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The new venue at St. Petersburg's Suncoast Resort plans a variety of entertainment, including musical theater, standup and cabaret acts, after its inaugural production closes.
By MARTY CLEAR
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 24, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG -- For the second time in six months, a gay-oriented theater has opened in St. Petersburg. And for the second time, the inaugural production is David Dillon's raucous Party.
It's no coincidence. When Party ran for seven weeks at Central Stage Theatre last summer, Dillon was part of the cast. When he saw how enthusiastically gay and straight theatergoers responded, he made a suggestion to one of the show's sponsors, the Suncoast Resort.
"I asked them if they had ever considered doing theater," Dillon said. "And within 24 hours they came back to me and said, "We'll build a theater if you'll run it.' "
Since then, Dillon said, he and others have been working "30 hours a day" to get the Suncoast Theatre open.
The space, at the gay resort on 34th Street S, has 90 seats, staggered so sight lines are nearly perfect. The raised stage is wide enough to comfortably accommodate a larger-than-average cast.
"I think they did a beautiful, beautiful job," Dillon said. "It's very well-built, and they thought of everything."
Dillon, who has relocated to St. Petersburg, hasn't had much time to think about which shows he plans to stage, but he says that cabaret, musical theater, standup and improv will be part of the mix, as will gay-themed films.
Because the theater is in a resort, where audiences are probably more interested in diversion than drama, the weekend anchor show -- Party, for the foreseeable future -- will stress entertainment value.
Party has enjoyed extended runs in New York, Chicago and most other big-league theater cities. Dillon thinks it has the potential to match that success in St. Petersburg.
The production at Central Stage ended only because another show was booked into the theater, Dillon said.
The resort will provide a new audience base every week, and Dillon also hopes that the setting will help pull in locals, who can park once, for free, and have dinner, see a show and then have cocktails.
If audience reaction at one show last weekend is an indication, Suncoast Theatre may be a hit.
Party is a real-time depiction of a group of seven gay men who gather for an elaborate variation of Truth or Dare. Dillon (who plays one of the men, a flamboyant priest) gives us generally likable characters and very funny material.
The emphasis is always on comedy, but Dillon provides just enough substance. At times, it seems he'll succumb to the hackneyed theatrical convention of a social gathering that turns into a tortured night of psychological probing. But he pulls back and lightens the mood just in time.
By the end of the evening, all the men are naked. The nudity is largely gratuitous. And worse, it's distracting. Whether you find it titillating or embarrassing (an overweight guy doing naked jumping jacks is one example), the nudity, not the jokes or the characters, is probably what you'll talk about the next day.
Dillon and director Jorge Acosta provide a lively pace for most of the show, but the energy wanes toward the end. The production also is marred by inconsistent acting.
Dillon said he thinks that even a midsize, fairly conservative city such as St. Petersburg can have two successful gay-oriented theaters.
"We can only be great for each other," he said. "There is major audience development work to be done here. The more theater that exists in any town, the more people will go to all theater. So I don't see us as competing for the same audience; I see us as cultivating the same audience."
REVIEW: Party, by David Dillon, is at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 16 at the Suncoast Theatre at the Suncoast Resort, 3000 34th St. S, St. Petersburg. Tickets are $15 and $20, plus service charge. Call toll-free 1-800-595-4849.