Highlights From The 2019 Tony Awards

'The Boys in the Band' was honored as the Best Revival of a Play
at the 2019 Tony Awards

The theater world celebrated the best of this year’s Broadway season at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards Sunday night, and the festivities were - no surprise - très gay.

At one point in the telecast, presenter Ben Platt told the viewing audience, “For anyone at home who is a latecomer who is just now tuning in, yes, these are the Tony Awards, and you are, in fact, gay.”

The evening began with Pose star Billy Porter once again slaying on the red carpet wearing a red and pink Celestino Couture design in front of a Pride-inspired floral background. The dress was fashioned from the actual show curtain that hung at the Al Hirschfeld Theater where Porter earned his Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in Kinky Boots.

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Hunties, the Tony Awards just got gayer! 🏳️‍🌈 Thank you to @kinkybootsbway and @scenerybags for hooking me up with this curtain. #pride #broadway. ⠀ ⠀ Style: @sammyratelle for @rrrcreative Agency Styling Assistants: @ashleymarienyc & @theetanishawilliams ⠀ Grooming: @lasonyagunter⠀ Manicurist: @courtneyfosterbeauty⠀ Custom Dress: @celestinocouture ⠀ Fine Jewelry: @oscarheyman ⠀ Custom Shoes: @orelbrodtdesigns⠀ Custom Bag: @emmkuony Custom Eyewear: @mercuranyc

A post shared by Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) on Jun 9, 2019 at 7:35pm PDT

Porter, who presented during ceremony, was also called on by host James Corden to entertain during a commercial break. Choosing from a list of songs to sing, Porter chose - what else? - “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy.

Just to give a sense of what’s happening while all of us regular folks are watching commercials, hit the play button below. You’ll be very glad you did.

During the break, @theebillyporter was enlisted by @JKCorden to do karaoke — and brought down the house! pic.twitter.com/2jd3vjkH6m

— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) June 10, 2019

Yes. @theebillyporter is Gypsy. You didnt see this on #cbs! 🙌 I think Billy just got the part of the 2020 revival! #TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/PLtYHLPGij

— 𝐉𝐢𝐦 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐛 (@jimglaub) June 10, 2019

Back to the awards handed out, perhaps the biggest gay victory was the acclaimed revival of the iconic 1968 play, The Boys in the Band, snatching up the award for Best Revival of a Play.

The limited-run production had an all-star cast that included Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesús (also nominated for his performance in the play), Michael Benjamin Washington, Brian Hutchison, and Tuc Watkins.

The win makes 83-year-old Mort Crowley the oldest playwright to win the award.

Openly bisexual Ali Stroker took home the Tony for Best Featured Acress in a Musical for her scene-stealing take on “Ado Annie” in the new revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! The GLEE Project alum becomes the first person in a wheelchair to win a Tony Award.

In her acceptance speech, she told the audience, “This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge, who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena, you are.”

She later joined her cast mates in a performance from the reimagined take on the classic musical which went on to win the award for Best Revival.

The Prom, a musical about a high school senior whose prom is cancelled after she’s told she can’t bring her girlfriend, was nominated in several categories but didn’t win any.

But, the cast did perform during the show with a same-sex lip-lock between female leads Isabelle McCalla and Caitlin Kinnunen.

The Cher Show, based on the life and career of the Oscar winning superstar, saw gay fashion designer Bob Mackie win his first Tony at the age of 80 for his brilliant costume designs.

And Stephanie J. Block, one of the three actresses who play Cher during the production, won the Best Actress in a Musical honor for her work.

Other openly gay artists honored for their work included:

• Much-beloved Broadway veteran André DeShields (Ain’t Misbehavin’) won his first Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Hadestown.

In his acceptance speech, Shields offered this wisdom for success in life: "Surround yourself with people whose eyes light up when they see you coming; slowly is the fastest way to where you want to be; the top of one mountain is the bottom of the next … so keep climbing”

• Choreographer Sergio Trujillo won Best Choreography for Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations.

