By Christopher Cappiello

¡Gaytino! in CTG Solo Fest

“I was a sissy in East L.A. in the '50s, honey, and it was not fun,” Dan Guerrero told the San Jose Mercury News earlier this year. “So being funny is really what saved me.” Being funny is what Guerrero does for most of his 80-minute solo show with music, ¡Gaytino!, currently getting its most high- profile run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.

The son of famed Mexican-American musician Lalo Guerrero, Dan grew up in East L.A. but headed for the bright lights of Broadway in the 1960s and '70s. While acting and singing in many off-Broadway productions, he eventually became a successful talent agent in New York, representing a cast of constantly working Broadway vets. After many years in the Big Apple, Guerrero's hometown called him back, and he's enjoyed a second (or is it third?) career as a successful producer for the last 15 years. ¡Gaytino! is his life story, told with song and humor.

Guerrero has developed his solo work with stints in recent years at the Cavern Club and Highways, as well as a number of venues out of town. The folks at the Center Theatre Group selected ¡Gaytino! as one of four single-actor plays for this spring's Solomania festival at the Douglas. The show focuses on his relationships with his legendary dad and his boyhood friend, artist Carlos Almaraz, who died from AIDS-related illness in 1989. While ¡Gaytino! says a lot about self-discovery and self-acceptance, Guerrero makes it clear that it's not a weepy, preachy solo rant. “I don't know too many shows where you hear both Merman and Mariachi,” he told LA Stage magazine last year.

¡Gaytino! runs as part of Solomania at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, through June 11. The schedule varies, so call (213) 628-2772 or visit TaperAhmanson.com for information and ticket orders.

Third Stage Just Cain't Say No to Oklahomo!

This month prolific and popular L.A. playwright Justin Tanner remounts Oklahomo!, his bitchy, bawdy backstage comedy about a theater company staging an unauthorized leather-bar version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein gem. Third Stage staged a successful production of the play last summer, and the theater presents a slightly revised revival this spring, with Tanner himself directing as well as reprising his role as Darren, the director of the ill-fated gay cowboy musical.

Oklahomo! runs through June 24 at Third Stage, 281 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. For tickets and more information, call (818) 842-4755.

The Hothouse Burns up the Unknown Boards

It's not nepotism if you promote yourself, right? Then I can highly recommend The Hothouse, an outrageously funny and rarely produced comedy by Harold Pinter that I am directing at Unknown Theater in Hollywood.

It's Christmas Day in a government-run asylum. The boss is unraveling and the heat won't turn off. A riotous blend of farce and terror, The Hothouse manages to address many of Pinter's familiar themes—abuse of power, interrogation, sexual manipulation—while hurtling with hilarity to a surprising finish.

Although the 2005 Nobel Laureate wrote The Hothouse in 1958, he put it in a drawer and didn't produce it until 1980, after most of his greatest plays had been written. With its broad, white-hot comedy, The Hothouse remains one of the celebrated playwright's best-kept secrets. Check it out and feel free to stay for the Fifth Wall, Unknown Theater's nightly post-show lineup of comedy, performance art and live music.

The Hothouse runs May 19-July 1 at Unknown Theater, 1110 Seward St. , Hollywood. For more information and Web discounts, visit www.UnknownTheater.com.