Quantity doesn’t mean lack of quality at Onyx Theatre

The little-playhouse-that-could just turned 5 years old, and its bill of fare shows no sign of losing stride.

Things started slowly in 1996 when management of The Rack (a fetish shop) renovated a small, empty space into a 96-seat home for live and film entertainment. Co-owner Mike Morse began by presenting just one production a weekend. Trouble was, Morse was trying to make the space profitable, and keeping it dark so often wasn’t going to accomplish that. He started adding shows during the week, then staggering playing times so that he could offer maximum product.

This week, for example, finds three productions vying for attention: the one-man “Miss Coco Peru Does Vegas,” the musical “Naked Boys Singing” and “Nuthouse,” an original comedy that advertises itself as “a journey into the deranged mind of your typical psychopath.” And there’s more to come in October.

The Onyx has had an unusual success with the long-running “Naked Boys Singing.” It opened in the summer of 2009 and, after 200 performances, will be finally closing Sept. 30. It’s hard to remember any off-Strip local production that’s lasted for more than a month.

“It’s running through sheer will,” Morse said during early performances. “I wanted a show that was going to have some longevity to it. It’s getting too expensive to mount a short-run now. … Our audiences are increasing. … I’m on the lookout for intimate, well-received New York shows. … We’ve had our bad days, but now I think we’re beginning to find our niche.”

Although the Onyx does indeed have its bad days, I’ve dropped in occasionally on the short-run, two- or three-night offerings and have often been surprised by their quality. Last week, for example, I “discovered” San Francisco Fringe Festival winner “Love Scenes.” This Gato Flaco Productions one-man play, written and directed by David Pumo and performed by Moe Bertran, was made up of vignettes that explored very different gay experiences by very different people. Bertran exhibited an uncanny ability to transform his soul in front of our eyes. And though his characters did a lot of suffering (usually with a sense of humor), Bertran and his writer/director didn’t exploit the tears. Pumo offered fresh insights into old situations, and Bertran was able to humanize them.

Point being: Don’t assume the entertainment is second-rate at the Onyx merely because there’s so much of it. And while the folks there do plenty of off-beat material, they’ve also hosted the likes of the very traditional “I Do! I Do!” and “Jekyll & Hyde.”

They’ve even built a separate entrance from the fetish shop so that those who’d rather not go exploring there can still buy a ticket without being tempted.

Management is about to branch out again, with a playwriting competition. First prize is $250 and a full production (scripts must be submitted by Oct. 1).

Happy anniversary, Onyx. There’s no guarantee you’ll still be around tomorrow, but you’ve already scaled some seemingly impossible heights.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.