Gently Down The Stream

Gently Down the Stream is playing at The Public Theatre located at 425 Lafayette Street. The play runs one hour thirty minutes with no intermission. It closes May 21, 2017.

Martin Sherman is the playwright. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for Bent. Martin was nominated for two Tony Awards for Bent (2010) and The Boy from Oz (2003).

Harvey Feinstein won a three Tony Awards for Torch Song Trilogy (1983), Hairspray (2003) and La Cage Aux Folles (1984 book).

Gabriel Ebert won a Tony Award for Matilda the Musical (2013).

The setting is Shepherds Bush, London , between 2001-2014.

Rufus (Gabriel Ebert) has spent the night in Beau (Harvey Fierstein) apartment. He keeps asking him about a singer Mabel Mercer. Beau wants to know why he wants to know and how he found out about her. She was a well-known jazz singer he played piano for.

Rufus is a lawyer and is bipolar if he doesn’t take his medicines he’s off the wall. He wants to have a relationship with Beau. Beau is reluctant because of the big age difference. Rufus doesn’t care. Beau agrees but tells him it’s okay to find someone else.

We learn about Rufus and the loves of his life that make him leery of forming another relationship. He says happiness last a short time, pain is forever.

Five years later Rufus finds some. Harry (Christopher Sears) is a performer. Rufus proposes to Harry. Harry wants to have children. Beau finally comes around and agrees to be best man.

They adopt a baby girl. Beau is reluctant to hold her. When he does he realizes he has a real family now.

This is a touching story of a gay man and the obstacles he meets because of it.

There are over 1,000 books on the stage and some of the props are Harvey’s.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for recent photos. Click on a photo, then click on back to album and finally click n back to gallery for this and other shows.