• Legendary playwright Terrence McNally, whose body of work (Love! Valor! Compassion!, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, The Ritz) has explored several aspects of the LGBTQ community, was honored for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

And while they didn’t win, non-binary playwright Taylor Mac introduced their play Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus wearing a wildly creative design.

LGBTQ ally (and two-time Tony Award winner) Judith Light received the Isabelle Stevenson Award for her tireless advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community and the fight against AIDS.

At the end of the evening, Hadestown (a contemporary take on Ancient Greek myth) won Best Musical, and The Ferryman (the story of the family of a former IRA activist living in rural Northern Ireland) took home the trophy for Best Play.

Watch André DeShields lead the cast of Hadestown in their Tony performance, “Wait For Me.”

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Musical: “Hadestown”
Best Play: “The Ferryman”
Best Revival of a Musical: “Oklahoma!”
Best Revival of a Play: “The Boys in the Band”
Best Book of a Musical: “Tootsie,” Robert Horn
Best Original Score: “Hadestown,” music and lyrics: Anaïs Mitchell
Best Direction of a Play: Sam Mendes, “The Ferryman”
Best Direction of a Musical: Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown”
Best Leading Actor in a Play: Bryan Cranston, “Network”
Best Leading Actress in a Play: Elaine May, “The Waverly Gallery”
Best Leading Actor in a Musical: Santino Fontana, “Tootsie”
Best Leading Actress in a Musical: Stephanie J. Block, “The Cher Show”
Best Featured Actor in a Play: Bertie Carvel, “Ink”
Best Featured Actress in a Play: Celia Keenan-Bolger, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Best Featured Actor in a Musical: André De Shields, “Hadestown”
Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Ali Stroker, “Oklahoma!”
Best Scenic Design of a Play: Rob Howell, “The Ferryman”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Rachel Hauck, “Hadestown”
Best Costume Design of a Play: Rob Howell, “The Ferryman”
Best Costume Design of a Musical: Bob Mackie, “The Cher Show”
Best Lighting Design of a Play: Neil Austin, “Ink”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Bradley King, “Hadestown”
Best Sound Design of a Play: Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy”
Best Sound Design of a Musical: Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, “Hadestown”
Best Choreography: Sergio Trujillo, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations”
Best Orchestrations: Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, “Hadestown”
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater: Rosemary Harris, Terrence McNally, Harold Wheeler
Isabelle Stevenson Award: Judith Light
Regional Theater Tony Award: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards Tonight On CBS

I was a member of the theater community years before I realized I was also part of the LGBTQ community.

As a young kid, I found the theater to be a safe space. Wondering, pretending, working hard to acquire skills I would eventually take pride in – these were all things that helped me become the man I am today. 

Hey hey - check that word 'pride'

And it was in that community that I discovered an extended family that became even closer to me than my birth family.

I was fortunate to spend decades working professionally in the theater, and specifically on ‘the Broad Way.’

I think it’s awesome that the Tony Awards, theater’s biggest night, falls during Pride Month. My two worlds celebrating at the same time, and both with a sense of pride and community.

I’m looking forward to watching the telecast on CBS tonight for several reasons.

Having appeared in Broadway productions (Chicago the Musical, Follies, Hello, Dolly!) I can tell you when you’re working on a show that’s nominated – and especially when your show wins – there is a sense of pride in the work you’ve accomplished that always gave me a lump in my throat and my heart beat a bit faster.

Tonight, as theater hands out its highest honor, I’ll be cheering as so many of my friends and extended family are recognized for the incredible work they bring to the Great White Way.

And there are several LGBTQ-themed productions and out actors in the mix to take home Tonys tonight.

