The issue of gays in the military has lately taken a back seat to the more hot-button topic of gay marriage, as same-sex couples from all over the country flock to our Golden State to tie the knot. The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy was supposed to allay the fears of gay and lesbian servicemembers, but for many soldiers and sailors, serving openly still carries with it the same very real -- and very negative -- consequences that it did half a century ago. An engaging new musical currently making its West Coast premiere at Diversionary Theatre takes a look at two such soldiers serving our country during World War II, and for fans of the genre, "Yank!" is the strongest, most entertaining new musical to hit San Diego since "Avenue Q" kicked off its tour here last summer.

Tom Zohar and Tom Doyle

Copyright©2008 Ken Jacques

Like that irreverent musical tale of puppets and porn, "Yank!" comes to us by way of New York, though without the Tony Awards or a Broadway premiere (at least, not yet). A debut at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2005 was followed by a short run last year at Gallery Players in Brooklyn, and with any luck, this worthy new musical will find a life off-Broadway and at other regional theatres like Diversionary.

Director Igor Goldin, who headed "Yank!" in its previous incarnations, brings his expertise to the Diversionary production, and has assembled an impressive 12-member cast.

Tom Zohar leads the way as the story's protagonist, who we first find in present-day San Francisco with a dog-eared journal he discovered in some junk shop. A young soldier appears, singing the first of composer/lyricist team Joseph and David Zellnik's 14 pastiche songs, a gorgeous ballad called "Remembering You" that takes us back six decades to a World War II-era Army boot camp. It's a simple framing device, and an effective one, as Zohar becomes Stu, a young draftee and the keeper of the journal.

It doesn't take long for the sensitive Stu to realize he doesn't fit in with the other guys in his company, among them good ol' boy Tennessee (Zachary Bryant), likable Brooklyn lug Czechowski (Juston Harlin), and Sicilian immigrant Rotelli (Rocky DeHaro). That's where that young soldier with the golden voice comes in, who turns out to be Mitch (Tom Doyle), the fellow private to whom Stu finds himself increasingly drawn. The attraction turns out to be mutual, if inconsistent, and as the weeks turn into months and years, the pair face formidable challenges.

(L-R) Z. Bryant, J. Harlin, T. Doyle, T. Zohar, S. Salumaa, & R. DeHaro

Copyright©2008 Ken Jacques

It's all a slightly altered take on movies and musicals of the era, a sort of marriage between platoon buddy flicks like "Sands of Iwo Jima" and wartime movie musicals like "Hollywood Canteen," but with a gay twist.

The cast abounds with strong work all around. As Stu, Zohar doesn't get to leave the stage much, nor do we want him to, so finely etched is his portrait of a young man discovering himself during a chaotic moment in history. With his boyish looks and pleasant singing voice, he's a good match for Doyle's conflicted Mitch, and the pair's second-act ballad, "Just True," is a highlight of the Zellniks' melodic score.

Playing all the women, from Dinah Shore to the soldiers' various sweethearts, mothers, and fantasies to an especially comic turn as a butch officer who wants to help the boys out, is the versatile Amy Biedel, whose voice wraps itself around the period songs with ease.

(L-R) J. Caltrider, T. Peringer, T. Zohar, A. Biedel, E. Dowdy, & T. Houck

Copyright©2006 sandiego.com, Inc.

Among the other winning numbers is an extended fantasy sequence involving the "three little maids" of the Army steno pool, a trio of rather effete servicemen (played by John Whitley, Trevor Peringer, and Tony Houck) who sit at their desks shouting "straight-acting" profanities all day but call each other Scarlett, India, and Melanie (characters from "Gone with the Wind") when the brass isn't looking.

If there's a weak moment in the show, it's the scene in which Stu first meets Artie (Eric Dowdy), the gay friend and mentor who saves him from the front lines by getting Stu a job taking pictures for "Yank" magazine (the real-life army weekly that inspired the show's title). The tap-happy number is called "Click," and in this production, anyway, it just doesn't.

Despite this small misstep, it's an exciting --and intimate -- new piece, with the Army-drab flats of Goldin's design doing most of the scenic work, and musical director Amy Dalton playing an unseen keyboard accompanied by percussionist Nathan Hubbard.

A new musical that provides a tuneful, entertaining score while telling an untold chapter of our nation's history, this production of "Yank!" is an auspicious beginning to Diversionary's '08-'09 season -- and hopefully just one chapter of its journey to further acclaim in New York and beyond.

But why wait? Say you saw it here first.