Joan Goldman, Courtney Morris, Noam Szoko and Iam McElroy performed an electric “California Dreamin’” Photo by Rink.

Stephanie Smith, artistic director of the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, pondered the question: “What do you get when you combine Gilbert & Sullivan with the Lesbian/Gay Chorus?” She came up with the answer: “An Autumnal OUTing!” And thus was titled the unique double-bill that showcased LGCSF’s crowd-pleasing cabaret-style song selections paired with the Gilbert & Sullivan classical operetta, “Trial By Jury, which played at Theatre Rhinoceros last weekend. This was the opening show of what promises to be an adventurous 28th season for the Chorus. We knew it was autumn when we noticed the gigantic red, orange, and yellow leaves serving as a backdrop. And we knew it was an outing, because this chorus couldn’t possibly dress more over-the-top and out, out, out! The show featured a delightful mix of the small ensemble cabaret performances that have made the Chorus famous.  

John Gullotto set the mood with his sweet lyric tenor performance of Johnny Mercer’s “Autumn Leaves.” I found it odd to find a woman singing “I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles, but I suppose the body glitter and tiara helped Wendy Tobias pull it off. I would have liked to see more of a faux queen look, however. Joan Goldman sang “Emmie” by Laura Nyro and proved “She got the way to move me,” as the lyrics went. Eve Benton chose Barry Manilow’s “All the Time” as the perfect outing anthem: “All the time I thought there’s only me … All the wasted time; all the years, waiting for a sign; to think I had it all, all the time.” Then for something completely different, Jim Oerther put on his spectacles to give a comical, deadpan reading of the lyrics to Michael Jackson’s “Bad.” His elocution and scholarly oration gave the otherwise vapid song new meaning. “Who’s bad?” became a heavy philosophical question. Smith joined Mary Cantrell and Yolanda DeByle to sing a cappella a gayified version of “Lollipop,” (“oh lolly lolly, etc.”) entitled “Coming Out,” with Gullotto providing the cheek-plucking “pop!” sound. Too precious!

Once again, I have to get up on my musical soapbox to beg soloists to use a microphone if their voice is too small. Many times the accompaniment can drown out the important lyrics of the soloist if they can’t bellow from below (the diaphragm, that is). Such was NOT the case with Mary Cantrell, who belted out the Sinatra signature song, “That’s Life” with a deep alto sound. No mic needed there! The audience went wild, giving a stomping ovation.
I cannot praise enough the performance of Jen Brown, who composed, sang, and strummed an acoustic guitar to her original untitled work. I’ll call it “Perfect Love,” since it was a love song (I know to who, but I ain’t tellin’) that was reminiscent of early Melissa Etheridge. David Arseneault sang Lesley Gore’s “Out Here on My Own” with a haunting, rich baritone-low tenor. Great solo voice!

Changing the mood from serious to hilarious, four gay hippies - Joan Goldman, Tom McElroy, Cortney Munna (on flute), and Noam Szoke - queerified the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” into “California Screamin’.” Suffice it to say that when they “got down on their knees” they did NOT “proceed to pray,” unless you spelled that verb as “p-r-e-y.” Finishing off the first act, Shane Kroll sang the Fred Ebb/ John Kander / Liza Minnelli song about searching the world over, only to find love in your own back yard (or in this case, next door apartment). Kroll brought down the house - after getting the audience to take out their keys and ring along like accompanying bells – when he stripped off his leather jacket to reveal a shirt with a bazillion bells attached, jiggling and jingling like crazy.

As an entr’acte, the whole company came out to musically complain about being just chorus members in an operetta, such as, oh let’s say Trial By Jury. Eric Lane Barnes’ lyrics said it all: “We haven’t any actual roles; nor any actual souls.”

Act two was Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic 1875 one-act comic opera, Trial By Jury. It was the story of a judge, jury, and the public, hearing a breach of promise case. Under Artistic Director Smith with stage direction by Michael Mohammed, LGCSF had adapted TBJ to a modern-day Castro Street bar scene. The original all-singing piece was rearranged, or more accurately deranged by Smith, Michael Schuler, and Carolyn Eidson. Dale Danley was the bartender/ foreman while Noam Szoke played a bouncer and usher. John Gulloto had the starring role as Edwin the defendant, who chose to “ditch the bitch and switch” to a groom rather than a bride (plaintiff Angelina, played with hysterical histrionics by co-star Carolyn Eidson in a bodaciously big orange wig). Angelina’s attorney, Margaret, was also a shrewd psychologist, played by the crafty Ann Schapira, who was secretly enamoured of her client. The judge (portrayed to perfection in a delicious drag role by Tom McElroy in blonde beehive and come-fuck-me pumps) heard the case, heard the jury (chorus), and finally solved the problem by agreeing to marry the jilted bride and let the fickle ex-groom pair up with his male lover. The operetta was brilliantly staged, and the singers were simply superb in imitating the G&S style of bouncy, light-hearted staccato and melodramatic acting. I do hope LGCSF decides to stage this again. Or least cuts a CD of the highly entertaining soundtrack.