Author, artist, and co-owner of South Beach Ironworks gym, Sexton admits to calmly conjuring ideas for his latest work while others sweat: "As people come and go, you hear about these strange goings-on at the beach."
NOTB began incubating after Sexton met Jay-Alexander at a South Beach Gay Men's Chorus production. Jay-Alexander, executive producer of Broadway musicals and celebrity-studded extravaganzas, mentioned he was looking for something grittier to direct. Sexton offered his nascent play. "There's an opinion that if you want to do a first-class show in Miami, you have to import talent from other markets like New York and L.A.," Sexton says. "But we gathered a cool, funky, eclectic cast."
Eclectic indeed. Among the actors: Sexton himself, gay author-about-town David Leddick, and Billy Bean, a Major League Baseball player from 1987 to 1995 and the first one to come out in twenty years. "This play will be a tremendous learning experience for those not involved in the gay community, and for those who are, they'll get some of the funniest moments they've seen in a long time," notes Bean. Hot models, histrionic actors, and urbane artists are among the teaching devices Bean refers to. And for that indelible South Beach stamp, a concession stand could offer muscle tanks, glitter, and bottled water!
