Bright Colors and Bold Patterns – Outfest

By starrymag | August 2, 2018

By: Taylor Gates

 

 

Q) I read somewhere that this was inspired by an actual wedding invitation you received.

 

Drew Droege: It was. I got a wedding invitation from straight friends of mine that asked the guests not to wear bright colors or bold patterns and it just inspired me. It just jumped out to me as a title. And then gay marriage became legalized and I just wanted to question what we were losing or giving up in the name of equality and can we have everything? We definitely should have the choice to get married, but do we have to want that? So, I wrote this play about it.

 

Q) Michael, what drew you to this project as a director?

 

Michael Urie: Drew drew me. [laughs] I was and am a huge fan of Drew’s and he was doing this play—a pared down version—at Ars Nova. I went because we’re friends and I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was going to be more like standup or stories or character sketches, but it ended up being this fully-formed play that he was doing in this pared-down way and I was very inspired both with what he had to say and with the way he was presenting the show. So I asked him, begged him, pleaded with him, blackmailed him [laughs] to let me direct a fully-formed production with a set and a light plot and a real sound design and really just fill out the world to help the audience see everything that I was seeing so that they could be free to see even more and he accepted.

 

Q) I know that you have a background in television and film as well. Was this always meant to be a play or did you toy with the idea of doing something else?

 

Droege: I always wrote this to be a play. I love that you asked that because few people ask that question. I wanted this to be a play and I thought a lot of people, especially because we live in LA, were going to be like, “When is this going to be a movie?” or “When is it gonna be a TV show?” I would be open to that idea, but I would want to start from scratch. The idea is very theatrical. I’m talking to three people who aren’t there. There are four characters in this play and I only play one and I’m talking to furniture. I like that the audience gets to imagine what those other people look like and what they’re saying. You don’t always know what they’re saying back to me. If I did it as a film, you’d have to see them, and I don’t think it’d be as fun for me to do. I will stand in the way of me making money any way that I possibly can. [laughs] So, this is going to be a small play in a small theatre for gay people so why am I not a homeowner? I don’t know.

 

Q) That kind of ties into my other questions: did you always want it to be a one-man show?

 

Droege: I did. I always wanted to make the audience see this guy. In the gay world, we always see the hot guy in the speedo and the really successful guy and the really kind of quippy, smart, slutty guy. We see those people, but I wanted us to see the mess that I play.

 

TQ) he wedding comedy genre is so fun. Do you have a favorite?

 

Droege: I love Bridesmaids. Love it. I also love a Robert Altman movie called—

 

Urie: A Wedding! So good!

 

Droege: One of my favorites. Carol Burnett and Mia Farrow.

 

Urie: You can’t beat Father of the Bride.

 

Droege: Amazing.

 

Urie: There’s a movie called Blind Date.

 

Droege: Oh my God, with Kim Basinger!

 

Urie: And Bruce Willis!

 

Droege: Oh my god, I love that movie. With the olive in the cleavage. Blind Date’s a great one. Because the stakes are so high at a wedding and it brings out all the family and all the shit that people have.

 

Q) I saw the Troop Beverly Hills parody like three times when it was at Rockwell a few years ago and loved it so much.

 

Droege: Oh my god! Thank you.

 

Q) Do you have any fun memories from that?

 

Droege: That was one of the most fun casts I’ve ever worked with. I miss that show so much. We had so much popular music in the show, so every time I hear a song like “Material Girl” or “I Will Always Love You” I think of our show and I think of Marla [Mindelle] and everyone in that show. Marla, who played Phyllis Nefler and Kat Tokarz who played the Mary Gross part—we tried to crack each other up every night. They have these powerhouse voices, but they’re also so funny. I was so honored that I got to scream at them because I’m a horrible singer. I would go out there onstage and basically bark and scream while they had these beautiful voices. That was a dream job.

 

Urie: I can’t believe I missed it.

 

Q) There are YouTube videos of it!

 

Droege: There’s so much YouTube. I didn’t even know until the other night, but there’s so much YouTube.

 

Q) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers, directors, actors…anyone trying to break into this business?

 

Droege: I always say, “Just make stuff.” Make as much stuff as you can. The cream rises. No one ever shares like a mediocre video. Like if you make something that’s mediocre, it’ll go away and you’ll make something better next time. No one goes, “Check out this thing—it’s not that great.” I think people are so afraid of putting something out there that’s not good, but you have to be willing to put out a bunch of stuff that’s not good. I have no way of knowing when I put stuff up what’s good and not good. So, I say, “Just make a bunch of stuff, and put yourself out there.”

 

Urie: I would say when something cooks and is working, keep doing it. Don’t put it away. When something’s not cooking and not working, stop doing it. Stop trying to make it work. It’s hard because you start with hopes and dreams, and hopes and dreams can often come true, but they can also change. The earlier you let them change, the earlier you can be satisfied with the results.

 

Q) Drew, I know you have a long history with Outfest. What makes this festival so special?

 

Droege: There are so many people I only see this time of year. On a selfish personal level, there are so many people I get to reconnect with that I know and love. There’s also so much history. There are so many points to view. I learn about LGBTQ+ people every time I come here. I just sit down and go, “I had no idea that point to view existed” or “I had no idea that story existed.” It’s really powerful. Movies are something that’s really powerful and can connect people. We all watch and love movies and there’s power in these stories that are told this way.

 

Urie: That’s a really good answer. I can’t really top that. So, ditto.

 

 

 

Bright Colors and Bold Patterns is now available to stream on BroadwayHD.