''The Deep Throat Sex Scandal'' is an American play by David Bertolino. It follows the life and career of

Harry Reems Herbert John Streicher (August 27, 1947 – March 19, 2013), better known by his professional pseudonym Harry Reems, was an American pornographic actor and later a successful real estate agent. His most famous roles were as Doctor Young in ...

as he enters the

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

industry, eventually filming '' Deep Throat'' opposite

Linda Lovelace Linda Lovelace (born Linda Susan Boreman; January 10, 1949 – April 22, 2002) was an American pornographic actress who became famous for her performance in the 1972 hardcore film '' Deep Throat''. Although the film was an enormous success, Bor ...

, and its resultant

infamy Infamy, in common usage, is the notoriety gained from a negative incident or reputation (as opposed to fame). The word stems from the Latin ''infamia'', antonym of ''fama'' (in the sense of "good reputation"). Roman law In Roman law, it took ...

and obscenity trial in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. The play originally was produced

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the 45 Bleecker Street theatre. Previews began September 17, 2010 with Malcolm Madera as Reems and Lori Gardner as Lovelace for director

Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. Career In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he has ...

. Bertolino also served as producer. Additional cast members include Graham Stuart Allen, Frank Blocker, Stephen Hope, John-Charles Kelly, Rita Rehn and Zach Wegner. Production Stage Manager: Ernie Fimbres, Assistant Stage Manager: Jeremy Neal, Set Design: Josh Iacovelli, Wardrobe: Jeffrey Wallach, Lighting Design: Graham Kindred, Sound Design: Phillip Rudy. It opened October 10, 2010, and abruptly closed two days later following a dispute with the venue's landlord.

Los Angeles production (2013)

Bertolino transferred the production to Los Angeles in 2013. Following one week of previews, it opened on January 31, 2013, and ran through April 14. Douglas returned to direct. Blocker was the only cast member to reprise his roles from the New York production. Marc Ginsburg and Natasha Charles Parker were cast as Reems and Lovelace, respectively, joining Brett Aune,

Michael Rachlis Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, Bart Tangredi and Alec Tomkiw. Frank Blocker reprised his role as DA Larry Parrish, the only original cast member from the New York production. Adult-film actors

Herschel Savage Herschel Savage (born Harvey Cohen on November 25, 1952) is an American former pornographic actor, director and stage actor who has appeared in over 1,000 adult films. In 2002, '' AVN'' ranked him 46th on their list of ''The Top 50 Porn Stars of ...

and

Veronica Hart Jane Esther Hamilton (born October 27, 1956) is an American former pornographic actress and current adult film director who performed under the stage name Veronica Hart during the 1980s. She is sometimes credited as Jane Hamilton, V. Hart, Ver ...

joined to generate additional interest among porn fans; Bertolino also arranged for a recurring series of celebrity cameos:

Sally Kirkland Sally Kirkland (born October 31, 1941) is an American film, television and stage actress and producer. A former member of Andy Warhol's The Factory and an active member in 1960s New York avant-garde theater, she has appeared in more than 250 fi ...

Bruce Vilanch Bruce Gerald Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on ''Hollywood Squares'', as a celebrity participan ...

Christopher Knight Christopher or Chris Knight may refer to: Film and television *Christopher Knight (actor) (born 1957), American actor * Christopher Knight (filmmaker), blogger and filmmaker * Chris Knight (''Neighbours''), fictional character in the soap opera '' ...

and adult actors

Nina Hartley Marie Louise Hartman (born March 11, 1959), known professionally as Nina Hartley, is an American pornographic film actress described by CNBC as "a legend in the adult world". Early life and education Hartley was born on March 11, 1959 in Berk ...

Hyapatia Lee Vicki Lynch, known professionally as Hyapatia Lee, is an American former adult film actress. As part Cherokee, she was the only Native American in the adult business during her tenure; this contributed to her becoming one of the best-known actre ...

Jasmin St. Claire Jasmin St. Claire (born October 23, 1972) is an American former pornographic actress. She is also known for her work as a professional wrestling personality, most notably for ECW. She has made appearances in the world of professional wrestling an ...

, Rebecca Bardoux and

Alana Evans Alana Evans is an American pornographic actress. She was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2015 and the XRCO Hall of Fame in 2019. Career Evans entered the sex work industry after her husband was injured in his job. She became president ...

are among those who appeared during the show's run. Reems died during the Los Angeles run of ''The Deep Throat Sex Scandal'', and his passing was noted by the production. The Los Angeles production received a 75-percent "bittersweet" rating from an aggregate of 12 reviews on Bitter Lemons.

Movie version (2013-)

Following the closure of the Los Angeles production, Bertolino announced his intentions to produce a movie version of his play through an Indiegogo

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

campaign. At the campaign's conclusion, he had raised more than $25,000, meeting his original goals. "THE DEEP THROAT SEX SCANDAL MOVIE"
Accessed July 31, 2013.

References

External links

Official website''The Deep Throat Sex Scandal'' at Bitter Lemons Los Angeles
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deep Throat Sex Scandal, The 2010 plays Biographical plays about actors Off-Broadway plays Plays set in New York City Works about pornography Plays set in the 1970s Plays set in the 1980s Cultural depictions of Linda Lovelace Cultural depictions of pornographic film actors