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Exploring the life of historic queer comedian Frank Mara
The BSR Podcast: Season 9, Episode 3: Morgan Bassichis presents Can I Be Frank? at the Wilma
Darnelle Radford
In today's podcast, Darnelle chats with Morgan Bassichis (pronounced like "masochist") about their new solo show, Can I Be Frank?, inspired by the life of queer comedian Frank Maya (1950-1995). A New York native, Maya was the first out gay comedian to appear to audiences on channels like MTV and Comedy Central in the 1990s. He died at 45 due to complications of AIDS.
Bassichis talks about developing this "trunk show" that's more like a tote-bag show (directed by Sam Pinkleton), debuting it in New York, and why it's landing at the Wilma for a limited run October 25-26, 2024. They also dwell on the importance of archiving the work of artists we lost to AIDS, no matter what genre they worked in, from theater to visual art. Bassichis's show "humbly attempts to ensure Maya’s legacy is no longer overlooked while also resolving the bottomless queer search for laughter in times of crisis and for fame and father figures and intense attachment dynamics no matter how fleeting."
Enjoy this conversation and get your tickets!
Listen above, visit the BSR Podcast episode page, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
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