The Prom, a ground-breaking musical comedy about a midwestern high school student who is told she can’t bring her lesbian girlfriend to the prom received 7 nominations including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Director as well as Best Leading Actor/Musical for Brooks Ashmanskas and two Best Leading Actress/Musical noms for Beth Leavel and Caitlin Kinnunen.

The production already won the Drama Desk Award for “Best Musical” so you can bet it’s in the hunt for the top trophy.

Choir Boy, a coming-of-age story that follows a gay choir leader at a boarding school for black men by Moonlight’s Tarell Alvin McCraney, received 5 nominations including Best Play and Best Leading Actor/Play (Jeremy Pope).

Two acclaimed LGBTQ-themed revivals of plays – The Boys in the Band and Torch Song – were nominated for Best Revival of a Play. Even though Boys had an all-star cast, only Robin De Jesús scored a nomination for his performance.

The Cher Show, which chronicles the life and music of the one and only Cher, was shut out of the Best Musical category but received 3 nominations (Best Actress/Musical, Best Costumes/Musical and Best Lighting Design/Musical). Stephanie J. Block scored the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Actress in a Musical.”

Additionally, Judith Light will be honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Award, which is given “to an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre.”

Two-time Tony Award winner Judith Light

Already a two-time Tony Award winner for Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties, Light will receive the honorary award for her decades of work on behalf of the LGBTQ community and HIV/AIDS advocacy.

“The HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ communities are inspirations and demonstrations of how to be and live in the world; courageous, honorable, and uplifting,” said Light in a statement.

“They inspire me and it is my privilege to be of service to them,” she added. “I am humbled by this recognition from my theater family, whom I so respect, honor, and love.”

I stopped making predictions long ago, but it does seem the artsy Hadestown has found many fans in the race for “Best Musical,” although the show was not nominated in that category at the Drama Desk Awards.

And ok, I lied - I’ll make one prediction for Stephanie J. Block to take home a Tony for her impressive turn as ‘Star’ Cher in The Cher Show. (Three actresses play the Oscar winner at different stages of her life/career).

Block has a huge body of work the already includes two Tony nominations, her performance was easily one of the best on Broadway this season, and she’s very well liked by the theater community.

Note – The New York Times reports this interesting factoid about tonight’s proceedings:

“This year, for the first time, voters are receiving personalized electronic ballots based on their self-reported attendance, meaning that they cannot vote in categories in which they have not confirmed seeing all the nominees. As a result, the number of ballots cast, particularly in play categories, is likely to be smaller than in past years.”

So, keep that in mind when you enjoy the telecast.

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards will be broadcast on CBS beginning at 8pm EST hosted by The Late Late Show’s James Corden.

Ryan Murphy Will Bring Broadway's 'Boys In The Band' To Netflix

Super producer/director Ryan Murphy announced today he will produce the acclaimed Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band for Netflix as a 'movie event.'

Last summer, THE BOYS IN THE BAND were on Broadway, breaking house records at The Booth. THIS summer, The Boys In the Band will be filming a Netflix movie event.

The incomparable Joe Mantello, who directed the Broadway revival, will direct the film adaptation. 

The Broadway cast of BOYS was so important to me, and as equally groundbreaking as Mart Crowley's seminal work. Everyone in the cast was out and proud...and feeling so blessed to mark the 50th anniversary of Mart's landmark play. 

The entire Broadway cast will reprise their roles in the film. 

I can't wait to be on set with Joe and Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Tuc Watkins, Michael Benjamin Washington and Brian Hutchison. 

I will be producing the film with David Stone and Ned Martel. 

Look for THE BOYS on Netflix in 2020.

The cast of the Broadway revival of 'The Boys in the Band'

Last week, I reported that Murphy will also produce a 'movie event' adaptation of Broadway's The Prom for Netflix. That project, like Boys in the Band, is LGBTQ-themed.

It all makes me uber-happy. More Broadway, more gay... more, more, more!

