Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale Presents: “Bathhouse: the Musical!”
What’s gayer than cruising in bath towels and a campy musical?
“Bathhouse: the Musical!” is a rousing, carousing musical montage, with music and lyrics by Tim Evanicki and Esther Daack. Presented by Empire Stage (1140 North Flagler Ave, Fort Lauderdale), the show will kick off its run on Thursday, April 13 and will play through April 30.
This musical follows the story of Billy, a wide-eyed youth venturing into a bathhouse for the very first time. He’s looking for love, but soon realizes that the other patrons are looking for something… a little more temporary. With some guidance, Billy soon learns the ins and outs of bathhouse etiquette.
Tim Evanicki said: “I am so excited to be remounting “Bathhouse: The Musical!” in Fort Lauderdale! The National Tour enjoyed such a successful run when they were here in 2008, I’m thrilled to be bringing the show back to such great audiences like the ones we find in South Florida!”
“Bathhouse: the Musical!” premiered at the Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival in Orlando, Florida in June 2006 before the show found a home at the Footlight Theater in the same city. From there, the show’s success blossomed to include productions in five countries in North America, Europe, and Australia.
The show features four guys, four bath towels and tons of campy musical numbers poking fun at the cultural of gay bathhouses. The cast features ‘Bathhouse’ veterans and newcomers. Timothy Oriani returns to reprise the role of Billy, that he played in the 2015 Rochester, NY production. Sean Patrick Philibin will play Maurice, a Bathhouse regular that has all the boys’ attention, a role which he played in 2014 in Orlando, FL. New comers Greg Buckheit steps into the bathtowel of Teddy, a young twink with a penchant for bears, singing one of the show’s most popular songs: “Bearchaser.” Tim Garnham join the cast from NYC, as “David,” the slightly-effeminate gym bunny. Garnham is no stranger to the Empire Stage, as he recently performed there as part of the National Tour cast of ‘Naked Boys Singing.’
The show runs 90 minutes and begins performances at Empire Stage on April 13 and runs through April 30. Tickets are from $35-$50 and can be purchased by going to: Bathhousethemusical.com; or by calling the box office at 1-888-202-1708.
