My Life with Terrence McNally: Corpus Christi, Lips Together Teeth Apart

The lights on Broadway are dimmed in the early weeks of the coronavisu pandemic: the great playwright and dear family friend Terrence McNally died at the age of 81 as result of complications from COVID-19.

As you can imagine, we're deeply saddened by the news.

Family are people who share love. I consider Terrence family, in so many ways he was my gay uncle.

Back in high school mom and Terrence dated and stayed close friends throughout their lives.
Besides writing or being part of hundreds of amazing shows, plays and films, Terrence was someone who made it much much easier for me to come out as gay at the young age of 18.

Terrence's plays helped so many wonderful actors launch or reinvigorate their careers including Nathan Lane, Rita Moreno and Chita Rivera.

The character of Patricia in "Corpus Christi" is based on my mom Patricia, and the character of Latino performance artist extraordinaire Ramon Fornos in "Love! Valour! Compassion!" is (very loosely) based on me, Fausto Fernós.

I'm eternally grateful. Love wins. Please enjoy this encore presentation of our podcast with my mom Patricia Fernós on the life and work of her dear friend Terrence McNally.

Feast of Fun Show #1259, originally recorded Sep 27, 2010.

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The gay passion play Corpus Christi, by Tony Award Winning playwright Terrence McNally, is one of the most controversial tellings of the “Greatest Story Ever Told.”

Taken in May of 1957, my mom Patricia Fernós (right) with her arm around Terrence McNally in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The play combines the story of Jesus with Terrence McNally’s own high school experience growing up in the conservative town of Corpus Christi, Texas.

What you may not know is that my mom Patricia Riddick-Fernós was close friends with Terrence in high school and even went on a dates with him. The character of Patricia Rudd in Corpus Christi is based on her.

I recently had the pleasure of introducing the play here in Chicago as part of the Pride Films and Plays series of The Great Plays of Terrence McNally

Join us as we talk to my mom Patricia over the phone about the play Corpus Christi, and her lifelong friendship with the Tony Award winning playwright Terrence McNally.

Plus all the hot news:

➤ Rev Eddie Long, the gay black pope of Atlanta feels he’s under attack and is going to fight the accusations that he coerced sex from young men. Although he denies it, he must have supplied it, because he isn’t touting his innocence either.

➤ Today is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, bad news- HIV infection in the U.S. is on the rise with dudes who have sex with dudes.

➤ Katy Perry fumbles on Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live.

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