Hindsight is always 20/20, as they say, but sometimes knowing something ahead of time can create a moral dilemma; a defining choice. For instance: would a mother keep her unborn child if she knew in advance that he is gay? That’s the dilemma at the heart of Gypsy Productions’ Twilight of the Golds, now playing at the Suncoast Theatre through Nov. 5.

     Suzanne Gold-Stein finds she is pregnant and the newest genetic research reveals the likelihood that the child will be gay. Her parents tell her that, with prior knowledge, they would have aborted their gay son. But her gay brother wants her to have the child.

     The play by Jonathan Tolins first debuted in New York in the early 1990s. It’s a drama involving serious subject matter, but involves a family comprised of funny characters. According to cast members, the feedback has been positive since opening night.

     "Sincerity can be tricky," said Bradley Minus. He plays Rob, the husband of the pivotal pregnant woman. "I got more sincere comments than I have in a long time, not just on my performance but on the show as a whole. I was astounded."

     The actor, who also starred in Gypsy’s Psycho Beach Party, was impressed with the way the audience handled the show – which he acknowledged is emotional and at times heavy-handed.

     "We actually touched the audience with this show," he said. "They laughed, they cried and most importantly, they thought."

     Gypsy Productions has a tradition with its openings. The director, cast and crew gather with the audience for food and drinks immediately after the final curtain call. When the show has gone well, the party lasts quite a long time. After the Oct. 13 opening of Twilight, no one wanted to leave.

     "When the show is good, people will stay, grab some food for a few minutes and then head out," he said. "When the show is great, no one wants to leave – and (opening night) I think the whole audience stuck around for a good amount of time."

    Twilight of the Golds was made into a major motion picture in 1997, starring Jennifer Beale as the conflicted pregnant woman. Her homophobic father was played by Garry Marshall.

     While the movie never made it into the cultural mainstream, Gypsy’s president and artistic director Trevor Keller said that theater companies in England and the U.S. have kept the material alive.

      Keller performed in the Sarasota AIDS Theatre Project’s Boys in the Band and as Steven in the now-defunct Central Stage’s Jeffery. He first introduced Gypsy Productions at the Suncoast Resort in 2003. Since then Keller has brought several gay-themed plays and musicals to the small but nicely remodeled theater each year. Audiences have grown more devoted with each season.

     Keller said that even though each of Gypsy’s productions contains gay themes, they aren’t just for gay audiences. "You can say that gay-oriented theater caters to a certain demographic, but we (have) a very mixed audience. We appeal to the human condition, not just the gay condition."

     Gypsy’s next play is a seasonal comedy. The Eight: Reindeer Monologues looks at all those rumors about Santa, his elves, and Rudolph’s little secret. It runs from Nov. 24 through Dec. 17.