriptwriter Dustin Lance Black, 8 chronicles the historical trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8, with language lifted from the trial's actual transcripts.

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ICE CUBES: Famous people read 8 @ Wilma Theater

POSTED: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 11:00 AM

Filed Under: Events | Ice Cubes

On Monday night, the Wilma Theater masked its still-building white stage set for their upcoming production of Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches (starts May 23) for a special event. In partnership with the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the theater community grassroots organization for marriage equality Broadway Impact, R Families and The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, the Wilma held a one-night-only staged script reading of 8.

Penned by AFER founding board member and Academy Award-winning scriptwriter (Milk) Dustin Lance Black (pictured), 8 chronicles the historical trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, with language lifted — often hilariously with its naïve awkwardness — from the trial’s actual transcripts.

Philadelphia’s Mary Martello and Grace Gonglewski (both from the Wilma’s recent staging of Body Awareness) played integral 8 roles as Sandy Steir and Kris Perry, the lesbian couple with kids at the heart of the charges against Governor Schwarzenegger and his state. Other local luminaries included Catharine Slusar, who was outrageous high-heeled fun as the right-wing family advocate Maggie Gallagher, performance-art great John Jarboe and Keith Conallen (late of Theater Exile’s Gruesome Playground Injuries).

Yet it was the slew of Broadway and television sorts — several from the Broadway Impact who helped out together this reading — that may have drawn the lion’s share of celebrity gawkers. Gavin Creel (Tony nom for Broadway’s Hair), Rory O’Malley (Tony nom for Broadway’s Book of Mormon), Forrest McClendon (Tony Award for Broadway’s The Scottsboro Boys) and Randy Harrison (from Showtime’s Queer as Folk) did their stellar, poignant best. Philadelphia-native Phillip Spaeth was the dippiest highlight as the gloriously inconclusive author David Blankenhorn. Spaeth is currently acclaimed for his role playing Dennis in NBC’s Smash, which was funny as I came home from the Wilma just in time to watch Uma Thurman get poisoned by peanuts. Damn that Ivy.

(@ADAmorosi)

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 11:00 AM Permalink | Post a comment

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