Born storyteller Jamie Brickhouse lit up the Fringe last year with
Dangerous When Wet, his one-man memoir about coming out as gay and alcoholic to his larger-than-life mother. Since he’s self-admittedly obsessed with his deceased parents, Brickhouse’s follow-up solo show reflects on his life-of-the-party father, Earl — Bubba to his friends, or Sonofabitch to his wife — a closeted conservative and local celebrity in Beaumont, Texas, who passed away at age 83.
Stories about his sexual education via stolen
Playboy magazines and an inappropriately polyamorous eulogy leaven Jamie’s darker moments, like being blackmailed by a half-brother over his HIV status. Through it all, Brickhouse strives to build a relationship with his staunchly Republican daddy-poo, leading to a limited late-in-life liberation for the older man. Unconditional love works both ways, and Brickhouse is brave enough to acknowledge how he’s grown into being the man his father never could.
While it isn’t quite as polished as his previous production,
I Favor My Daddy packs a potent personal punch, making it a top pick among this Festival’s homocentric offerings.
Tickets and show info: I Favor My Daddy: A Tale of Two Sissies
