The Spring Horror Show

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“The Spring Gala,” or as it was advertised in its second week, “The Easter All-star Spectacular,” 1966 (familiarly known as “The Spring Horror Show” ), was improvised when a show walked out. Phone calls and “Indian runners” went out, and in came dozens of Off-Off Broadwayers from every venue with songs, skits, excerpts from hit shows, advance looks at script-in-progress, and some “mini-plays” quickly written by Lanford Wilson, me, and others.

(1) One performance’s cast: standing, Bob Dahdah, George Harris II, Freddie Dundee, Mary Boylan, two unknown; kneeling, Claudia Tedesco, Walter Harris, Jeanie Lanson, John Herbert MacDowell, and Deborah Lee. Behind Walter is his brother George Harris III, later famous as “Hibiscus,” creator of San Francisco’s “Cockettes.” More about THE HARRIS FAMILY. (2) NEIL FLANAGAN laughs at me as I emcee The Spring Horror Show on LSD. Read my SKIT. (3) Musician JOHN HERBERT MC DOWELL and dancer JAMES WARING did little work at the Cino, but their personalities and their examples of idealistic professionalism were great inspirations.

L. to R. DEBORAH LEE in costume for ARTHUR WILLIAMS’ “America’s Song and Speech”; WILLIAM M. HOFFMAN, CLARIS NELSON, and H.M. KOUTOUKAS watch LINDA ESKENAS as TOM EYEN’s “FRUSTRATA”; and KOUTOUKAS, LINDA ESKENAS, I, and WALTER HARRIS pose. Center and right photos by JAMES D. GOSSAGE.

1966 “THE SPRING HORROR SHOW.” DEBORAH LEE and BOB DAHDAH take a bow after “Dancing Cheek to Cheek.”

JOHN HERBERT MCDOWELL, MARSHALL W. MASON, and CLARIS NELSON in LANFORD WILSON’s “Wandering,” a man’s whole life in five brilliant minutes. Photo JAMES D. GOSSAGE.

THE SPRING HORROR SHOW. GEORGE HARRIS II does a speech from “Beyond the Fringe”. (Photo by JAMES D. GOSSAGE, poster “forged” by me, 2008)