Over the years, “Trick,” the 1999 movie about two men repeatedly attempting and failing to have a one-night-stand, has grown into a queer cult classic. On May 1, that cult classic made its musical debut at Out Front Theatre to delightful results.
“Trick! The Musical” – written by Jason Schafer, who also wrote the screenplay for the film, with music and lyrics by Arthur Lafrentz Bacon – follows in the footsteps of other movie-to-musical adaptations, like “Mean Girls” or “Heathers,” albeit perhaps on a bit of a smaller scale (it makes sense – Out Front is a smaller theater). But what the musical lacks in scale, it makes up for in energy. Bacon’s mix of musical theater/pop works well for a story like this, with some genuinely great stand-out songs in the bunch, and the cast sells this quirky queer love story with genuine heart and humor.
“Trick! The Musical” stars Aavyn Lee as Gabriel, a sweet, slightly awkward aspiring musical theater songwriter who meets Mark (Will-Franklin Eller) at a gay club – think the relationship type meets the hook-up type. The two are immediately attracted to each other, but their attempt at a one-night stand is thwarted at every turn, leaving them time and space to actually get to know one another, and maybe fall in love.
The two leads have a very sweet, opposites-attract style chemistry that grounds the show, but what really elevates “Trick! The Musical” is its supporting cast. The best voice in the show belongs to Kayce Denise, who plays Terri, the teacher for Gabriel’s musical theater workshop, but Leah Keelan, playing Gabriel’s equal parts daffy and brassy best friend and aspiring actress Kathryn, steals the show. Her comic timing is impeccable, and during opening night, the applause that thundered forth from the audience at her very presence only served to fuel her power.
For the most part, Kathryn disappears in the second act, which has a little bit of a momentum problem as the night begins to wind down – although, that slow down is helped by a very funny, very raunchy performance from the great Atlanta drag performer Tugboat the Queen (a big plot point in “Trick! The Musical” is fueled by a group of malicious, vengeful drag queens, which – sure, why not?).
Because of that slowing of momentum, most of the show’s best songs are also in its first act. Terri, dealing with a very fresh breakup, sings “Cash-Only Sing-Along Piano Bar,” which, for as simple as the set up is – Terri, sitting in a chair, drinking a vodka cranberry – brought the house down. One of Kathryn’s standout moments involves her thwarting Gabriel and Mark as she runs down a list of Gabriel’s best assets (“Original Song by Gabe”).
But the sweetest moment between the love interests takes place just after this big moment from Kathryn, where Gabriel plays one of his most vulnerable songs for Mark. This is meant to be a sexy moment at first – Mark promised to give Gabriel a blowjob while he played piano – but Mark is so taken aback by the earnestness of the song, “Love Song for My Future Boyfriend,” that he just soaks it all in. It’s the first moment you realize this could be something more, and the song rises to that level of importance.
Even with good performances and music, the thing that most recommends “Trick! The Musical” is its spunk. Each performer was working the crowd with every bit of moxie they could muster, and the opening night crowd was eating it all up. It’s an exciting thing, to see that type of community support at the world premiere of a brand new musical in a small theater right in our own backyard.
