Leslie Jordan brings "Straight Outta Chattanooga" to Oklahoma

Leslie Jordan’s career trajectory is truly amazing. He arrived in Hollywood in 1982 with $1,500 to his name and it’s been up, down and up again ever since. He is well-known to TV and movie audiences, and in addition to being an actor and comedian, he is an accomplished playwright. Now, Oklahomans can immerse themselves in Leslie Jordan on October 28 when he brings his Straight Outta Chattanooga to McAlester’s Southeast Expo Center.

Jordan has enjoyed the full show-business spectrum according to his website, which reads: “The lean days, the bumps in the road, the acclaim, reaching the pinnacle of television performing with award recognition, the ensuing victory laps followed by an alarming and unexpected down slope, the dangers of being type cast or stereotyped, the challenges to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world of technological advancement, and the ever present threat of being put ‘out to pasture’ by a youth obsessed culture and industry.”

Perhaps best known to LGBTQ audiences for his role as “Brother Boy” in the cult film sensation Sordid Lives, he won an Emmy for Best Guest Actor in a comedy series for his role as Beverley Leslie, Karen’s brutal nemesis on the hit series Will & Grace. Another of his film roles that had audiences laughing hard was his role in Southern Baptist Sissies.

He has appeared in so many TV series over the years that the list alone would take several pages. And, he enjoyed a supporting presence in one of Hollywood’s most prestigious, message-minded films of the last decade, The Help.

Jordan’s playwriting standouts include My Trip Down The Pink Carpet, Stories I Can’t Tell Mama and Fruit Fly.

Jordan talks about whatever he wants onstage in Straight Outta Chattanooga. According to FrontiersMedia.com, Jordan “...draws upon his unique life.” It reads, in Jordan’s words, “‘It’s about being an openly gay actor that grew up with a general daddy. I always knew there was something different about me, and I think other people sensed it. My mom, she was a very Southern woman, and she didn’t want the embarrassment of having a son who was different; so one day when I was 17 she sat me down and said, “Your behavior is scandalous.” I think she meant more of the drinking and drugs than being gay. She handed me money and said to get out of town….’

It continues, “That’s just the beginning of the stories Jordan includes in this new show. Now sober, Jordan’s youthful drug use has shaped his outlook on life. ‘I used to do shows, and afterwards, we’d do a bump of meth before hitting the bars. I think people like it because it’s the best antidepressant. It’s also the world’s worst drug. You can always tell who’s tweaking because they’re in the corner of the bar and they look like a horse that ain’t right - twisting up their mouths. And their breath always smells like cat shit.’”

Leslie Jordan has conquered the international stage with sold out runs in Mexico, Canada and the U.K., and remains an in-demand mainstay as a stage/TV/film performer, voice-over artist, fund raiser, spokesperson, out artist, equal rights activist and all around Southern Baptist celebutante.

The drive to McAlester will be well worth your time. Straight Outta Chattanooga is Friday, October 28, 8 p.m. at the Southeast Expo Center in McAlester. You can buy tickets online at www.JupiterSouthProductions.com or by phone at (918) 318-0901.

The Gayly – September 14, 2016 @ 10:15 a.m.