The Rights

by George Whitmore

Fire Island, Summer 1980.

Thirty years ago, Paul and Larry wrote a musical about their love for each other. It was a Broadway hit – but, like their relationship, it has faded into obscurity. 

Now, after decades of silence, Paul invites Larry to his house on Fire Island for the weekend. His plan: to persuade Larry to hand over his share of the rights so he can turn their beloved musical into a TV show for the new decade. But if it’s going to be successful, he’s going to need to make their characters straight. 

Sharp, funny, and quietly devastating, The Rights explores the tension between queer history and assimilation. It originally premiered in 1980 in New York, but it remains unpublished. 

George Whitmore was an activist, playwright, journalist, and novelist from Colorado, US. He wrote three plays, two poetry collections, and three novels. His final novel, Nebraska, has been described as "the Great American Novel” and was recently reissued. He was part of The Violet Quill, a circle of major post-Stonewall gay writers including Andrew Holleran and Edmund White. He also wrote Someone Was Here, an early book profiling people living with AIDS. Whitmore died of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses in 1989 at 43.

George Whitmore (1945-1989)

Cast