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Last summer, THE BOYS IN THE BAND were on Broadway, breaking house records at The Booth. THIS summer, The Boys In the Band will be filming a Netflix movie event. The incomparable Joe Mantello, who directed the Broadway revival, will direct the film adaptation. The Broadway cast of BOYS was so important to me, and as equally groundbreaking as Mart Crowley's seminal work. Everyone in the cast was out and proud...and feeling so blessed to mark the 50th anniversary of Mart's landmark play. The entire Broadway cast will reprise their roles in the film. I can't wait to be on set with Joe and Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Tuc Watkins, Michael Benjamin Washington and Brian Hutchison. I will be producing the film with David Stone and Ned Martel. Look for THE BOYS on Netflix in 2020.

A post shared by Ryan Murphy (@mrrpmurphy) on Apr 17, 2019 at 10:46am PDT

Broadway's 'The Boys In The Band' Recoups Original Investment

The cast of the Broadway revival of 'The Boys in the Band'

The acclaimed Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band announced this week that the limited-run production has already recouped it's initial investment.

That's very rare for a play - especially a limited-run play in one of the smaller Broadway theaters.

But it's a testament to the power of the iconic play and how it speaks to audiences today.

Cast member Zachary Quinto shared in an Instagram post about the milestone. In his post, he wrote, in part:

"whenever a broadway show recoups it is a milestone... and a rare one at that. especially for a limited run in one of the smaller playhouses on the great white way. so today’s news is exciting as an industry achievement alone. but beyond that - it is a declaration for our community. and for those of us who have the distinct privilege of representing that community eight times a week in front of standing room audiences absolutely wild with excitement - it is humbling to say the least."

whenever a broadway show recoups it is a milestone... and a rare one at that. especially for a limited run in one of the smaller playhouses on the great white way. so today’s news is exciting as an industry achievement alone. but beyond that - it is a declaration for our community. and for those of us who have the distinct privilege of representing that community eight times a week in front of standing room audiences absolutely wild with excitement - it is humbling to say the least. we are living through a time when an entire administration and a significant portion of the electorate would like to see us silenced. diminished. and transported back to the sociopolitical landscape which is the very backdrop of our story. but the success of this production tells a very different story. a story of visibility. of authenticity. of momentum. ours is a story of truth and progress and how far we’ve come. with my brothers in arms @mattbomer @charliecarver @brianhutchison3 @robinofjesus @therealjimparsons @andrewrannells @michaelbwashington and @tucwatkins i stand in solidarity and in gratitude. it is an honor and a pleasure... and we still have four weeks to go! come be a part of this celebration with us. help amplify our voices and honor the voices of the past - the echoes of which are ringing all around us!

A post shared by Zachary Quinto (@zacharyquinto) on Jul 16, 2018 at 11:05pm PDT

Laurence Luckinbill, one of the few living cast members from the original production off-Broadway recently spoke to Michael Musto of NewNowNext about the subtle differences he sees in this new production versus the original.

"I see something else in these new guys that I don’t think we had in our show. There is a freedom that has been given by circumstance and society to be gay and out in certain sections of the world, like New York. The freedom to be who you are, I think, imbues these new young actors because they have come out before this and I think that gave them the right to be even crueler, in a funny way. The hostility is really present throughout the production. There’s somehow less fun and more war.

"We did not know what we were doing because nobody was out."

"It was the difference of a cast who knew and lived being in the closet, being locked in. They felt surrounded by danger because it was real."

The Boys in the Band has one more month left in its Broadway run. Don't miss it. Get more info here.

'Tired Old Queen At The Movies' Deconstructs The Boys In The Band

The film adaptation of "The Boys in the Band"

On the occasion of Pride in NYC this week, Steve Hayes' popular web series Tired Old Queen at the Movies deconstructs the film adaptation of the Broadway play, The Boys in the Band.

