By Sarika Chawla

Southern Baptist Sissies

Zephyr Theatre
7456 Melrose Ave., L.A.
Through April 2
Wednesday-Thursday 8 p.m.,
Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m.
Tickets: $35-$40
800-595-4TIX
www.seasonofshores.com

There's an air of anticipation buzzing about before the curtain at Southern Baptist Sissies. In the Zephyr's revival of its most successful play, tickets are already selling by the thousands in the modest 88-seat theater. With that kind of build up, the audience is practically holding its breath during the haunting prelude, overlooking the darkened stage. Fortunately, this production written and directed by Del Shores, fulfills nearly every expectation.

The early tension is immediately relieved as we open to four fresh-faced boys singing their hearts out in a stark Baptist church, led by a fundamentalist (though rather fatherly) preacher (Newell Alexander). The ensuing humor has a sharp edge to it, as our we meet narrator Mark (David Ojalvo). He is casual guy who seems comfortable with his sexuality, having moved far from his strict Baptist roots, but seems to have never fully let go of the past. Through him, we catch a glimpse of what happens when sexuality mixes with religion, especially in the "trailer trash South," where being different means rejection: "This is where we learn to hate ourselves," he says about his community, in which the Lord loves everyone who doesn't have the misfortune of being gay.

In the midst Ojalvo's wry observations and reminiscing, his three cohorts also get their moments to shine with confessionals about their own struggles with identity: Benny (Scott Presley) is a flamboyant youth who reappears as sensational drag queen Iona Traylor, an empowering figure who considers her past a justifiable means to an end. A sweet boy named Andrew (Rich Delia) frequents gay haunts while hiding his true self from his mother (Rosemary Alexander), who frets about her son's sissy ways. TJ (Ted Detwiler) shamefully succumbs to his urges, but spends the rest of his life trying to fight them off. All four provide a unique perspective of the same oppression, where their environment shaped their identity in different ways.

Interspersed throughout the play are tragic alcoholics Odette (Dale Dickey) and Peanut (Leslie Jordan), a hysterical pair whose banter produces laugh-out-loud moments as well as touching insight. It would be easy enough for the dynamic and lovable Jordan to overshadow any comic partner (try watching him dance to Tina Turner without bursting into giggles) but Dickey holds her own with force. A woman crushed by a life's worth of guilt, she laments the loss of her religion, and provides a perfect foil to Jordan's self-effacing drama queen attitude.

Shores is open about how personal this piece is to him, and certainly it speaks to a culture of gay youth raised under the heavy hand of religion. The strength of this play lies in its positive humor in even the most emotional situations, which strips tragedy of its weight. But while it nears perfection, it seems like the need for religious catharsis goes just a tad too far in the end. There is a specific moment where the play might have ended on a subtly uplifting note, still marked with sadness, but Shores chooses to go for the much more in-your-face conclusion, leaning towards an almost deflating melodrama. Perhaps this goes to show that a personal catharsis isn't something that is easily shared.

Judy at the Stonewall Inn

Celebration Theatre
7051B Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.
Through Feb. 24 Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m. Sunday 3 p.m.
Tickets: $20
(323) 957-1884
www.celebrationtheatre.com

If the younger generation needs a primer on Gay History 101, Judy at the Stonewall Inn may be a good place to start. Directed by the Celebration Theatre's former managing artistic director Derek Charles Livingston, Judy threatens to get lost in its own gimmick, but gains ground as an homage to a past nearly forgotten.

History has a tendency to glamorize itself as the past becomes more distant, but in playwright Tom O'Neil's resurrection, the spark that ignited the modern gay movement is about grit and gumption. Inside New York's Stonewall Inn, the origin of the Stonewall Riots, is a unlikely assortment of down-on-their-luck fellows: Jimmy (Michael Taylor Gray) is an appalling Judy Garland impersonator, whose career has been relegated to the grimy Village bar. His lover Jesus (Johnny Debut) is kept under the thumb of his zealous mother, but he keeps finding his way back. The bar is run by Carmine (Stephen Marshall), who, at first glance appears to be a typical Mafia mobster, but who has a soft spot for his gay clientele. Jackson (Keith E. Wright) is an upstanding gentleman who just lost his partner, but finds interest in a stranger (Jon Powell), and Brendon (Billy Briggs) is the classic stripper with a heart of gold. It's really a lovely little family here inside the Stonewall Inn.

So where's Judy? The crux of this play is that the ghost of the real Judy emerges from the mind of a pill-addled Jimmy, and the first act is essentially a waiting game for this moment. It's a long, slow process, and though we get the opportunity to know the cast of characters along the way, it's really just killing time before Judy arrives. And she does, in style. Amanda Abel is a dynamic figure who demands attention while she performs, preaches, and preens to her number one fan.

But this play is not just a ploy to get two Judy impersonators onstage at the same time. In fact, the Judy bit isn't even what resonates in the end -- it mostly serves as a jumping off point (like what "the Judy thing" is really all about) for dialogue about gay culture. The second act gains steam as it delves much more into the characters, while the ugly truth of history keeps making itself known. In 1969, the persecution of gays and Vietnam are just a fraction of the events that loom over each of these men. They each confront personal battles, and when the most dramatic moment finally appears, they are ready to take stand, and that is where the story truly lies.