Despite its enthusiasm, the musical premiere of ‘Gay Card’ delivers a losing hand

The Rundown

How does one earn their “gay card”? That’s the question on a young man’s mind as he stumbles through his first year of college, determined to cement his gay identity once and for all. He’s been out since high school, but where in the community does he fit in — or does he fit in at all?

Ryan Korell and Jonathan Keebler’s pop musical Gay Card debuted in 2017 with a studio recording featuring Broadway’s Derek Klena (Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill). The musical premieres in Chicago with LGBTQ+ storefront company PrideArts, with artistic director Jay Españo at the helm, in a wildly ambitious production that misses the mark.

No Tea, No Shade

Logan (Ben Ballmer) is an eager central Floridian who never fits in with the cool gay kids in high school. He can’t wait for college, especially his placement in the Diversity House dorm with his best friend, the straight, studious Melanie (Sophie Murk, who stands out with powerful vocals and adorable sincerity). But when Logan arrives, he’s once again mistaken for heterosexual. Enter the Gay Card Blog, an online step-by-step guide Logan vows to follow religiously. But will Logan miss out on the intricacies of real queer life, as demonstrated by dormmate Graham (Freddy Mauricio)? And when Logan’s gayest dreams start coming true, will he leave loyal Melanie behind?

Writers Korell and Keebler attempt to blend silliness and earnestness through danceable numbers mixed with belty ballads. Still, as a musical just five years old, Gay Card gives off a dated air, with stereotypes galore (calling out the “horny bisexual” stereotype doesn’t cancel out the horny bisexual character’s predatory behavior) and one too many sad songs. (Melanie’s gloom over Logan’s fading friendship doesn’t warrant an EP.)

PrideArts’ production boasts an energetic cast who are often over the top in their enthusiasm despite the show’s bombastic nature. It’s hard not to notice that in a show with a location called Diversity House, the production’s two Black-presenting performers are relegated to the background.

Kyle Anderson’s lighting design becomes repetitive, with the lights dimmed after each musical number, and Britta Schlicht’s choreography — though often cute — recalls high school show choir. On opening night, the production was rife with technical issues, most significantly a wildly uneven sound mix where instruments drowned out vocalists and onscreen projections didn’t sync up with onstage action. Though everyone involved with Gay Card is clearly excited to present a story of queer happily-ever-after, what starts as sweet quickly turns gimmicky.

Let’s Have a Moment

Gay Card’s highlight happens in the musical’s first act when Logan plays what Graham calls “musical chairs” with various identities. In a fun montage that also feels spot-on regarding queer subcultures, the former experiments with clothing, hobbies, and lingo as an “art fag” (clad in all black and making pretentious remarks before scrounging free cheese at a gallery opening), a video “gay”-mer (with a nerdy T-shirt and virtual reality goggles at the ready), and an “aca-homo” (making his best attempt at finger snapping and harmonizing in an acapella group), before being unceremoniously ousted from each group for comparing a painting to pornography, not knowing what video game characters are queer-coded, and failing to have adequate rhythm, respectively.

The Last Word

Gay Card tries very hard. Unfortunately, the musical’s attempt at feel-good corniness — a refreshing change from the ubiquitous “sad gay” narrative—often comes off as cringe-worthy. The show is lovely in concept and awkward in execution, and curious souls should listen to the studio album before heading to the live show.

Gay Card plays at PrideArts in Chicago through September 24.