From Hayes: "Mart Crowley’s iconic play about the lives of several gay men in the 1970’s comes alive in William Friedkin’s THE BOYS IN THE BAND (1970). Featuring the brilliant original Broadway cast, its alternately hysterical, funny, sensitive, touching, at times lacerating and ultimately unforgettable."

With all the attention being paid to the current all-star, all-gay Broadway revival of the play, its interesting to see the actors from the original production bring their roles to life on film.

Watch the seven minute clip below.

Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons On Roseanne Scandal - "How Did You Type That?"

Jim Parsons

In a candid interview, CNN's Van Jones asks The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons if Roseanne Barr went too far with her tweets.

Addressing the recent scandals with Roseanne Barr, who saw her #1 series on ABC get cancelled over racist tweets, and Samantha Bee, who got in hot water calling Ivanka Trump the “c-word” on the air, CNN’s Van Jones asked Parsons if it’s difficult to be funny without consequences in the age of Donald Trump.

“It crosses my mind every single time I sit down for an interview or speak in public, anything,…It’s hard to speak your mind," said the 45-year-old actor from Texas.

“We’re easily offended right now, frequently about things that are probably not that important.”

Jones asked how Parsons processed the recent Roseanne debacle to which Parsons says, “I only thought about it on an emotional scale, which as ‘how’ and ‘why?’ That was my reaction to it.”

“Reading the tweet, I thought, ‘How did you type that?’”

Parsons did pivot to the current political thought regarding Donald Trump’s infamous “grab’em by the pussy” remark: “It’s ok to say certain things as an elected official right now that it’s not necessarily ok to say as an entertainer. And I find that fascinating.”

The actor also lamented the unemployment effect of Roseanne’s hideous tweets on her fellow actors and crew of her sitcom. Riffing on the current whisper campaign in Hollywood about possible spin-off series for Sara Gilbert or Laurie Metcalfe, Jones inquired if Metcalfe should be given her own show.

Parson emphatically responded, “Laurie should always be given her own show.”

From Parson’s Instagram recently:

haha YES! #lauriemetcalf #ilovelauriemetcalf

A post shared by Jim Parsons (@therealjimparsons) on May 29, 2018 at 3:14pm PDT

Jones shifted to the issue of red-state citizens feeling locked out of the Hollywood industry to which Parsons (a native Texan) shared, “I have so many conservative traits about me. I’m such a family-first type of guy.”

And speaking of traditional values and family-first, Jones brought up Parsons wedding in 2017, “As recently as 2012, people like Barack Obama was a bit hesitant to say publicly he was for marriage equality. Five years later, 2017, you’re married and it’s no big deal. Nobody cares at all.”

“In fact, the big deal, which really took me by surprise considering how traditional I am, was how meaningful the day was,” said Parsons.

“We did it because it was meaningful, but to actually go through the wedding; to be there in front of all of your loved ones, your family. It really gave such meaning to doing this so people could bear witness to it. It meant so much more to me than I was prepared for. Especially having grown up where it wasn’t a possibility.”

One of the busiest men in show business, Parsons not only has his long-running Big Bang Theory sitcom on CBS but he opened on Broadway this week in the iconic, groundbreaking gay-themed play, The Boys in the Band.

And, his new movie, A Kid Like Jake, landed in theaters on Friday wherein Parsons plays the father of a four-year-old who enjoys “gender-expansive play” dressing up in whatever gender clothes feels best at the time.

Watch the CNN segment below and you don’t forget to check out The Boys in the Band and A Kid Like Jake, both open now.

NOW PLAYING! @akidlikejakefilm Aaaaannnddd... some wonderful Q and A sessions, including one that I will be in attendance for this Sunday! So excited...! 🎟🎭🎉

A post shared by Jim Parsons (@therealjimparsons) on Jun 1, 2018 at 7:56am PDT

All-Star "The Boys In The Band" Revival Opens Tonight On Broadway

(all images courtesy of The Boys in the Band Broadway revival)

I recently wrote about Matt Bomer’s nearly naked mishap during the previews of the Broadway revival of The Boys In The Band, the iconic homocentric play by Mart Crowley.

