By Michelle Hines , University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted: 5-31-07
Brad Brown (l) and Ambien Mitchell as bloodsucking divas in the campy, vampy 'Vampire Lesbians of Sodom'
GREENSBORO, NC – It’s summer. And it’s camp. But not the kind you’d send your kids to.
Starting June 15, UNCG Theatre rolls out a double-dose of late-night Sick-n-Wrong Theatre with two campy adult classics by Charles Busch — “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom” and its companion piece, “Sleeping Beauty or Coma.”
Sick-n-Wrong Theatre, part of the second annual Theatre 232 summer festival offered by UNCG and Triad Stage, begins around 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays following the Triad Stage main stage production of “Tobacco Road.” All performances take place at Triad Stage, 232 S. Elm Street, in downtown Greensboro.
First performed at the Limbo Lounge in New York City’s East Village in 1984, “Vampire Lesbians” became so popular it moved to Off-Broadway in June 1985. One of the longest running plays in Off-Broadway history, it is the saga of two fatally seductive vampiresses whose paths first collide in ancient Sodom. Their bitter rivalry as bloodsuckers but, more importantly, as actresses endures for 2,000 years with stops along the way in 1920’s silent era Hollywood and contemporary Las Vegas.
A New York Times reviewer summed the play up this way: “Nothing escapes the demolition by laughter … The audience laughs at the first line and goes right on laughing at every line to the end, and even at some of the silences. That’s no mean achievement.”
Jim Wren, UNCG theatre professor, directs “Vampire Lesbians.” Theatre student Matthew Emerson designed sets, costumes and lights.
“Sleeping Beauty or Coma” is a retelling of the classic fairy tale set in the mod ’60s London fashion world. Jay Putnam, artistic associate for Triad Stage and a UNCG MFA theatre alum, directs. Theatre student Claire Garrard designed the production.
Sick-n-Wrong Theatre runs approximately 70 minutes. Performances are June 15 and 16, June 22 and 23, and June 29 and 30.
Call (336) 272-0160 to purchase $10 general admission tickets.
