Filed under: Theater
As gay couples in New York file into churches and courthouses to legally marry and later celebrate their nuptials, New York City's theater world has found its own unique ways to observe and celebrate the historic occasion.
Over the weekend Tony award winning actress and singer Audra McDonald of A Raisin in the Sun and Ragtime fame (and less so the Grey's Anatomy spinoff Private Practice), sung at one of the first ceremonies in the state, one officiated by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
"So honored and excited," McDonald tweeted.
Even gay puppets got in on the action.
According to Broadway.com, Avenue Q puppet characters Rod and Ricky got married at city hall before Sunday's show.
"To have this finally happen for us - especially so soon after Will and Kate - is unbelievable to me," Rod said in a statement, according to the website. "I realize there are a lot of broken hearts out there now that Ricky and I are off the market - step back, all you chorus boys! - but I've known since Day One that Ricky is the husband for me. He's the furry fellow I want to spend my life with both on and off the stage."
Later tonight other gays in the Broadway community plan on gathering at the St. James Theater tonight following an evening performance of Hair to wed.
"It's not just a summer of love," Rory O'Malley, star of The Book of Mormon and a co-founder of the gay rights group Broadway Impact, said at a press conference announcing the event. "It's a summer of equality."