Hearts were broken across the Bay Area theater community when Russell Blackwood shuttered his long running, popular queer theater troupe Thrillpeddlers. The company lost its lease on their longtime home at the Hypnodrome Theater.
But never fear Thrillpeddlers fans. The company is back... sort of. From November 3 through November 18, several members of Thrillpeddlers will reunite for "Cyberotica!" at the Oasis. Billed as a "low-tech rock musical about a high-tech world," the play was first performed on the San Francisco stage in 1999, just as Y2K hysteria was hitting a fever pitch.
It's a unique show that could only come from the Bay Area's queer theater community. As the show begins, Electra, The Goddess of Technology, introduces the audience to three intertwined love stories: An Internet newbie hungry for cybersex, a genetic engineer and her cloned baby, and a transgender trio eager to change the world. Co-lyricist and book author Kelly Kittell spoke to Bay Area Reporter about the inclusion of transgender characters in a show, which was first staged long before the trans community had come into its own.
"For me, it was about seeing how poorly trans people were/are being treated," Kittell said. "I was kicked out of the Navy for announcing I was gay, so I respect people who live their truth, knowing it has consequences. The trans community strives to live their lives on their terms despite all the shit thrown their way."
Peter Fogel, who composed the score and co-wrote the lyrics, tells us transgender people were online pioneers.
"Remarkably, in 1999, when only five percent of the world was on the internet, the trans online community exploded and raised so much awareness, so many connections, the T began to be added to LGBT," he explained. "I see them as fighters and their song, 'Gender Bender,' takes that to the next level."
The emergence of the trans community is one of several actual events which found its way into the show.
"Every character and every storyline in the show has a connection to actual events that were occurring at the time, just pushed to a more audacious level," said Kittell. "A pregnant man, Internet sex addiction, genetic tampering; all taken to the extreme. Or, so we thought at the time. Now it looks more like a roadmap."
A great deal of thought was put into the show's casting process.
"Each cast member was hand-picked for the comedic strength and vocal talent they bring to role they're playing," said Fogel. "Noah Haydon is playing Electra, the insidious Goddess of Technology. Jesse Cortez plays Claude, our young internet newbie. Peggy L'Eggs plays Dr. Karen, a genetic scientist and her Teletubbie baby, Oopsie. Crystal Why plays Trixie, the cross-dressing web-cam star with 'something extra'. Kylie Minono and Owen Asdell play Opal and Maybleen, the two internet terrorists."
The composing duo pointed out that small changes had to be made in the show, since the internet is a very different place today than it was in 1999.
"If anything, we down-dated the tech references," said Kittell. "If a reference was too old, we just took it out of the script. The Y2K catastrophe looks so silly now, but back then it was a nagging fear in the back of everyone's mind. I wish there was a way we could capture the ubiquitous dread that gave it more meaning."
"We definitely considered updating the show to contemporary times, but ultimately decided to leave it as a period piece," added Fogel. "The comedy is much stronger and the laughs are much louder when we look back at how little we knew and how na�ve we were about technology just 20 years ago."
Fogel said that first and foremost, he wants audiences to have a good time, though the show, he points out, does have a message.
"Our primary objective is to have the audience laugh, be entertained, rock out and enjoy a good night out at the theater," he said. "The secondary objective is to have audience members seriously consider how technology has impacted their lives and if it's even possible to avoid becoming slaves to it."
"Change is an inevitable thing both in technology and biology, but the beat is good and I can dance to it so I give it a 10," added Kittell.
Runs at Oasis, November 2-18. Thursdays 8pm, Fridays and Saturdays 7pm. $25-$35 ($250 VIP tables). 298 11th St. https://sfoasis.com