To recap, Bomer forgot to check his props before a preview performance and after showering onstage realized he had no towel to cover himself with. But being the pro that he is, Bomer soldiered on through the scene wearing just his wet, tight white briefs.

Tonight, the 50th anniversary production premieres on The Great White Way. And the production has released several promo pics - including one of Bomer in those very tight, white briefs.

The Boys in the Band is rightfully considered a landmark as the first mainstream play to explore gay men’s lives onstage, without filter or judgement. Premiering off-Broadway in 1968 in New York City, this was all before the Stonewall riots which launched the gay rights movement.

The comic drama became an instant sell-out and ran for over 1,000 performances.

The movie adaptation, released in 1970 featuring the original stage cast, continues to be a milestone in queer cinema.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

First produced in 1968, Crowley's biting comedy drama is a groundbreaking work among pre-Stonewall depictions of LGBTQ characters, chronicling the fun and frictions that emerge when a group of gay male friends gather for a boozy birthday party in New York City. The play is loved and loathed to an equal extent, with some calling it a perpetuation of negative bitchy stereotypes and others hailing it as a breakthrough in its intimate exploration of the attitudes and behavior of gay men at a time when cultural representation was minimal.

With direction by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello (Wicked, Assassins), the new production features an all-gay, star-studded cast led by Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto and Andrew Rannells.

Also starring in the play are Charlie Carver, Michael Benjamin Washington, Brian Hutchison, Robin de Jesus, and Tuc Watkins.

The limited 15-week run of the production is being produced by Wicked’s David Stone and out TV producer Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, GLEE)

Check out the newly-released pics below. Click here for the official website.

Matt Bomer (L), Jim Parsons (R)

Foreground - Zachary Quinto (L), Charlie Carver (R)

Zachary Quinto (background)

Tuc Watkins, (L) Michael Benjamin Washington (center) Matt Bomer (R)

CBS' Sunday Morning Takes A Deep Dive Into Broadway's "The Boys In The Band"

Host Jane Pauley for CBS' Sunday Morning

As the old saying goes, "You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been."

And so, CBS' Sunday Morning took a deep dive into the upcoming 50th anniversary Broadway revival of Mort Crowley's groundbreaking play about New York City gay life in the 1960s, The Boys in the Band.

Premiering in 1968, the play was the first time a mainstream theater audience got a glimpse of what it was like to be gay. Using a birthday party as the setting, Crowley wrote characters who were unabashedly ho-mo-sex-u-al.

The same year Crowley wrote The Boys in the Band, CBS News aired a report on homosexuality that announced, "Americans consider homosexuality more harmful to society than adultery, abortion, or prostitution."

The attacks didn't come from just outside the gay community though.

In the era of the Stonewall riots, the community turned on the play and the playwright saying the production cast gay men in a negative, "self-hating" light.

Still, as history can attest, the play became a cultural sensation, ran for over 1,000 performances and was made into a major motion picture. Crowley returned to Hollywood where, among other things, became the head writer of TV series like ABC's Hart To Hart.

And now, instead of being attacked, the play is being celebrated by the LGBTQ community.

The new revival stars one of television's highest paid actors, Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), as well as a gay "who's who" of successful, out gay actors including Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Carver and Andrew Rannells.

Currently in previews, the production will have a limited run through August 11 only.

For more info and tickets, head over to the official website at BoysInTheBand.com.

The party is about to begin! #BoysInTheBand is now in performances.

A post shared by The Boys In The Band (@boysbandbway) on Apr 30, 2018 at 5:18pm PDT

"The Boys In The Band" Shares First Day Rehearsal Pic

The opening night of the Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band is only weeks away, and we're already starting to get excited to see the legendary play return to the Great White Way in time for it's 50th anniversary.

