Christopher Sieber: The Kid Is All Right

What happened?
I was on my knees the entire time. That screws up your body, especially after two years and eight shows a week. The whole thing here [Sieber rubs his stomach] is a distention on my abdomen because I had to push out my muscles to hold myself up through my core. My neck is screwed up so I can’t lift. If I do, my right arm will go numb. So I let it go. If the gays are going to say something about it, let ’em fucking say something about it. I’m 41 years old. I’m a normal guy and have a normal-guy body now.

Do you see yourself as post-gay?
The one thing that bothers me — I may catch shit for this, who knows? — is they always put “openly gay actor Chris Sieber.” Oh, really? Everybody knows. Please, let’s move on. They don’t ever say “openly straight actor.”

Well, in New York or L.A. it’s easy to be out, but for a 14-year-old lesbian, gay, or transgender kid growing up in Kansas, hearing you can come out and still get a Tony nomination is a big deal.
I suppose. [Mock pouts] OK, I’ll get over myself. [Laughs]

The Kid seems to be part of a gay wave hitting the theater world right now.
Yeah, like Next Fall just got a Tony nomination. Geoff Nauffts did, too. That’s fantastic! Michael Urie, who’s a friend of mine, won the Lortel [Off-Broadway Award for Outstanding Lead Actor] for The Temperamentals, about the Mattachine Society. And we’ve got Yank! which is now going to Broadway. Theater always stems from what’s happening around the country and around the world. Yank! came from the “don’t ask, don’t tell” issue. Our show says something about gay adoption. There are certain places that gay men and women with kids cannot go with a family, like Florida. Crazy, fucked-up stuff. We don’t say that in our show because that’s not our job, but we do make the audience aware. All the gay stuff that’s out on Broadway and off Broadway is diverse. It’s not the same old story, which I think is terrific.

The last musical that the New Group produced, Avenue Q, went to Broadway. Do you think The Kid will head to the Great White Way?
Who knows what will happen? I kind of live from day to day, because you can’t plan too far in advance. Things just kind of happen in this crazy business we call “show.” So yes, I’d love to be a part of it. I think it would do well.