Erie Premiere of Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told

Shout Outreach and Trance Dance Club create an Erie Premiere: Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told

"Funny it is…consistently, rapaciously, deliriously…easily the funniest play in town." —Variety

In celebrating World AIDS Day on December 1, Shout Outreach and Trance Dance Club introduce the Erie Community to the wit and wisdom that is Paul Rudnick. Rudnick has penned many great screenplays thru his growing career including Sister Act, Jeffrey, In & Out and last year's remake, The Stepford Wives.

But before writing film scripts, Paul Rudnick was turning the world on its ear with his irreverent and famously funny stage comedies. In 1998, Rudnick decided to rewrite the Bible's Old Testament into a retelling of queer proportions while tackling difficult taboo subjects and this is the blessing, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.

Act One recounts the major episodes of the Old Testament, only with a twist: Instead of Adam and Eve, our lead characters are Adam and Steve, and Jane and Mabel, a lesbian couple with whom they decide to start civilization (procreation proves to be a provocative challenge). Act One covers the Garden of Eden, an ark, a visit with a highly rambunctious Pharaoh and finally even the Nativity. Along the way, Mabel and Adam discover (or invent?) God, but Jane and Steve are skeptical. This brings about the Flood, during which Steve has a brief taste of bestiality while inventing infidelity. No longer blissful, Adam and Steve break up only to be reunited as two of the wise men at the Nativity.

In Act Two, Rudnick brings us to the contemporary themes of AIDS, artificial insemination, and questions about modern religion. It's the late 1990's amidst the holiday season madness of Manhattan, New York. Here we re-encounter our favorite couples along with some new friends; the naive Mormon, an acerbic Santa, a Go-Go Elf and the infamous Jewish lesbian Rabbi from cable access TV. Adam and Steve are together again, and Steve is HIV positive. It's Christmas Eve, and even though Jane always thought of herself as the butch one, she's nine months pregnant! The two women want to marry and ask Adam and Steve to join them in the ceremony. But the ceremony is interrupted as Jane gives birth, and Steve confides to Adam that his medication isn't working and that he'll probably not survive much longer.

Please join us for two dramatic readings by some of Erie's greatest `family' entertainers with this fantastically fun comedy and great entertaining at Trance Dance Club, 1601 Raspberry, Erie, PA. Show dates and times are Thursday, December 1 at 9 PM with an encore presentation on Sunday, December 4 at 8:30 PM. ADMISSION IS FREE!

—from Gary

About the Author

Gary Snyder

Gary Snyder (He/Him), has been involved with Erie Gay News submitting articles since 2005 and coordinating the Annual Pride Picnic kitchen in 2008. He currently serves as an Advisory Board member of the NWPA Pride Alliance [since 2012]. Gary is a graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in HRIM. From 1999 to 2012 he was an active member and then executive officer of the non-profit Burgh Bears social club in Pittsburgh, PA. Currently Gary is employed by the Erie County Department of Health as the HIV Disease Intervention Specialist, serving as a community member of the HIV Planning Group in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Along with advising the NWPAPA Board, he chairs the Erie County HIV Task Force, serves on the Erie Gay News Editorial Board, and is the President of the AFSCME Union Local 2666.