Diane Bearden-Engright

Sordid Lives is arguably not only one of the most beloved modern era stage plays, but also an important piece of LGBTQ+ history. Not only was it written and originally directed by the the queer community’s most prolific playwright, Del Shores, but the original production, as well as the subsequent 2001 film adaptation, a prequel tv series and another cinematic sequel all featured the late great Leslie Jordan in the pivotal role of Brother Boy. With that in mind, when I heard Playhouse 615 was mounting their own production of the original stage play, I knew I wanted to catch up with a few of this production’s stars, including: Steve Raimo (Brother Boy), Mick Grayson (Ty), Robert Coles (Wardell), Diane Bearden (Aunt Sissy) and director, Erin Grace Bailey for my latest Rapid Fire 20Q interview.

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RAPID FIRE 20Q WITH STARS AND DIRECTOR OF PLAYHOUSE 615’s SORDID LIVES

RAPID FIRE WITH MICK GRAYSON, TY WILLIAMSON IN SORDID LIVES

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What is it about Ty that make you want to take on this role?

MICK GRAYSON: I’ll be totally honest – I went into the audition pretty blind. I had merely read the description of the play at the time, and chose the role whose description best fit me. I try to let myself be surprised when I do a cold read for an audition, as we did with Sordid Lives, because I want to use my instincts to drive what character choices I would make. Now that we have spent several weeks developing these characters, I feel like Ty is an interesting juxtaposition as he is simultaneously the audience’s “everyman” who helps ground the show, while also demonstrating that even those in the higher social castes (celebrities in this instance) are not immune to social stigmas. Ty’s story is a deeply personal one that echoes throughout the rest of the characters’ stories, and that echoing alongside the amazing work of the rest of the cast helps to make everyone in the show more realistic and not caricatures.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: I understand you studied Acting at UT Knoxville. Anyone who reads my column with any regularity knows that I always ask the following on UT alum…Did you have any opportunity to study under my friend Carol Mayo Jenkins? AND…What is something you learned during your time at UT that you value as a life lesson you’ll not soon forget?

MICK GRAYSON: I sadly did not get much of a chance to work with Carol in a classroom setting, but I did work with her backstage on multiple shows. Due to the very high standards and requirements for actors at the Clarence Brown Theatre, I worked on over a dozen shows as part of different backstage crews, so I never got to see the process of Carol going through and building her characters with the directors, but I do remember the level of commitment she brought to every show when I saw her work.

As for life lessons, I think one of the biggest ones was about finding and building your own community. In my bio, I mentioned my gratitude for the support of both my related and chosen family. You wind up connecting so deeply with people you work on productions with, and quickly learn how you can and need to rely on them. It’s funny because I frequently worked the annual Christmas Carol shows at the Clarence Brown, and between days with multiple shows, children’s performances, the long run of the show, and the fact that it coincides with final exams, it was an incredibly stressful and tiring experience, but also some of the most memorable times at UT came from doing those shows.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: In your show bio you’re very honest about the fact that you’re disabled. That hit a chord with me, as I myself am physically disabled. How important is it for you to be a performer, showcase your talents and focusing on your ability, as opposed to your disability?

MICK GRAYSON: I think we can thank my mom for that one. She was a lion when it came to my illness-she never shied away from the severity of it, but she never made it where the illness was my only defining quality. When she was looking to enroll me in pre-school, she made where I would be introduced to the teachers and they could get to know me and how I operate BEFORE disclosing my illness to them; not as a means of staving off rejection from the school, but to indicate that I am more than my health condition.

I’ve applied that now as an adult, to where I recognize my limits, but never want that to be limit the quality of my life. I am fortunate in that for the most part, my disability is invisible. Most people who see me wouldn’t know I have any issues, and that makes it easier to avoid any discrimination or external limitation. But I think it’s important to be represented in this space so those who identify as disabled or who do have significant health problems can reduce their self-imposed limitations and live more on their own terms.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: I understand is your first time working with Playhouse 615. How has the experience been so far?

