In case you missed it during its original run at Stonewall in 2019, a new and improved version of the immersive ’50s B-movie farce The Little Merman From The Black Lagoon is being staged for two nights this weekend.
The comical take on creature features follows a group of scientists as they scour the Amazon for a semi-mythical creature called Gill-Man. Instead, they stumble upon Ethyl, a fishy creature who has no use for gender.
“[The LGBT community can] relate to it. They brought family members because of the themes of the show. Ethyl doesn’t know what he/she is,” show creator Christian Kelty told Watermark. “I liked playing with the idea of not being defined by your gender. With the support around you, it’s cool to figure out who you are and what you are and that being okay.”
The return of Ethyl will support a good cause, with $5 of every ticket going to support the Zebra Coalition. The group attempting to build housing for homeless youth in Orlando recently had their state funding slashed via a veto from Governor Ron DeSantis.
“We wanted to make sure we were able to raise money for Zebra,” Kelty said. “After the decisions from the governor, it became crystal clear what we had to do.” The show runs June 18 and 19 at the Haos On Church. Doors at 7, show at 7:30. Tickets are $25.
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This article appears in Jun 16-22, 2021.