Bed, Boys and Beyond, a gay-themed musical revue expanding on a 1999 New York International Fringe Festival show called All Male Lives of Y2-Gay, proved a much-extended hit at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in NYC’s Greenwich Village and now has an afterlife on disk. Dink Records releases an original cast recording of the show, aptly enough, on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.

The revue explored the lives of five gay men searching for love, understanding and community in the post-closet era. Songs included "Searchin' for a Euphemism," "Here in Chelsea," "Family Values," "The Seven-Week Itch" and "May I Take Your Hand?". The "ex-gay" movement was also addressed, and a satirical look at the Boy Scouts was offered.

Portions of the show, by lyricist-librettist Jeff Dobbins and composer Alfredo Alvarez, were seen in the summer 1999 Y2-Gay hit. Jeff Kalpak directed and Brett Kristofferson musical-directed a cast that included Don Brewer, Chad Miller, Ryan Perry, Tom Stuart and James Wesley. All are on the Dink disk, which is produced by Joey Mendoza

Headed by Art Collins and Joey Mendoza, DINK Records is "committed to the showcasing of non-traditional musical theatre voices." The company's best-known previous release was the OCR of the Asian-themed Heading East.

According to a release from producer Mendoza, the tracks on the Dink CD are: 1. "Gay Today"
2. "Searchin' For A Euphemism"
3. "Here In Chelsea"
4. "Men Seeking Men"
5. "Club Music"
6. "Mr. Right"
7. "There's Always Some Guy"
8. "The (Troll) Magnet"
9. "Dance At The Gym"
10. "Cruising & Schmoozing"
11. "Bed, Boys & Beyond"
12. "Men Are Everywhere"
13. "The Misfit's Lament"
14. "Coming Out"
15. "Here"
16. "The Seven-Week Itch"
17. "May I Take Your Hand?"
18. "Family Values"
19. "Finale"

Bed Boys and Beyond began performances March 1, 2000 and ended its extended run June 24. The Dink CD will be released to national record stores but also available by mail-order, c/o www.dinkrecords.com.

— By David Lefkowitz