MICK GRAYSON: I’ve loved it. I’ve been out of this world for several years after COVID, and the team has made me feel right at home right out the gate. No production is without its snags, and Erin Grace has been a great champion of the play itself and supportive of the cast as we all work through our individual issues. I’m also impressed by the work that the cast has put forth in trying to connect with this story and their characters to make it hysterical while keeping its poignancy. For a return to the performing world, I don’t think I could have asked for a better set up.

RAPID FIRE WITH STEVE RAIMO, BROTHER BOY IN SORDID LIVES

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You’re playing Brother Boy, a role made famous by the late, great Leslie Jordan. I know you’re as big a fan of this work as well as the two feature films and the tv series based on the play. So how are you finding a balance between honoring the iconic character created so perfectly by Leslie while making it your own?

STEVE RAIMO: What an honor it is to portray the character of Brother Boy, and I can only hope that I do the character justice for Del Shores, and that Leslie will smile on me from above. Those are some pretty big heels to fill.  Because this character is so genuine, it’s so much fun to try and bring them to life for an audience.  I remember the first time watching the movie, I fell in love with Brother Boy, and I have put my heart into this role to have our audience fall in love with him too.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Not long after the cast of Playhouse 615’s Sordid Lives was announced, you and I chatted and you asked me if I had any advice in your portrayal. After I paraphrased RuPaul’s “Don’t F it Up”, I suggested that you not play Brother Boy’s drag scenes with the same self-assuredness that you bring to the stage in your drag persona, Veronika Electronika. Have you taken that advice, and how do you see Veronika and Brother Boy’s Tammy Wynette drag as different characters?

STEVE RAIMO: Veronika via Steve is so different from Tammy via Brother Boy.  They approach their stage personas in different ways. To Brother Boy, Tammy gives him life, he idolized her, while Steve gives Veronika life; she’s nothing without him. I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone and put the drag diva to the side and let Brother Boys love for Tammy shine through.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: On the flip side, are there indeed similarities between Tammy and Veronika?

STEVE RAIMO: If there are similarities,  it’s that they are there to entertain. Brother Boy’s Tammy to the patients at the state hospital, and Steve’s Veronika to audiences at venues across Nashville and beyond; but at the end of the day, us Queens are here to bring Joy!

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Why was it important that you not only audition for this role, but that you get it?

STEVE RAIMO: Well, as a potential Class D felon, in the eyes of the State of TN I feel that it is important to have drag representation in theater. Roles like Hedwig, Alban, Mrs.Turnblad and of course Brother Boy are just the roles that showcase the versatility of what drag is (and what it isn’t).

RAPID FIRE WITH DIANE BEARDEN, SISSY HICKEY IN SORDID LIVES

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What can you tell me about Sissy Hickey, the character you play in Sordid Lives?

DIANE BEARDEN: A mediator, listener, friend, sister, aunt, smoker and, bless her heart, white trash.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Sissy is one of my favorite characters in the Sordid Lives universe, partly because she’s got some real zingers and great comebacks. Do you have a personal favorite Sissy-ism? 

DIANE BEARDEN: “Jesus Called, Peggy Answered….Awwwwww”. Coming in a close second, “Bless’er heart. Had more troubles than Christ on the cross.”  

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You were last seen on stage at Playhouse 615 in their recent production of Nunsense, you directed their production of The Sugar Bean Sisters and you’re a member of their Board of Directors. What is it about Playhouse 615 that keeps you coming back?

DIANE BEARDEN: I have a real soft spot for this theatre. I’ve been with them since the beginning. Exciting stuff happening at Playhouse 615. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Is there a character trait of Sissy’s that you’d like to adapt to your own life?

