Crave, the Canadian streaming service that gave the world “Heated Rivalry,” has a new series coming soon for queer sports fanatics. It’s called “Slo Pitch” and it’s exactly what the name implies: a comedy about a lesbian softball beer league and one chaotic, queer, underdog team, served mockumentary-style. Leading the ensemble are “Schitt’s Creek” alum Emily Hamphire and “Frasier” co-star Jess Salgueiro, with a little extra help from a very if-you-know-you-know participant: Ayami Sato, the first woman to play in a Canadian men’s pro baseball league. The 10-episode series is due to drop in Canada first, of course, but in the tradition of Crave’s other original series “Letterkenny,” “Shoresy,” and of course that gay hockey show, it seems safe to assume that the U.S. will get a home plate seat to the series soon enough.
‘Beam Me Up, Sulu’ no longer lost in space
As Sulu on the original 1960s TV series “Star Trek,” George Takei, along with Black co-star Nichelle Nichols, broke ground in an almost entirely white TV casting landscape. Later in life when Takei came out as gay, his character was viewed through a new queer lens, adding more depth to the “Star Trek” commitment to a peacefully diverse vision of the future. Now, a documentary, “Beam Me Up, Sulu,” from filmmakers Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider, explores the meaning of the show through newly discovered footage of the once-lost ’80s fan-made project that actually co-starred Takei. In this mix comes new participation from Takei, as well as interviews with Eugene Roddenberry (creator Gene Roddenberry’s son), Alexander Siddig (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), Christina Chong (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”), Garrett Wang (“Star Trek: Voyager”) and Ian Alexander (“Star Trek: Discovery”). Queer devotion to the legendary Takei begins in February when the film drops on streaming platforms.
You want more Francois Arnaud, you get more Francois Arnaud
He was a working actor before “Heated Rivalry,” but Francois Arnaud — kisser of Kip The Barista, for those who haven’t memorized the show’s cast names yet — is about to be a lot more employed. His IMDb page shows several upcoming projects — including the wild comedy “Fucktoys” that’s currently shaking up the film festival circuit — but the most hockey-adjacent (because Canada, y’all) would be the forthcoming heist comedy, “Keeper of The Cup.” An on-again-off-again project from fellow Canadian Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) that’s now on-again, it’s a road movie about superfans who decide to steal the Stanley Cup for their favorite losing team. The movie co-stars William Shatner (who knows a thing or two about extreme fandoms) and “SNL” pioneer Dan Aykroyd, but queer fans will want to see it for Arnaud when it finally sees the light of day.
‘Oh, Mary!’ coming to your town. Maybe.
The “bratty curls” are coming. Tony Award-winner Cole Escola’s Broadway comedy sensation “Oh, Mary!” will embark on a U.S. tour this fall, hitting all the usual major cities and maybe some unusual ones, too. And if you don’t pay attention to theater, it’s about Mary Todd Lincoln, which is where the commitment to real life history ends. In Escola’s vision, Mrs. Lincoln is a deranged alcoholic who wants to be famous in cabaret. Along with Escola, a host of stars have stepped into the role for its Broadway run, among them Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess and Jinkx Monsoon. As for tour casting, right now it’s anyone’s guess, and may well be an opportunity for even more big names to sweat under the Mary wig. We’ll all find out together. Meanwhile, get your most obsessive ticket-scoring friends on their marks for the drop. They’ll go fast.
Romeo San Vicente has toured the Eagle bar in every city.