Jake Shears, the crazy singer of the band Scissor Sisters, decided to invest in theater. The singer composed the songs for the musical show "Tales of the City", currently showing in the USA.
Jake led the work alongside John Garden (with him in the photo), Scissor's keyboardist on the group's tours. The soundtrack was composed especially for the show, directed by Jason Moore – responsible for the politically incorrect musical anthology "Avenue Q" – and written by Jeff Whitty.
"Tales of the City" was first born as a literary work. Written by Armistead Maupin, an openly gay man, now 67 years old, it was released in a series of eight books, between 1978 and 2010. In Portugal, the series was translated as "Stories of São Francisco".
But it was with the original title of "Tales of the City" that the work became known, and became a TV series in 1994, with continuations in 1998 and 2001. The plot tells several stories that take place in San Francisco, California , involving LGBT characters – one of them, a transsexual, Anna Madrigal (played by Olimpia Dukakis on TV).
Jeff Whitty, also the author of the "Avenue Q" text, said he considers "Tales of the City" current, even though the first book was released in '78. "It's shocking how little has changed," he said. "I think there's something universal about these characters who want to find a family, and be free and out."
The musical premiered in San Francisco in May, at the American Conservatory Theatre, and ends its run on July 31st. Anyone there should check it out.
