Jordan's Trip Down the Pink Carpet Opens April 19

By Andrew Gans
19 Apr 2010

Leslie Jordan
Leslie Jordan

Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner present Leslie Jordan ("Will & Grace") in his acclaimed solo show, My Trip Down the Pink Carpet, which officially opens April 19 following previews that began April 14 at the Midtown Theater in Manhattan.

David Galligan directs the 12-week limited engagement.

In addition to Tomlin and Wagner, the producing team also includes Bruce Robert Harris, Jack W. Batman, Dennis Grimaldi, Jean McFaddin-Susan Falk, Daniel Wallace and D. Michael Dvorchak/Jim McLaughlin.

Tomlin said in a statement, "I have seldom spent time working with anyone who so engaged me. What a storyteller! Completely open and honest, witty, charming, outrageously funny and filled with humor about himself and about navigating this life we all share."

Wagner added, "Lily and I saw one of the early showcases of My Trip Down the Pink Carpet and knew at once that we were seeing a performance that we wanted to be a part of in any way possible. We felt it was a one-man revelation that everyone should see. Leslie takes us on a rollicking, life-affirming trip down the shocking pink carpet of his wonderfully crazy life. The carpet is wall to wall laughs about the human condition and the little carbon footprints Leslie makes within it. His struggles with sexual identity prejudice and self-doubt will resonate with anyone who has a heart and a funny bone."

Jordan, according to press notes, has created "an outrageous tell-all that weaves together a hilarious collection of true life stories (which are also the basis for his popular memoir, 'My Trip Down the Pink Carpet,' recently published by Simon & Schuster)." The production is described as "a theatrical romp – from small-town USA to the pink carpet of Hollywood – [that] tells the unlikely tale of one of America's true gay icons. Raised in a conservative family in Chattanooga, TN, Leslie — who describes himself as 'the gayest man I know' — boarded a Greyhound bus bound for L.A. with $1,200 sewn into his underpants and never looked back. His pocket-sized physique and inescapable talent for high camp paved the way to a lucrative and varied career in commercials and on television. Along the way he immersed himself in writing for the stage, and his one-man testimonials have become cult hits. But with success came dangerous temptations that threatened his career and life."

The creative team includes Michael Hotopp (scenic consultant), Jesse Belsky (lighting design), Wallace Flores (sound design) and Andrea Wales (production stage manager).

Show times are Wednesday-Saturday at 9 PM and Sunday at 6 PM.

Tickets, priced $55 and $79.50, are available by calling (212) 352-3101. The Midtown Theater is located at 163 West 46th Street.