The Off Broadway run of Drew Droege’s well-received solo show Happy Birthday Doug was cut short by the COVID-19 shutdown, but a specially-filmed quarantine performance, produced by Michael Urie, is set to make its streaming debut.
Happy Birthday Doug, directed at the Soho Playhouse by Tom DeTrinis, produced by Urie in association with Zach Laks, and directed for film and edited by Jim Hansen, will premiere on streaming service BroadwayHD September 24.
Written and performed by Droege, Happy Birthday Doug chronicles the 41st birthday of the title character. Droege plays Doug and all of his birthday party guests, a collection of gay men that includes “friends, exes, nightmares, tricks, and even a ghost.”
“As if I could be any more impressed by Drew Droege, he goes and achieves something phenomenal with Tom Detrinis and Jim Hansen, turning Happy Birthday Doug into a movie,” said producer Urie in a statement. “I’m so proud to premiere the movie on BroadwayHD where Drew’s Bright Colors And Bold Patterns lives – two truthful, hilarious tours de force.”
Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, co-founders of BroadwayHD said, “So many great productions did not have the opportunity to finish their runs this past spring, and we are glad that we are able to bring Happy Birthday Doug back to the stage, if only virtually.”
The play scored good reviews in its five-month Off Broadway run, with The New York Times praising Droege’s “scorchingly funny” performance.
Droege’s TV credits include Heathers, Bob’s Burgers and Netflix’s AJ and the Queen.
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