Review: Desert Rose's SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES is an Emotionally Wrenching Experience, but a Must-See Production.

Prolific screenwriter and playwright Del Shores is perhaps best known for his series of plays about growing up gay in the South. In the semi-autobiographical SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES, he describes the clash between his identities as a devout Baptist and a gay child.

The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley's LGBT-oriented theater, is currently presenting a must-see production of SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES, with top-notch acting by a uniformly stellar cast, and with brilliant directing (by Steve Fisher) and technical design. The searing presentation will leave audience members emotionally drained, and possibly devastated. Although there are lots of laughs and a somewhat upbeat ending, I left the theater with tears streaming down my face, and couldn't let go of the disturbing images.

Producer Paul Taylor mentioned that, according to Mr. Shores, the four friends represent aspects of the playwright's own personality. They are the angry narrator (Joseph Tanner Paul); the one who affects every stereotype about gay men's gestures and dress (Ben Heustess); the one who tries to "pray away the gay" (Cody Frank); and the confused and depressed one who cannot figure out what to do (German Pavon). The action takes place between 1979 and 2000, when most people still believed that heterosexuality was the only way to be "normal."

Much of the "dialogue" consists of sermons by the minister of a Dallas, Texas Baptist church. The clever way that Mr. Fisher stages the church scenes results in the minister's (Larry Dyekman) looking right at members of the audience as if we were his flock. I am a straight grandmother, and not a troubled teen, and I became nervous - and angry - at the implication that I, as a Jew who have done my best to live a moral life, am doomed to eternal damnation. Would I, if I were a gay teen who trusted my minister and the teachings of my right-wing church, have been able to escape from the disgust I was taught to feel about myself? In addition to the minister's words angering more tolerant theatregoers, the criticism of Baptist teachings and the minister's moral blindness may offend those who take the Bible literally.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES contains a strong warning about what can befall gay people who do not learn to love themselves as they are and straight people who do not learn to accept gay loved ones as they are. In a subplot that takes place in a gay bar, Peanut (Hal O'Connell), an aging, lonely gay man, and Odette (Linda Cooke), a straight woman with a past, are alcoholics who develop a bond. The playwright implies that it is too late for them to redeem themselves, even though it briefly appears that they will succeed in making a difference in someone's life.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES not only describes the playwright's journey of discovery about his sexuality, but also about God. Mr. Shores forcefully advises that, if an individual has been taught that God refuses to love gay or Jewish or Muslim people, or whomever, that individual should adopt a different concept of God. This advice is obvious for those of us raised in liberal religions, but the characters in SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES have to go through hell (figuratively) before they can reject the idea of a God who rejects them.

One interesting choice by the playwright is to have all three of the boys' mothers - the fourth mother has died - portrayed by the same actor (Miss Joey English). The women have figured out what is going on, and they all love their children. Even though their circumstances and personalities are different, they all react similarly to their growing fears about their sons' sexuality. One mother acknowledges that she wants grandchildren, implying that her worries about "sin" are secondary. Yet the first instinct of all three women is to consult their minister, and to accept his rigid, inhumane advice about how to change what cannot be changed.

Readers will probably notice that I have spent little time discussing the extraordinary acting by everyone in the cast, or the expert set, lighting, and sound design. Ordinarily, my reviews do not emphasize the script, because it is the other aspects that make a particular production of a previously produced play unique. However, the script is so overwhelming and so emotional that I believe people must see this play for the same reasons that tourists in Washington, DC must visit the Holocaust museum - respect for the victims of bigotry demands it.

The rest of the cast and crew consists of Douglas Wilson (the organist); Phil Murphy (lighting design); Thomas L. Valach (set design); Robbie Wayne (costume design); Jim Strait (artistic director); and Paul Taylor (producer).

There are a few brief views of unclad derrieres as characters change clothes, but no frontal nudity.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES will run through Sunday, April 9, 2017. Ticket prices for Friday and Saturday evening performances (at 8 p.m.) are $35 each; and $32 for Sunday matinee performances (at 2 p.m.). Tickets can be ordered online at www.desertroseplayhouse.org or by calling the box office at 760-202-3000. There is no service charge for Internet or phone orders.

The Desert Rose Playhouse is located just north of Frank Sinatra Boulevard, near the Emperor Buffet, at 69-620 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. The Box Office opens at 4 p.m. before evening performances and at noon on Sundays.

The last play in Desert Rose's 2016-17 season is Clark Gable SLEPT HERE, by Michael McKeever, April 28 - May 21, 2017.

One of the silver screen's brightest action stars charms his way through the Golden Globe Awards ceremony accompanied by his wife. Meanwhile, back at the Chateau Marmont, his staff tries to figure out what to do with the naked male prostitute lying dead on the star's bedroom floor. Adult material and nudity.

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