Local theater fans, and those looking for a little Valentine’s entertainment, should head over to Crown Center’s Off Center Theater this month for what looks to be a bizarre, yet amusing, piece of stage work, Say You Love Satan.
A twisted gay love story concerning seduction, lust, corruption and redemption, Say You Love Satan is directed by local theater man Steven Eubank, well-known for his roles in many Kansas City productions, and for his direction of several local musicals, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch and the 2008 Reefer Madness.
Steven, along with his mother and father, had produced their shows under the banner “Eubank Productions,” but when that entity suffered financial losses and was forced to disband in 2009, the Eubank family decided to return as the nonprofit Egads Theatre Company. Choosing the offbeat Say You Love Satan as their inaugural work seemed like a natural decision, as Steven’s mother, Barbara Eubank, explained recently.
“He’s always been known for doing shows that are non-commercial in nature,” she said of Steven. Say You Love Satan “is a very non-traditional piece… We decided to do it because it’s sort of edgy and different and very funny. And in the end, there is some sweetness.”
Written by Yale School of Drama graduate Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who recently joined the writing staff of the HBO series Big Love, the show concerns Andrew, a young gay man who meets Jack, a hunk with abs of steel and a body fat percentage in the single digits. Thing is, Jack also turns out to be the son of Beelzebub, throwing Andrew’s life into turmoil as he struggles to break off the exhilarating affair. Providing complications and comic relief are Bernadette, Andrew’s disapproving best friend, and Jarrod, a rich and considerate med student who is also pursuing Andrew.
As one would expect, the show features all local actors. “We have an excellent cast,” Barbara Eubank said. “We try to employ emerging theater talent. We have been sort of a launching pad for many Kansas City actors.”
Evan White, from past Eubank Productions shows Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Rocky Horror Show plays Jack, Natalie Liccardello plays Bernadette, and Kansas City newcomer Taylor Gozia is Andrew.
The Eubanks have wisely packaged their production with several Valentine’s weekend promotions, including a Friday night late show for only $11 a ticket, a Saturday pre-show dinner and post-performance dancing, and, on Valentine’s evening itself, a post-performance dessert buffet and dance.
Say You Love Satan plays a varied schedule from Feb. 5 through Feb. 27 at Crown Center’s Off Center Theater. For showtimes and tickets call 816-842-9999, or visit egadstheatre.com.