American Stage’s After Hours Series returns with Paul Rudnick's new comedy, The New Century, which has gotten some pretty good press — the New York Post warns that there are "so many gut-busting one-liners that those with heart conditions are advised to steer clear." Here's the set-up: Helene brags on her three gay sons at her Long Island chapter of POLGBTQCCCO: Parents of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, The Transgendered, The Questioning, The Curious, The Creatively Concerned and Others. Mr. Charles, on the other hand, is finding his flamboyant ways a bit of a drag. The new gay order of NYC exiles him, and Charles now spends his time with a hunka-hunka burnin' love named Shane, with whom he produces a cable TV show called Too Gay? On the other side of the world (or so it seems) Midwestern Barbara, a competitive cake decorator and craftswoman, has lost a son to AIDS. When the three drastically different characters collide, expect a lot of laughs tossed with a hefty dose of poignancy. Oct. 20-Nov. 1, 7 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., American Stage, 163 3rd Street N., St. Petersburg, $20, $10 student rush tickets 30 minutes prior to curtain, 27-823-7529, americanstage.org. – Franki Weddington
