DeLaria's other theatrical successes have included the off-Broadway hit The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told (1998) in a role that Paul Rudnick wrote especially for her; a 1999 production of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's The Boys from Syracuse in Los Angeles; a turn as Big Mama Morton in the national touring company of Chicago (1999; book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse; music by John Kander; lyrics by Ebb); an appearance on Broadway (2000-2002) playing Eddie and Dr. Scott in Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Picture Show; and a starring role in a San Francisco revival of Once Upon a Mattress (2004; book by Dean Fuller, Jay Thompson, and Marshall Barer; music by Mary Rodgers; lyrics by Barer). Of the last, critic Robert Hurwitt declared, "Lea DeLaria doesn't just light up the Eureka Theatre stage. She owns it."

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Because of her numerous acting jobs DeLaria has had to cut back on her appearances in stand-up but remains a popular performer on the club scene. In the course of her career she has taken her act to many cities in North America and also toured in Australia, New Zealand, and England. She has produced two comedy CDs, Bull Dyke in a China Shop (1992) and Box Lunch (1997), featuring material from her shows.

DeLaria's club performances include not only her brash and topical humor but also music. Her singing talent earned her a contract from Warner Brothers. Play It Cool (2001), on which she sings jazz versions of Broadway tunes including Stephen Sondheim's "Losing My Mind" and Kander and Ebb's "All That Jazz," was enthusiastically received.

Since then, she has issued three more jazz albums: Double Standards (2005), The Very Best of Lea DeLaria (2006), and Lee DeLaria--The Live Smoke Sessions (2008).

DeLaria has written (with Maggie Cassella) Lea's Book of Rules for the World (2000), a funny, frank, and irreverent compendium of her thoughts. She has also written a screenplay of Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues but has yet to find a producer for it.

While DeLaria relishes the diverse roles that she has been able to play, she said in a 2004 interview that she is still waiting for the perfect part. "There is a fantastic musical for me, but nobody has written it yet," she commented.

As DeLaria searches for that role she continues to delight audiences with her talent, energy, and wit. She has a special place in the hearts of many glbtq spectators, who prize her honesty, openness, and pride in herself.

Historically, cabarets and revues have been much more likely to mention or imply same-sex desire than the "legitimate" theater; and same-sex desire has been less frequently condemned in cabarets and revues than in mainstream plays.

Lesbian stand-up comedy provides an excellent example of how comedy can foster social and political awareness in both minority and mainstream communities.

"Not merely a self-confessed homosexual, but a self-evident one," actor, writer, performance artist, and wit Quentin Crisp left as his most significant legacy an example of courage.

Funnyman Frank DeCaro has found success both in serious journalism as a fashion writer and editor and in comedy as a writer, performer, and radio talk show host.

Political organizer, grassroots historian, and accomplished writer, Leslie Feinberg is a pioneer of transgender activism and culture.

Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb are the musical poets of the poymorphous perverse; their works glorify the creativity inherent in sexual ambivalence and celebrate unorthodox forms of political activism.

Composer Michael John LaChiusa, identified as a heir to Stephen Sondheim's legacy in the American musical theater, creates works that demand intellectual involvement on the part of the audience.

Alec Mapa has enjoyed success as an actor and on the comedy circuit. He is also an activist for glbtq rights.

Out American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter Paul Rudnick brings a gently subversive wit to all of his projects.

One of the most innovative talents of the musical theater in the second half of the twentieth century, Stephen Sondheim has only indirectly reflected his homosexuality in his work.

Out, proud, pretty, and funny, stand-up comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer is also an outspoken supporter of glbtq and feminist causes.

Tony Award-winning director, writer, and producer George C. Wolfe is known for his abiding commitment to bringing cultural diversity to the stage and a culturally diverse audience to the theater.