Cable Car Nymphomaniac, an original musical based on a true San Francisco tale, opens tonight at the Eureka Theatre (215 Jackson St.). It stages exactly the story that the title promises: Gloria Sykes, 23, was riding a cable car in 1964 when it jumped the tracks. Even though she suffered only minor bruising, her libido went off the rails as well. Over the next few years, she bedded hundreds of men (and some women) and subsequently sued Muni for $500,000—and won $50,000. You can't get much more San Francisco-centric than cable cars, sex and suing.
"This was a national scandal," said Tony Asaro of Hayes Valley, artistic director of FOGG Theatre Company, who wrote the music and lyrics (Kirsten Guenther wrote the book, or script; Terry Berliner directed and choreographed it). "This was right after the hippies had planted their flag in San Francisco."
True to the period, the songs run the gamut of late 1960s musical styles. "It was such an eclectic time musically," Asaro said. "I was able to draw on everything from Sly and the Family Stone to Nancy Sinatra, even the Beatles." A live band will perform on stage, and the company is recording an album of the tunes.
Photo: Mark and Tracy Photos
Asaro said he found the inspiration from an article online about the top 10 sex scandals in San Francisco. FOGG—which stands for Focus on Golden Gate, and is not connected to preservationist group Friends of Golden Gateway (FOGG)—formed with a mission to "commission, develop and produce original musical theater, all telling stories that are locally relevant," Asaro added. "The goal is to make musical theater that's actively relevant to our community and our ideology," said Carey McCray of the Haight, who is the executive director/director of new works for FOGG. That includes developing shows with more meaty roles for women, which isn't all that common in musical theater, Asaro and McCray said.
Even though the case dates from 1970, the issues are relevant today, Asaro said. The show takes on gender politics, including the "shaming of women's sexuality in the media and the policing of women," he said. Although the musical is only loosely based on the case, he said microfilm of the trial coverage described in detail what the plaintiff wore each day and called her a "buxom blonde." "It certainly gets you laughing, but it also gets you thinking—perhaps more than you thought you would going into a show called 'Cable Car Nymphomaniac'," Asaro said.
Photo: Kevin Bronk
This isn't the play's premier: It had a successful, well-reviewed, but brief run January 17th–February 2nd at Z Space in the Mission. The company chose Eureka Theatre for this longer engagement because of its medium size of 200 seats—not too small, not too big—and its proximity to public transit. Although the venue generally attracts an older demographic, Asaro and McCray said they're not worried about shocking anyone, because those audience members probably will recall the actual incidents. "The funny thing is, we've encountered people who knew about the case or were involved in the trial," McCray said. "In January, coincidentally, the daughters of the City's attorney and Gloria's attorney were in the audience the same night."
The show runs through June 28th on the following schedule: 8pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2pm Saturdays and Sundays. The June 28th performance will be at 7pm due to the SF Pride Parade. Tickets are $30 on Eventbrite, and limited discount tickets are also available on Goldstar.
