Queer Eye for the Stage

When Bravo premiered Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in 2003, it catapulted metrosexuality into mainstream culture. But even South Park noted the absurdity of the show and its gay-looking-but-straight fad. Was it OK for breeders to appropriate everything fun about gay culture without having experienced any of the hardships? And did women really want their men to take as much time as ladies to get ready to go out? The real icing on this queer cake was the five men who broke down the gay “secrets” into five distinct traits: food and wine, grooming, interior design, fashion, and culture. Actor and singer Jai Rodriguez was deemed the “culture vulture” and almost always seemed unsure of why he was there to help. Awkward? Maybe, but apart from food and wine expert Ted Allen, Rodriguez has been the only cast member to stay in the limelight well after Queer Eye ended in 2007. Yes, he has done more than appear in Lady Gaga’s epic music video for “Telephone.” He’s still a working actor, and he’ll flex his thespian skills during City Theatre’s Dirty Little Secrets — the late-night, bawdier cousin of Summer Shorts- — at the Arsht Center’s Carnival Studio Theater. Asked to elaborate on the premise, Rodriguez says it’s “kinda like Glee if Glee were rated R. I don’t hold back. I tell very hilarious and intimate stories from my life. From growing up a strict born-again Christian to winning my Emmy to my first sexual experiences, which surprisingly were not with men. It’s one hell of a hot show.” Those looking for plenty of R-rated laughs will want to catch his performance Friday.
Fri., June 10, 10 p.m.; Fri., June 17, 10 p.m.; Sun., June 19, 10 p.m.; Fri., June 24, 10 p.m., 2011