Being gay is difficult enough. Imagine trying to be gay and Mormon.

Confessions of a Mormon Boy, playing through Aug. 21 at Diversionary Theatre, details the comic, harrowing, poignant and thought-provoking aspects of the life of playwright/performer Steven Fales.

“I’m a gay Mormon, so I think that makes me an OxyMormon,” he quips. But of course, he is in an unfunny place – in fact, he is in the same boat as the repudiated gay Orthodox Jews, whose stories were so poignantly told in the 2001 film Trembling Before G-d.

Born into a devout Mormon family, Fales went along with the program. He learned the “Mormon smile,” immersed himself in the church and became a missionary (19-year-old Mormons have a two-year missionary obligation). Fales went to Portugal “with 2,500 beautiful, homophobic young men. I wondered whether all those lovely Catholics [in Portugal] were really going to hell if I didn’t get through to them.”

But another kind of hell awaits Mormons who are accused of homosexuality, and though Fales tried to convince himself he was straight, his body and emotions told him otherwise. Twice Fales reported himself to the bishop for illicit liaisons; twice he was assigned to “reparative therapy,” which Fales describes hilariously. It’s just sad that the premise of reparative therapy is so utterly misguided.

But Fales persevered and did what good Mormons are supposed to – he went to Brigham Young University to find a good Mormon wife, though by that time he was sure he was gay. He was lucky to meet Emily, daughter of writer Carol Lynn Pearson, whose book Goodbye, I Love You details how her good Mormon husband came out, left her and later returned home to die of AIDS.

Fales and Emily married, Fales got an MFA in theater, and the couple became parents and tried to pretend nothing was wrong: “We were the Tom and Nicole of Mormonism,” Fales says.

But finally Fales stopped trying to deny nature and declared himself to the church, which wasted no time convening a church court where “20 men in power suits and ties” would judge him. Within 20 minutes, he was excommunicated.

“How had it come to this?” he asks. “I only ever wanted to be a good boy. Believe it or not, I never asked to be gay.”

Moving to New York City, Fales went to the opposite behavior extreme, becoming a high-priced Manhattan escort and falling in with the crystal meth crowd, but eventually decided to quit the blame game, stop being a victim and try to repair relationships ruptured by his coming out.

Confessions of a Mormon Boy is funny, sad and poignant, but always honest. Fales is a terrific storyteller, populating his story with spot-on imitations of others who have crossed his path.

With all the problems Fales has encountered, he remains optimistic. “I’m a Mormon American princess,” he says. “I believe in justice, mercy and miracles.”

Fales is preparing this terrific show for a fall off-Broadway opening. See it here while you can.

Confessions of a Mormon Boy plays through Aug. 21 at Diversionary Theatre. Shows Thursday-Saturday at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. For tickets, call (619) 220-0097 or visit this article at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to Diversionary’s Web site.

Fagin and the Artful Dodger have returned to Starlight Bowl in an uneven production of Oliver!, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ story of the orphan Oliver Twist.

Oliver (Ian Brininstool) is the quintessential orphan. Adorable, respectful and obedient (most of the time), he speaks for all the boys in the workhouse when he asks for more gruel, which marks him as undesirable and starts him on his journey.

Mr. Bumble (Paul James Kruse), assigned to the task of selling Oliver, does so to the strains of one of the show’s most haunting songs, “Boy For Sale.”

Bought as a junior coffin follower, Oliver gets into more trouble for fighting. Forced to flee, he meets the Artful Dodger (spectacularly played by Jacob Sampson) and becomes part of Fagin’s gang of young thieves.

The story of life on the London underside plays out on a vertigo-inducing set of untreated wood with steep rotating stairs and walkways.

The plight of the poor and the corruption of the rich were frequent Dickensian themes. Lionel Bart’s translation to the stage boasts a good, simple script (though one could argue that the story is wrapped up a bit too hastily and conveniently), great characters and some of the most listenable songs on the musical stage. Consider these: the upbeat “Consider Yourself,” “Pick a Pocket or Two” and “It’s a Fine Life,” as well as the poignant “Boy For Sale,” “Who Will Buy?,” “Where Is Love?” and “As Long as He Needs Me.”

Starlight’s production has much to recommend it. Brininstool and Sampson are both terrific. Misty Cotton’s Nancy is dead-on, though her accent meandered a bit the night I saw it. But she has the perfect voice for outside performance: true and powerful.

Bill Sykes is not a major character, but T. Eric Hart gives him a major-league interpretation, particularly in his bone-chilling rendition of “My Name.”

Choularton, the only cast member who can be consistently understood (to be fair to the cast, there seemed to be some dead spots onstage), nonetheless seems a bit uncomfortable as a thief – laid back when he should be criminal and conniving, and almost kindly when he should be mean.

But it’s the lack of energy that makes this a bit of a slog, particularly in the first act. Excepting the rousing “Consider Yourself” and the ballads, the cast seems listless, marking time and singing notes rather than putting a point across.

The whole is less than the sum of its parts. Still, with all its faults, Brininstool and Sampson make this Oliver! worth seeing.

Oliver! plays through July 24 at Starlight Theatre in Balboa Park. Shows Thursday- Sunday at 8:00 p.m. For tickets, call (619) 544-7827.