‘Pray the Gay Away’ at Broward Center
The title alone probably tells you everything you need to knowabout “Pray The Gay Away,” a comedy running at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts through Sept. 1.
“Pray” and “Gay” are the two ideas behind this show getting aworld premiere in Fort Lauderdale before going on tour with runs in Minneapolis and Toronto next. The production rides those two shifting tectonic plates, batting and swiping at every possible punch line along theway for two hours (with a 20-minute intermission).
What the showis about: Gay twins Michael and Zachary Zakar first wrote a book that did well on Amazon about the over-the-top reaction they got when, as teens, they came out to their mother, a strict Catholic. A gift that keeps on giving, that 2017memoir forms the spine of the stage play. To channel the spirit of motherly-too-muchness, the Zakars have shrewdly cast Vince Kelley to play— in delicious drag— their mom. And Kelley kills it, mining deep laughs from what is more than likely a chuckle or snicker in the script.
Whoare the Zakars? The short answer is: Instagram models with 90,000 followers who describe themselves as “The Iraqi Mary-Kate& Ashley.” As such they have become spokesmen for LGBTQ+ people who come from Near and Middle Eastern cultures. The play only brushes up against the topic here and there, but the Zakars grew up as Chaldean Catholics, a sub-sect with roots in ancient Assyria.
The Story: The narrative follows Michael and Zachary from high school and their first blush-worthy explorations of their sexuality through their clumsy attempts to master dating apps, choosing sexual roles and even a brief/toothless stint in jail for one of the brothers. The plot is a little messy and undisciplined, throwing into the second act a few wait where-did-that-come-from incidents that may have been lifted from the book, but are baffling in the play.
So is the show funny or not? Even though Mama Zakar is devout, she is also seemingly equally devoted to being a bit of a potty-mouth. Kelley knows just what to do with that, deploying curse words and hurling Bible-thumpings with equal zest. The scenes where he/she goes to confessional and does a little joke joust with a secretly pervy Father Ibrahim (a delightful Jefferey James Fox, who also plays four other characters) are comedy gold. That’s the good news. The bad news is that while the Zakars may be camera ready (don’t forget, Instagram), they are not yet stage ready. There is a flatness to their performances that is all the more evident along side Kelley and Fox. Humorous lines that should be slam dunks just roll around the rim before finally dropping through the basket. The not so bad, kind of good news is that the show just opened, so maybe in short order they will relax into their roles.
5. If you go info: Curtain is at 8 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $30 and $45. To order, call 954-462-0222 or go to BrowardCenter.org.