Gerry Geddes
Selfies & Songs
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, April 10, 2022
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Cabaret multi-hyphenate Gerry Geddes added another arrow to his quiver by making his on-stage debut at Don’t Tell Mama with a fascinating, creative program. Suffering from a “bad case of unemployment” during the pandemic shutdown, he began work on his memoir, and yes, he has some fascinating stories to tell. For his program, he gathered an impressive quartet of artists to share the stage—music director Yasuhiko Fukuoka, and singers Brian Childers, Matt DiPasquale, and Andre Montgomery—to be his “illustrators” as he shared chapters from his book. As a very special bonus, unlike some group shows, the “guests” seemed to not just know, but to actually like each other.
Geddes, who both wrote and directed the show, mostly chose to share tales of his life in New York City as a gay 20-something in the 1970s. The stories were by turn heartbreaking and inspiring, funny and dark, sexy and romantic, all told with great compassion and honesty. He had great fun dropping famous names and his experiences with them. For example, his helping to discover an unknown Meat Loaf while stage managing at the Public Theater; sharing a musical number with an impish Fred Gwynne, attending a Broadway opening night with Sir Noël Coward with Marlene Dietrich seated directly in front of him,; and watching the Cockettes crash and burn in their New York debut while one of its members, the singer Sylvester, soared. There was also a story about his involvement with a gay “commune” in Brooklyn, as well as one about the establishment of The NYC Gay Men’s Switchboard.
The musical portion of the show contained songs that commented on, illuminated, and illustrated the tales. All three vocalists had their moments to shine. Childers brought a fine vulnerability to Joni Mitchell’s “The Last Time I Saw Richard” and just the right amount of acidic camp to Coward’s “A Bar on the Piccola Marina.” DiPasquale showed a character actor’s deft skill with “John Cougar Mellencamp” (Dean Burris/Geddes) and imbued a stunning stillness into “Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens” (Bill Russell). Montgomery opened the evening with a jazzy and appropriate “I Could Write a Book” and later brought an aching reality to Janis Ian’s “Stars.” Best of all, the three teamed up for a triumphant version of “Before the Parade Passes By” (evoking an early Pride Parade), and they were even more impressive on “At the Ballet,” performing it without camp but with tons of real emotion. Throughout, Fukuoka brought his fine musicality to the afternoon, skillfully providing the right accompaniment for the style of each singer.
But this was Geddes’ afternoon, and it was marked by his generosity to those whose stories he shared and to the audience he shared them with. He has the gift of a true storyteller, and anyone who has heard these extracts from his book can only be eager to read the whole thing.
