Upstairs, Downstairs The Little Room Downstairs has come a long way from its humble garage apartment beginnings. A breakout new season and a new artistic director mark changes in the little theater that could. by Steven Foster

At press time, the preview has yet to happen, so it’s hard to say whether the play will bring down the house. The roof, however, does leak, so maybe that’s a good sign.

"We can get the roof fixed," laughs Marcy Bannor, "for $300 if we can get the cash tonight. People can go upstairs and have a drink before the show and then we’ll pass around a hat."

If things keep up, Bannor’s going to need to borrow a 10-gallon version from one of the boys at the BRB.

The Little Room Downstairs is one of Houston’s theatrical treasures. Started by musical theater maestro Richard Laub six years ago, Little Room–named because that is what it once was, one little room downstairs from Laub’s garage apartment–has consistently provided the Bayou City with some of the hippest, strangest, most gay-friendly and, well, gay theater for years. Sure, the Alley can trot out a tired old retread by Christopher McNally every so often, but Little Room makes gay plays a staple of every season. And what a season 2001 is going to be, beginning with Laub’s own musical, Disparate Ingredients, directed by Bannor.

"Artistic Director. He had to entice me with a title," Bannor muses, then turns to Laub. "Then what are you?"

"I’m calling myself General Manager," offers Laub.

"Me, I get a different title every night," she deadpans.

Quite true. When you’re artistic director of a small theater company, you wear a lot of hats, which is good because you might have to pass one around for a little extra cash. But with Bannor on board, that shouldn’t last long. In a short six years, the theater has experienced impressive growth. For instance, Little Room actually has two stages: one for larger productions, one for intimate smaller pieces. Take the small spiral staircase to the space above the smaller venue, and you can enjoy a glass of wine in a charming, little living-room setting. It’s a great space for adventurous theater and, together, Laub and Bannor have come up with a winning lineup.

There’s a dash of the classic (Over the River and Through the Woods), the hip (Douglas Carter Beane’s The Country Club), the strange (Fuddy Meers), and the regal (David Hare’s Amy’s View), the latter two being Houston premieres. Reportedly, this season even has the usually un-enthused Everett Evans grinning from ear to ear.

"It’s a fantastic season," admits Bannor, her famously husky voice bubbling with excitement. "Amy’s View is wonderful. Judi Dench won the Tony for it. Richard wanted to do it. He read it and he wanted to do it, but he said the Alley or Stages would get it. I said, Oh, piss on ‘em, what the hell! And we got it."

And now Laub’s got Bannor. And Houston theatergoers are going to be grateful for it.

The Little Room Downstairs 2001—2002 Season

Disparate Ingredients Thru Sept 22

Over the River and Through the Woods Oct. 15—Nov. 17

The Country Club Jan. 21—Feb. 23

Fuddy Meers March 18—April 20

Amy’s View May 13—June 15

The Little Room Downstairs is located at 2328 Bissonnet.  To reach the box office, call 713/522-LRDS (5737). For more info, see their website at www.littleroomdownstairs.cc.