The F*ggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions tickets

“It’s been a long time since the last revolutions and the f*ggots and their friends are still not free.” Published in 1977, this passage from Larry Mitchell and Ned Asta‘s The F*ggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions sets the scene for a radically reimagined history of the world told through a queer lens where fantasy meets liberation. Having become unavailable and reissued on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall riots because of its enduring relevance, this cult book of fables and myths serves as the starting point for a new music theater adaptation from the creative minds of composer Philip Venables and director Ted Huffman.

The makers of this work recognize that “f*ggot” is a provocative word—one that for many isn’t easy to read or hear. When Larry Mitchell wrote and published the book in 1977, he sought to reclaim the word in a loving, supportive and positive way. This follows a long process of reclamation by parts of the LGBTQIA+ community of words that have previously been seen as only negative—including using the word queer as a collective term.

The inclusion of the word in this production marks that intention and is a deliberate choice by the creative team. Since the book was published in 1977, conversations about gender diversity within the queer community have also evolved, and this is reflected in both the language the show uses and the casting.