Infectuated

Meet Steve, a picture of superficiality! Work! Money! Success! Dopamine! Ketamine! Fresh back on the dating scene after his garbage ex did a Jay-Z on his fine Beyonce ass. But never mind, waiting for his Grindr date and accompanied by Daniel Tusjak (Yachtski Brothers, Promises, Promises, Superstar Carpenters) who also happens to be at the bar with his piano, Steve has some things to sing about it as he asks himself “What do I need to fill my hole?” Infectuated by Stephen Loftus is a punchy, one-man exploration of the shadow-self, blame, sexy self-sabotage, and bouncing back. An essay on the human condition through the medium of cabaret, obvs, Stephen shows us the true consequences of toxicity.

Someone wiser than us once said “Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to get sick…” but the question is, how sweet is the poison, and how long will it last? Originally a two-character show, Infectuated began as a COVID commentary, the virus representing the more sickly, twisted aspects of humankind – something that we could “other”, something that we could blame. As the writing developed and the writer dug deep, it became clear that in fact these two aspects existed within the one entity: Steve. And if Steve was going to live with himself, he had to begin to accept all of it. A one-man collaboration with exciting up-and-coming actor Stephen Loftus (Coming Out, Meerkat Productions, Muzicbug), director Anthony Jacobsen, dramaturg Erin McIntosh (Ned Kelly Musical, The Winter’s Tale), and pianist/composer Daniel Tusjak, Infectuated is a generous, personal sharing of something each and every one of us can relate to: When there’s no one else to blame, what are we going to do?