Although described by one reviewer as "easily the most fascinating Broadway show of the year," The Wild Party received mixed reviews and closed after a short run.

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Harlem Song--"a combination Broadway-style musical and Harlem history lesson"--is a multi-media show featuring photographs and newsreel footage from the 1930s through the 1960s as well as musical numbers from the various periods. Wolfe wrote the piece for the reopening of the refurbished Apollo Theater in 2002.

In 2003, Wolfe directed the acclaimed and unusual musical Caroline, or Change by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori. Set in Civil Rights-era Louisiana, the story focuses on a Black maid who works for a Jewish family at a time of profound social change. In May 2004, the musical moved to Broadway, where it ran for four months.

Wolfe also recently has directed Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog, which won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play, about two black brothers, has been widely praised for its insights into family dynamics and competitiveness. After its run at the Public, it was moved to Broadway.

"Democratic Fascist"

As a director, Wolfe calls himself "the most democratic fascist you'll ever meet," listening to all opinions before handing down a final decision--one consistent with his own vision of a project.

Joe Mantello, directed by Wolfe in Angels and himself the director of Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion!, echoes this assessment, calling Wolfe "a patient tyrant...[who] sees very clearly what he wants, and you end up there--but feeling that you've done it all on your own." Blade playwright Oliver Mayer says that Wolfe encouraged him "to push the envelope, to be brave."

Wolfe is widely admired for his exuberance and energy, his strong work ethic, and his abiding commitment to bringing cultural diversity to the stage and a culturally diverse audience to the theater.

After more than a decade of success at the helm of the Public Theater, Wolfe announced in late 2004 that he would be leaving the post to pursue opportunities in film direction. His first project was Lackawanna Blues, a screen adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's semi-autobiographical play.

The movie was enthusiastically received at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005 prior to being broadcast on HBO in February. Robert Bianco of USA Today called Lackawanna Blues "an auspicious film directing debut" for Wolfe, adding that "in his hands what was on stage a man telling stories is now a storybook come to life."

Wolfe seems poised for further success in this new phase of his career.

Since Stonewall, gay and lesbian drama has flourished, especially in the United States.

In literature, the gay male cross-dresser and the lesbian cross-dresser are depicted quite differently.

The musical has been a significant aspect of American gay male culture, manifesting itself both in diva worship and, more recently, in the presentation of openly gay characters and shows written by gay writers primarily for gay audiences.

A proponent of the "diva musical," Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman made homosexuality the undisguised subject of La Cage aux Folles but he did so just as gay culture lost its need of a diva to voice its concerns.

In addition to being a prize-winning playwright, Tony Kushner has become a celebrity spokesman for gay politics and AIDS 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.

Texas-reared Terrence McNally, whose first play, And Things That Go Bump in the Night, was one of the great scandals of the 1964 New York season, emerged in the 1990s as America's most important gay playwright since Tennessee Williams.

Critically acclaimed Asian-American playwright Chay Yew has consistently produced provocative drama addressing issues of racism, homophobia, and censorship.