My first show in college-- Angels in America, Perestroika and Millenium Approaches. We were told from the get-go that several groups in Cincinnati were speaking openly of boycotting the production, especially after learning about the gay sex scene; come opening night however, there wasn't a single picket line to be seen and each night was sold out. One man actually paid for a preview night for a very large group of personal friends and colleagues. I'm sure it was a hefty price tag!
A rather surprising controversy happened during a run of Mr. Marmalade. Through the title character throwing around porn and dildos, snorting crack, smoking, and feeling up the 30-something actress playing a 5 year old, the controversy came when, in an effort to keep Mr. Marmalade from leaving her, the girl kills their baby, covered in it's blood. This all happens in her imagination, so it's quickly revealed that it's "just ketchup." But for some reason this moment really stuck in the audiences' mind. I heard several people say, "It was really, really good...until she killed the baby. Then it went too far." One of my friends who saw it said repeatedly, "It still haunts me!"