Farinelli and the King
Written Claire Van Kampen
Directed by John Dove
Belasco Theatre
December 23, 2017 Production website
💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Mark Rylance rules the world! AND for this particular production I was gifted with seats right on the stage. It felt almost like being part of a private audience in some courtly manor. This was going to be one of my favorite theatre memories in a long list of productions.
Mark Rylance – – There is no way he can be on stage without all eyes being riveted to his work. It is hard to explain this stage charisma. The best that I can explain it is that he is SO very present on stage that you really believe he has NO idea what is going to happen in the next moment. He is like a small child playing in the now and hearing the words coming out of his mouth for the first time. It is ALL discovery. Continue reading Farinelli and the King→
School break is here for the holidays and its is time to leave the swimming pool of Florida for the icy cement of New York City. Word has it that it will be below freezing the entire two weeks – – buy, hey- – -they do theatre inside – don’t they? I cannot wait!
Bright Colors and Bold Patterns
Written and Performed by Drew Droege
Directed by Michael Urie
Soho Playhouse
November 16, 2017 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
I am in Palm Springs for a wedding of someone I have only heard of. I am in my mid-twenties and in the prime of my life. An older man – I guess we can call him my boyfriend – brought me along because every party needs some eye candy. I have no interest in attending the wedding, but I am digging the attention I am getting floating around this pool in my impressive tan and speedo. [Okay, this is not me – not me now, not me then, and regretfully, not me ever.] Continue reading Bright Colors and Bold Patterns→
Hello Dolly!
Book by Michael Stewart
Musical and lyrics by Jerry Herman
Choreographed by Warren Carlyle
Directed by Jerry Zaks
Sam S. Shubert Theatre
June 24, 2017 Production website 💉💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
I have seen Bette Midler in concert in her Las Vegas show, and last night I saw Bette Midler’s Hello Dolly – without Bette Midler. I think this was the smartest choice to see this musical. I have heard from my friends the Bette Midler as Dolly Levi was terrific. She commanded the stage and you couldn’t take your eyes off of her. I am sure that is true. But I saw Donna Murphy as Dolly Levi and THAT was perfect for me. Continue reading Hello Dolly!→
Torch Song Trilogy
Written by Harvey Fierstein
Directed by Moises Kaufman
2nd Stage
June 23, 2017 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
This Torch Song needed to have its torch lit! I saw the original Torch Song back in the Eighties with a younger Harvey Fierstein and his unmissable, low, rumbling voice. I remember as a young man in my twenties – I was blown away by every single scene. I had never seen a drag queen – much less the preparation that drag queens go through to complete the transformation. I had never been to a gay bar (sheltered, I know) much less a gay bar with a “back room.” I couldn’t imagine an entire scene of a straight couple and a gay couple shacking up together and swapping partners – all played out in a scene that takes place on a stage-filling bed. And then that big coming out scene with (in the original, Estelle Getty) It changed my world – and clearly it opened the door for Will and Grace, Modern Family and the inclusion of gays in a hundred stories, movies and TV shows to come. It changed the world for gay men in the entertainment world – for sure! Continue reading Torch Song Trilogy→
Farinelli and the King
Torch Song Trilogy