Catch it now: "This One Girl's Story"

"We think this is going to go far," declared GAYFEST NYC co-producer Jack Batman as he proudly introduced a Saturday matinee of This One Girl's Story. Oh, yes. I'll second that emotion. This accomplished musical has got what it takes to win over any audience--queer or straight.

Running now through June 6 at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, the show draws inspiration from the 2003 murder of Sakia Gunn, a black lesbian teen. Heading home late one night after partying in Greenwich Village, she and her friends were accosted by two strangers at a Newark bus stop. When the young women did not return the men's interest and identified themselves as lesbians, the men grew enraged. Gunn put up a fight and was fatally stabbed. Her death received little mainstream news coverage but, even if you've never heard of her, you cannot fail to be affected by This One Girl's Story.

Bil Wright (book) and Dionne McClain-Freeney (music and lyrics) have lifted the outline of this tragic event and imagined a backstory with vibrant, sympathetic characters and relationships. Cee Cee--played by Lacretta Nicole, the cast's heartiest singer and its sexy, radiant core--is the kind of buddy every girl would wish for. She's self-assured, comfortable in her own skin, and possessing a great, sassy sense of fun. Tough when she needs to be, she's got your back. Wright surrounds Cee Cee with women who adore her--her young cousin Patrice (Chasten Harmon) who likes to think of herself as stubbornly independent; her estranged-but-longing lover Dessa (Zonya Love Johnson); and spirited but unhappily single Lourdes (Desirée Rodriguez). Before this crew sets off from Newark for a fateful night on the town, we learn a lot about each one, especially through McClain-Freeney's songs. And I cannot say enough about the richness and sophistication of these lovely numbers, the natural, effortless way they segue from Wright's dialogue, the nimble way they slip into one's heart.

With warmth, playful humor, a wonderful cast and Devanand Janki's tight direction and choreography, nearly everything works. One flaw: The first scene is physically, awkwardly static, with two or more characters just standing around and looking on as others interact. Everyone should be more actively and emotionally involved. And this seems more puzzling in retrospect, after the story's flashback scenes have played out and Wright has brought us back to this crucial opening scenario.

But, otherwise, This One Girl's Story is a sure winner and one that deserves your support and continued life beyond, way beyond, GAYFEST NYC. Hurry! Go!

Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex
312 West 36th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues), Manhattan
Schedule information and ticketing