Aisle Seat

DoYou Are What You Eat
His claim to fame is that he's so well-endowed he can blow his own horn, so to speak: Scott O'Hara, a former gay porn star, makes his debut as a stage actor (unless you count appearances at the Campus Theater) this month at Theatre Rhinoceros in Making Porn by Ronnie Larsen. O'Hara saw Larsen's last work, Scenes From My Love Life, and called Larsen to see if he could excerpt the script for his magazine about radical sex, Steam. The two artists began talking and, according to Larsen, "about 10 minutes into it, I thought, Here's my next play." The new show is based on O'Hara's experience in the industry, including losing out on a prospective film role for insisting on using a condom. (O'Hara, who's HIV-positive, reports that in the late '80s it was common for porn-movie producers to disregard safe-sex precautions -- in spite of the fact that some porn stars were getting AIDS.) "There's a lot of nudity in the play," says Larsen, "but it's not sexual at all. Like, there's this scene where this guy's getting his ass shaved and it's totally unglamorous and boring. Or a guy goes for a job and a director says, 'Let me see your dick,' just like someone would say, 'Show me your resume.' Or, on the set, he says, 'Fuck his face for a while.' It's just so cold, it's not that erotic." O'Hara, by the way, plays the director, so he'll keep his clothes on for this show.

Boys in the Band
San Francisco Shakespeare Festival had such a good time producing its first musical, Oh, Kay!, last year that it will mount another: The Boys From Syracuse opens Aug. 15 under the direction of the ultratalented Albert Takazauckas (who is known to audiences for his sparkling revivals of such old Broadway gems as Light Up the Sky and Dinner at Eight for ACT). Those who saw Oh, Kay! will be pleased to note that, in addition to returning director Takazauckas, Kevin Cole, the music director and piano player who dazzled audiences last year, is also on the bill this time round. A CD of Oh, Kay!, featuring Cole and opera diva Dawn Upshaw, is now out on Nonesuch.

Forever Indeed
That tribute to Argentina's gleefully cheesy export, Forever Tango, celebrates a yearlong run at the Stage Door Theater Aug. 23. As a birthday present to tango fans, the show is offering a special deal Aug. 22-27: All tickets will be $25 (that's $10 off). The dancers, by the way, are the real deal, straight outta Argentina. They know their stuff.

By Laura Jamison