Friends of Dorothy | Ghostlight Theatre Co.

Presented by Ghostlight Theatre Co, Friends of Dorothy is a proud trip through the history of queer culture.

Set at the Bray Hall in Petrie, this rainbow cabaret was a kaleidoscope of song and dance featuring eleven of Brisvegas’s emerging artists from the LGBTQIA+ community. Act One took us on a journey of the early days of the LGBTQI+ representation throughout society as told by the Broadway showtunes of that era.

Georgia Gleeson’s rendition of Anything Goes set a high bar for the show from the very top despite the tap solo lacking the titular tap shoes. One may argue that Gleeson was the star of the show and the other actors orbiting around her; adding more razzle and dazzle and sequins whenever needed. Another highlight of Act One as we moved into the sixties and seventies was the staging of Sit Down You’re Rocking Boat, in which the actors were seated as if they were in a classroom, being told off by the headmaster (Gary Farmer-Trickett) for being told of for stepping outside of the status quo.

The journey continued in Act Two when we travelled from the 80’s to now, voyeauring back to the AIDS epidemic, conflict between religion and sexuality, a shift in gender studies, mixed messaging from the media and finally, some big steps forward for equality. Some notable numbers from Act Two included Gary Farmer-Trickett’s Michael in the Bathroom, in which the ensemble was slow motion dancing at a house partybeside him as his character was too afraid to leave the restroom for fear of being laughed at for being queer. Jessica Beilby’s I’d Rather Be Me was a bop and a solid 10/10 uplifting anthem against all of the haters and Turn it Off perfectly captured the essence of the show, with the ensemble members having a blast on stage bringing their own Mormons’ to life.

What I loved the most about the show wasn’t the musical performances; it was that it didn’t stray away from the dark, oppressive and heartbreaking aspects of queer history and of identifying as queer even in our contemporary society. After Farmer-Trickett shared a personal story about a queer friend they had lost to suicide, there was a minute of silence held to remember all of those from the queer community who are no longer with us, which was such a generous way to reflect.

With further creative developments, I would love to see Friends of Dorothy being taken to high schools as I think it has the potential to be a powerful voice for queer adolescents.