The other night on the not-long-for-this-world Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Nathan Lane sang a song called "Laughing Matters," which is from an off-Broadway revue called When Pigs Fly. When Pigs Fly was a very, very gay show that was first staged in New York in 1996.
It has occasionally been mounted elsewhere but not often because the stars of the show are the outrageous (and expensive, I'm sure) costumes designed by a very talented designer of outrageous and expensive costumes, Howard Crabtree. He had done other shows before this one, most notably one called Howard Crabtree's Whoop-Dee-Doo!
Sadly, Mr. Crabtree died from AIDS shortly before When Pigs Fly opened but the show went on. One or two of the songs and sketches by Mark Waldrop and Dick Gallagher made touching, indirect references to the disease. A few years later, I saw a production at the Coronet Theater (now "Largo at the Coronet") here in Los Angeles that used the original costumes. I took my dear friend Carolyn and we invited along our friend, Wendy Pini.
We all enjoyed the show that night but when I think of it, I can't help but associate it with Carolyn's death from cancer, which occurred almost nine years ago. I may write something about that on that anniversary or I may not feel like it.
But some of the numbers in the show are quite brilliant and they're online on this page of YouTube. In my opinion, "Laughing Matters" is not the best song in the show but it's chillingly appropriate in some contexts and what's happening because of the Late Show cancellation is one of them…