Fruit Fly: Starring Leslie Jordan September 29, 2012

Do gay men become their mothers? That is the question asked in Leslie Jordan's hilarious and touching new romp, Fruit Fly. Mr. Jordan travels back in time using show-and-tell to take the audience on the ride of a lifetime. Childhood recollections combine with perilous teenage shenanigans. From the day a teenage Leslie sits down with his poor, clueless mother to inform her that he has decided to forego college to become a female impersonator, all the way to a Gay Alaskan Cruise on which a 53-year-old Mr. Jordan witnesses his aging mother's astounding metamorphosis (and whose only real concern about a gay cruise to Alaska is that she doesn't want to go ice fishing), Mr. Jordan is in his element. His storytelling skills abound and will make for an evening of fun and thought-provoking theater.

Leslie Jordan has made a career of small parts on popular TV series, winning an Emmy for his recurring role as Beverly Leslie on Will & Grace. Leslie grew up in Chattanooga, Tenn., went to Hollywood in 1982 and climbed from TV spots into frequent appearances on Boston Public, Boston Legal, Will & Grace, Desperate Housewives and many other sitcoms and dramas.

He's also performed in stage productions and does one-man shows and comic cabarets. In Fruit Fly, he shares stories about his work in the movie The Help and on series including Will & Grace and the Del Shores' projects Sordid Lives and Southern Baptist Sissies.

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As might be expected, Jordan is a hoot, dishing gossip about everything from Chattanooga wives at the beauty shops to drag queens at the illegal speakeasies. But he doesn't shy away from drama, including how he disappointed his father with his "sissy" behavior, shocking his mother into hysterical blindness with his coming-out antics, and touching on his drug and alcohol addiction.

Leslie Jordan has invited us to the foyer of his southern home for an evening of down-home humor and deep admiration for his momma in his new bawdy yet touching one-man show, Fruit Fly, now at the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles.

As he attempts to see his life and choices through her mother's eyes, Jordan -- best known for his Emmy Award-winning work on Will & Grace -- proves to be a gifted storyteller, painting vivid pictures of his youth. (For those with less imagination, the photo album on the video screen shows the cast of characters in all their frilly dresses and coiffed hair.)

Official Website: http://www.renaissancetheatre.net