Plague of the Gorgeous and Other Tales

Ian C. Nelson is assistant director of libraries at the University of
Saskatchewan, and président de la Troupe du Jour, Regina Summer Stage.

The plays in this anthology comprise an interesting assemblage of
vividly contrasting pieces that are firmly committed to outing the voice
of AIDS and are determinedly “alternative” in style.

The plays contributed by Gordon Armstrong, Colin Thomas, and co-authors
Stuart Blackley and Kevin Gregg range from camp to confessional in
style. A less-idiosyncratic piece, “Crown and Anchors” by Lisa Lowe,
is a tough, metaphorical take on AIDS from the point of view of a
lesbian carnival barker. Peter Eliot Weiss, who also provides the
anthology’s introduction, contributes “Remembering Shanghai,” a
polished script that closely echoes the urbane, witty, and accessible
style of both Noel Coward and Oscar Wilde. (The latter two plays are
worth the price of the volume.)

Annoyingly, most of the production photos included in the anthology are
uncaptioned, and the table of contents does not identify the author(s)
of each piece.