Abraham Lincoln's Big, Gay Dance Party Will Arrive Off-Broadway in July

By Adam Hetrick
30 Apr 2010

Andrew Jackson isn't the only U.S. President whose personal life is making for an irreverent Off-Broadway show. Abraham Lincoln's Big, Gay Dance Party, which enjoyed a successful San Francisco run last year, will arrive Off-Broadway for a six-week commercial run at the Acorn Theatre July 27.

Aaron Loeb penned the work about a children's school play that treads into Honest Abe's sexuality and lets the audience choose the outcome. The comedy made its world premiere at San Francisco's Actors Playhouse in December 2008 and later played the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival.

Chris Smith will direct the New York run that officially opens Aug. 12. Casting and creative team for the Off-Broadway engagement will be announced shortly. BlueRare Productions will produce.

According to producers, "In Abraham Lincoln's Big, Gay Dance Party, a fourth-grade Christmas pageant in Lincoln's rural Illinois hometown sets off a firestorm of controversy when it calls into question Honest Abe's sexuality. A thought-provoking, laugh-out-loud funny, and uniquely American story unfolds, offering surprises at every turn. Each of the three acts lets the audience see the story from a different character's viewpoint — and at each performance the audience decides in which order the acts are performed, creating a Rubik's Cube-like theatrical event. A truly democratic theatregoing experience! What could be more American than that?"

Tickets go on sale starting May 1. Phone (212) 279-4200 or visit ticketcentral.com The Acorn Theatre is located at 410 West 42nd Street in Manhattan.