DIANE BEARDEN: Quite frankly, I already possess most of Sissy’s traits. The only difference really is I don’t smoke. Typecasting at it’s finest.  🙂

RAPID FIRE WITH ROBERT COLES, WARDELL ‘BUBBA’ OWENS IN SORDID LIVES

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While coordinating these chats with you and your cast and director, you revealed to me that you’ve never actually seen Sordid Lives, not onstage, not the films, not the tv series. Do I need to revoke your gay card? Seriously though, you also went on to tell me that you wouldn’t be viewing any of the source material so as not to sway your portrayal of Wardell. That said. Who is Wardell to you?

ROBERT COLES: Haha! You’re not the first person to try to revoke my gay card because of this! Alas, I have not seen Sordid Lives. In fact, I didn’t do any research prior to auditions, and never read the full script until our read through! Once cast, I didn’t want to watch the material to make sure I was creating a character that is authentically mine. Wardell is such an interesting character. We see him go through a full spectrum of emotions in about 30 minutes, and ultimately attempt to redeem himself. He’s deeply flawed, deeply remorseful, and takes the opportunity given to him to make things right. I’ve enjoyed not only getting into the emotions of the character, but also the physicality of him. Wearing the tight Wranglers and boots, walking more “straight,” and stripping down to my underwear have all pushed me mentally and physically to be a better actor. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What’s been the most challenging aspect of playing Wardell?

ROBERT COLES: We’re dealing with some heavy subject matter in this show, and we try to do it with humor and grace. For me, some of the lines I say are very hard to deliver as an out and proud gay man. But, they’re also very healing for me. As someone who has faced discrimination for being gay, I’ve been able to heal myself by saying these lines via Wardell that I wish were said to me. I’m hoping to bring some humor and laughs to the stage, while also showing that we are all flawed, but all capable of change. As someone who has made tons of mistakes, Wardell and I are on the same path. I work every day to continue to correct mine and make amends. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Now that you’ve read the script and are fully immersed in the Sordid Lives world, if the opportunity ever arose and you could play another character, who would it be and why?

ROBERT COLES: Oh, goodness!! This is an excellent question. If I could play any character, it would probably be Sissy. But, I think that’s only because of the brilliance I see in Diane’s performance every night. Her comedic timing is just too brilliant. And I love how she’s playing this almost totally strait-laced character who has to hold everyone and everything together at all times. 

If I needed to play one of the male characters though, I would want to play Ty. I love the monologues he delivers. He says so much of what so many gay men are feeling and thinking as they navigate their coming-out journey. And Mick’s performance is so outstanding. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: I’m gonna go a little off-script here and ask you about a couple original plays of yours that you’ve got coming up. What can you tell me about Aunt Sally’s Wild Ride and Lithium & Xanax & All of My Friends?

ROBERT COLES: While I love being on stage, I think my true passion is in writing and storytelling. I’m very excited and honored to have two of my shows running back to back and receiving their world premieres here in Nashville in September and October! 

Lithium & Xanax & All of My Friends is a semi-autobiographical drama about a gay man, Adam, who has difficulty coming to terms with past traumas. His friends gather together one night to stage an intervention and force him to deal with his past so he can move forward, or face the consequences if he doesn’t. This show is unique in that it has three different endings, and Adam gets to decide in the moment which ending he wants to tell that night, forcing the audience and his fellow actors to truly be in the moment to tell the story. I’m very excited that this show will also be premiering Off-Broadway in New York City with Theatre 4the People in 2025! The show runs October 4-12 at the Darkhorse Theatre, and tickets can be purchased at bsntheatre.org

Aunt Sally’s Wild Ride is my love letter to Nashville and good old fashioned southern comedies. I’m very excited that Playhouse 615 was interested in partnering for this production to give it a quality world premiere before the show becomes available for licensing worldwide next year. The basic storyline is that Aunt Sally (who will be played by the brilliantly talented Linda Spier) has had enough of her boring routine and starts to go a bit off the rails. Her family gathers together out of concern for her eccentric behaviors (and to ensure she doesn’t spend their inheritance) and chaos ensues. It’s full of fun Nashville references and hilarious characters, and at the end of the day, it’s about family. And, each character is based on a member of my own family! This show runs September 13-29 at Playhouse 615 and tickets will be on-sale soon!

