Theater News

Charles Busch’s 30 Years of Playwriting to be Celebrated in U.S.-Wide Initiative

Broadway producer Daryl Roth and Samuel French, Inc. will partner on the nationwide project.

New York City

Charles Busch
Charles Busch
© David Gordon

The notoriously campy, cross-dressing playwright and actor Charles Busch will soon have his 30-year career sprawled across the United States in various regional theaters. Tony Award-winning producer Daryl Roth and the theatrical licensing company Samuel French, Inc., which has licensed 20 of Busch’s plays, will sponsor new regional productions of them through their collaborative 2014-2015 project, 30 Years of Charles Busch — A Celebration.

“Have I really been at this game for thirty years? How did that happen?” said Busch in a statement. “Well, it’s been thirty years of hard work, laughter, very few tears, and all of it fascinating. It’s been a great privilege to have been represented by Samuel French for three decades and in the past two decades in collaboration with Daryl Roth.”

As part of the project, Samuel French, Inc. plans to republish all 20 plays as a collective series. Among those included in the series will be Theodora: She-Bitch of Byzantium, Pardon My Inquisition, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, Psycho Beach Party, and many more.

“Any occasion to celebrate Charles Busch’s amazing career as a theater artist is very special indeed,” Roth said in a statement. “One of the highlights of my career is to have produced many of his smart, witty, hilarious, and well-crafted plays, including Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, The Divine Sister, and Die Mommie Die! For me, working on a Charles Busch play is joyful and exhilarating, and it’s wonderful to see audiences respond with such warmth and appreciation. I know this collection will be enjoyed by theaters all across the country.”

As was previously reported, Charles Busch is planning to bring his yet-to-be-named work to Primary Stages for its 29th season, with Carl Andress and comedienne Julie Halston joining the project. Some of Busch’s other recent projects include the 2009 MCC production of his play The Third Story, starring Busch and Kathleen Turner, and the 2010 production of his play The Divine Sister, in which he starred in an extended run at New York’s SoHo Playhouse.