The Gay Best Man tells the story of what happens when a group of Black LGBTQ+ folk are recruited by two of their members to help plan their wedding. In the process of pulling together the event, some previously unattended fault lines in the group’s relationships and some closely guarded secrets a re brought to light: secrets that threaten the group’s cohesion.  Winston (Ziti Parrilla, a compact package of extroversion), Micah (Daniel E. Moore, an ethereal fashionista), and Blue (Troy Chimuma, exuding a barely controlled magnetism) have been close friends for years. One evening, Winston proposes to Micah, who accepts. The question of how the marriage of the two will affect the friendships of the three is one each of them tries to avoid. Micah’s mother is devoutly religious and opposed to gay marriage. But her guilt for the way she has neglected their relationship and her continuing desire to control Micah lead her to give him the money that the couple needs for the wedding.  ‘The Gay Best Man’ cast and crew. FRONT ROW: Troy Chimuma, Ziti Parilla (Winston), Daniel L. Moore (Micah), Anthony Green (Writer/Director), Mia Smith (House Manager), PoetRaeMonet (Porsha), Chrstina Stiglar-Brisco (Jordan); BACK ROW: (Dion Harrison (PA), Kristin Michelle Young (Production Manager/Pops), Yarde Noir (Hair/MakeUp), Chanel Braswell (Technical Director), Renee Williams (Deaconess), Quasheba (PA), Brian Harper (Royalty). Photo by Bianca Ward. Two of Winston and Micah’s women friends are in a relationship in which one physically abuses the other. As one audience member noted: “It’s a messy play.” By which she meant that the lives of the people depicted in the play are messy, not the construction of the play itself. On the contrary, Playwright and Director Anthony Green writes in an easy-to-follow prose that’s full of both witty observation and compassion for the people he’s writing about. Under Green’s competent and caring direction, the events of the play unfold with hilarious and poignant results. Green has worked as a health educator for years, and his plays encourage his audiences to joyously embrace their lives while rigorously examining them in the context of the world they live in. Far from operating from an “art for arts sake” framework, Green’s work promotes individual and community strengthening at the same time that it engages in unrepentant entertainment. To that end, The Gay Best Man, like all works by Cagedbird Productions, was culturally specific and intentional. (Previous productions have included such titles as When Boys Exhale, Run Dat Stunt, Gay Love Jones — titles that refer to films that hold relevance for a large part of the Black American audience.) The evening began with an emcee who warmed the audience up. Not until the audience was comfortable talking back to the emcee did the scripted portion of the performance begin. That call-and-response was maintained throughout the performance with the audience vocally expressing their approval or disapproval of the characters’ choices. For example, when an obstacle to the marriage ceremony arose and the character Blue proposed a socially unacceptable solution, one audience member shouted out, “What’s going on here?” While another audience member responded, “Do it!” Or when a prop vase of flowers stubbornly refused to remain upright despite the actors’ resetting it each time, some audience members called out: “Let it stay down.” And when the actors finally did exactly that, the audience gave them a resounding round of applause. The Gay Best Man was theater as a communal event. (There was also food available that you could eat during the performance, if you wanted.) And it was clear that the actors didn’t just enjoy the act of performance; they also took pride in being trusted with a story that respects the challenges, strengths, and beauty of the community from which it comes. As one audience member shouted out, “Keep telling these stories. They save lives.” Running Time: Approximately two hours and 15 minutes with one intermission. The Gay Best Man played December 12 and 13, 2025, presented by Cagedbirds Productions, performing at The Chateau, 3439 Benning Road NE, Washington, DC. The Gay Best Man Written and directed by Anthony Green CASTDaniel E. Moore, Ziti Parrilla, Troy Chimuma, Brian Harper, Poetraemonet, Christina Stigler-Brisco, Renee Sterling, Kristin Michelle Young,  PRODUCTION TEAMQuasheba (Production Assistant), Chanel Braswell-Person (Technical Director), Mia Smith (House Manager), Yardé Noir (Hair/Makeup Artist) The post ‘The Gay Best Man’ marries wit and compassion appeared first on DC Theater Arts. ...read more read less