RAPID FIRE WITH SORDID LIVES DIRECTOR, ERIN GRACE BAILEY

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While I gave Robert a bit of a hard time for having never seen the source material, I’m curious what advice as a director you gave your cast on finding their own versions of these iconic and beloved characters?

ERIN GRACE BAILEY: Well, it’s sort of a fine line, right? Iconic characters are iconic for a reason, and while we might want to give a nod to the film, we don’t want to steal those artists’ artistic integrity. Besides, film acting and stage acting are very different. Some things don’t translate as well on stage. 

This might be controversial of me, but I always tell my actors, if there’s a movie of a play that I’m directing and they’ve never seen it, don’t watch it. Let the text speak for itself. At the end of the day, we’re there to tell a relatable story, not create a caricature of someone else.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Who else have you got working with you to bring your vision to life behind the scenes as far as set design, props, wardrobe, hair and makeup?

ERIN GRACE BAILEY: I’ve been really lucky to have such a devoted cast. It’s been a “all hands on deck” production. Most of my designers you’ll also see on stage. Mick Grayson who plays Ty has sort of been my right hand, especially the last week or so. He stayed with me at the theatre until 2 am one night doing our light design while I did sound. Rich Moses who plays GW and my stage manager Kaleigh Reichert did our set, and everybody has pitched in with props and costumes. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve really become a family.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Playhouse 615 is one of the more intimate theatrical venues in the Nashville area, but they’ve proven, especially in recent productions, that they can definitely make the most of the space. How have you dealt with the challenges of the smaller stage for Sordid Lives?

ERIN GRACE BAILEY: I’ve been lucky to have been able to perform on the 615 stage a few times, so knowing what it feels like to be up there was helpful in knowing how to block the scenes. One of the biggest challenges was how to set up all of the different scenes without a ton of furniture. There’s not a lot of room backstage, and this is a cast of 11 people, so storing stuff in the back was not an option. 

I fell in love with found object design when studying directing abroad in Prague, so that’s the concept we went with. Found object is when you don’t buy anything new. Everything is recycled and ideally “found” instead of purchased. It’s perfect for a Southern play. We sort of set the whole thing in the bar but move the furniture pieces around to create the belief of other spaces. The whole design concept has a very Cracker Barrel feel to it (or I guess former Cracker Barrel since they’ve sadly been going modern) with props hanging on the wall, and the audience gets to go on stage and look at it all during intermission and pre-show. I’m hoping our audiences will really enjoy not just our actors, but the design too.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: After seeing Playhouse 615’s Sordid Lives, what do you hope audiences take with them?

ERIN GRACE BAILEY: There are absolutely some heavy topics discussed in this play. Many of our audience members probably will have been through some of these things themselves, but I want the audience to take away that, in spite of it all, life is beautiful, and it’s full of joyful little moments even in its tragedy and complication. I want the audience to remember that love is love is love, and I want them to feel the love that this room of people [the cast] who didn’t know each other four weeks ago now have for each other. Most of all though, I want them to leave with a smile on their face.

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Playhouse 615’s Sordid Lives opens Friday, July 26 and runs weekends through August 11. Performances are 7:30p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with a 2:30p.m. matinee Sundays. Playhouse 615 is located at 11920 Lebanon Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 27112. Tickets for Sordid Lives are $20 or $17 for military and seniors and can be purchased online (CLICK HERE), by phone (615.319.7031), by emailing the Box Office (playhouse615@yahoo.com) or in person beginning and hour before each performance.

Up next at Playhouse 615 is the Middle Tennessee premiere of Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited directed by Anastasia Zavaro and starring Elliott Robinson and Bowd Beal, presented by The Other Me Theatre Company, onstage August 15-18. CLICK HERE for tickets. For more on the show and to keep up with Playhouse 615, check out their website or follow them on Facebook.

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