With IF*CKED ​​​​YOU IN MY SPACESHIP on stage now, BUA presents an entertaining LGBTQ+ drama/comedy

THE BASICS: IF*CKED ​​​​YOU IN MY SPACESHIP, a play by Louis Emmitt-Stern, produced by Buffalo United Artists (BUA) with Paige Batt, Andrew Brown, Jeremy Catania, Jason Francey, Sadie Roberts and Aaron Saldana. 5/3 – 5/25 Friday 7:30 a.m. Saturday 5:00 p.m. at Compass Performing Arts Center 545 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo. Tickets at buffalounitedartists.org or buaspaceship.eventbrite.com

DURATION: 75 minutes without intermission

Miniature sketch: Two couples each invite a stranger to their home. The gay couple invites Al, a sex worker, to help them with their role-playing games, especially those involving aliens. The lesbian couple want to have a baby and invite Robert to be the necessary sperm donor. Little by little, the power imbalances within couples begin to diminish.

THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY AND THE PRODUCTION: Regarding aliens, as with extraterrestrials, there are two types of science fiction settings: We Go There (boldly, I’m sure) and They Come Here, with a subgenre of “They’re already here, but We don’t.” Know it… Yet. So when this play opens and we see a large green space creature fucking a man, we’re not sure if we’re supposed to suspend our disbelief and ignore the cheesy costume and believe that it’s really about ‘an extraterrestrial ? Maybe this is a low-budget production and that green outfit was the best they could afford?

No, in an instant the green outfit comes off and we meet Dan (Jason Francey), who is told by his boyfriend Leo (Andrew J. Brown) that he’s not doing it right. Of course, there’s a lot of feigned sensitivity in this dressing, as in “I don’t mean to be critical, but…” and very quickly we realize that Leo is the alpha. And he’s not a good alpha either. So to enhance the ET fantasy, Leo suggests, and Dan agrees to the idea that they go online and find a third man to bring into the mix.

Enter Al (Jeremy Catania), who is the very soul of accommodating, gentle, kind and everything Leo is not. He’s more of a sexologist than anything else. Very quickly, Dan takes the lead role in calling Al to come over more and more frequently, and often when Leo is not at home.

Then, on the other side of the bare stage, we meet Anna (Sandra Roberts), the energetic and responsible alpha of a lesbian couple along with the quieter Emily (Paige Batt). They want to raise a child; Anna has decided that she is the one who will get pregnant, so they too go online and arrange a meeting with Robert, a slightly unlucky guy who agrees to become a sperm donor because he needs the money.

Robert also needs a place to live and, reluctantly, Anna agrees that he can move in (temporarily, she insists). But soon, after Anna goes to bed, Emily and soft-spoken Robert spend more and more time watching TV together and getting to know each other.

I won’t give away the rest of the plot, but I will say that the titular spaceship, created by BUA co-director Mike Doben and coordinated by Steve Harter and Kieran Deyell, was pretty spectacular. Kudos to dialect coach Catherine Burkhart for helping the actors adopt reasonable and consistent British accents. As I’ve said many times before, I’m not a fan of accents. Just tell me where we’re supposed to be, London, whatever, and continue the show with Buffalo accents, I don’t mind. But if you want to do accents, Catherine Burkhart might be the one for you.

BUA, Buffalo United Artists, was founded in 1992 by Javier Bustillos and is, according to its Facebook profile (but not on its website for some reason), “Buffalo’s only LGBTQ+ theater group.” When Rick Lattimer and Mike Doben, two straight guys, were given the role of co-artistic directors a few years ago, I wondered how things might change. As they find their own way, I think this piece was a good choice. That’s not the case, say THE BOYS IN THE BAND, but a lot has changed in the last 30 years, legally and socially, and this play reflects some of those changes.

So it’s fun and despite the title, you could take your mother there. Yes, there’s a bare ass briefly on stage, but nothing Mom hasn’t seen before.

*BUFFALO HERD (Notes on scoring system)

A BUFFALO: It means trouble. A terrible play, a very flawed production, or both. Unless there is a truly compelling reason why you are attending (i.e. you are the parent of someone attending), avoid this show.

TWO BUFFALOES: Fair, but no big shakes. Either the production is quite far from the base, or the part itself is problematic. Unless you’re the type of person who’s content to go to the theater, you might look for something else.

THREE BUFFLES: I still have my problems, but it’s a damn good night at the theater. If you don’t go with high expectations, you’ll probably be delighted.

QUATRE BUFFALOS: The production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content suits you, I would make a real effort to attend.

FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb, a rare note. Comedies that leave you speechless, dramas that truly touch the heart. As long as it’s the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!