Yesterday, the cast shared a pic of the cast in rehearsal and the marquee over at the Booth Theater is already up.

Two-time Tony award winner Joe Mantello is directing the groundbreaking play, which centers on a group of gay men who gather in an NYC apartment for a friend’s birthday party.

Drinks, music and a hot cowboy stripper slowly peel back the layers of  heartache and self-doubt among the party-goers.

A sensation when it premiered in April 1968, The Boys in the Band was originally scheduled to run for five performances at the Playwrights' Unit, a small off-Broadway venue. Overnight, the show became the talk of the town for its unflinchingly honest depiction of gay life, and transferred to Theater Four on West 55th Street.

The film adaptation, released in 1970, has a 100 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Boys In The Band will star Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Andrew Rannells, along with Charlie Carver, Robin De Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington and Tuc Watkins.

Previews begin Monday, April 30, 2018 and officially opens on Thursday, May 31, 2018.

The party is just getting started... #BoysintheBand starts previews April 30th.

A post shared by The Boys In The Band (@boysbandbway) on Mar 31, 2018 at 7:45am PDT

News Round-Up: December 16, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• I've been fascinated by this pic of fitness model Quin Bruce (above). I find his expression captivating.

• A Tennessee county commission is planning a symbolic resolution condemning same-sex marriage after the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. #Whatever #WhyHate?

• All credit to Boy Culture for revealing not only did Democrat Doug Jones win the special Alabama Senate election this week, but Jones has a hottie gay son.

• A new poll shows a clear majority of Americans believe Donald Trump is guilty of sexual misconduct.

• Out actor and Teen Wolf star Charlie Carver has joined the cast of the upcoming all-star Broadway production of the groundbreaking gay play, The Boys in the Band, as "Cowboy." The production is slated to run April 30-August 12 at the Booth Theatre on Broadway.

• The rumor around Washington DC is Donald Trump may fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller before Christmas. If that happens, watch hell break loose.

• I was just down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, celebrating my hubby's birthday and ran into underwear designer Andrew Christian. So in his honor, let's celebrate a bit of the holiday season with his hottie models. Watch below.

Broadway: Ryan Murphy Announces All-Star Out Actor Casting For "The Boys In The Band"

The film cast of "The Boys in the Band"

Some of the most famous out actors in Hollywood have been cast in the upcoming Broadway production of The Boys in the Band to be produced by megaproducer Ryan Murphy (“Glee,” “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson”).

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Ryan Murphy will team with Wicked producer David Stone to bring a 50th-anniversary revival of The Boys in the Band to Broadway, assembling a deluxe cast that significantly includes some of the most prominent out-and-proud gay actors in Hollywood.

Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Andrew Rannells will head the ensemble in a production directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello.

First produced in 1968, Crowley's biting comedy drama is a groundbreaking work among pre-Stonewall depictions of LGBTQ characters, chronicling the fun and frictions that emerge when a group of gay male friends gather for a boozy birthday party in New York City. The play is loved and loathed to an equal extent, with some calling it a perpetuation of negative bitchy stereotypes and others hailing it as a breakthrough in its intimate exploration of the attitudes and behavior of gay men at a time when cultural representation was minimal.

"The significance of The Boys in the Band cannot be underestimated," Murphy said Wednesday in a statement. "Mart Crowley made history by giving voice to gay men onstage, in this uncompromising, blisteringly honest, and wickedly funny play. While some attitudes have thankfully shifted, it's important to be reminded of what we have overcome and how much further we still have to go."

Added Stone: "Everything has changed. And nothing has changed."

Also featured in the cast will be Robin de Jesus, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington and Tuc Watkins. The role of "Cowboy," a hunky hustler presented by one of the guests as a gift to birthday boy Harold (played by Quinto), remains to be cast.

This production will mark Matt Bomer's Broadway debut.

The comic drama debuted off-Broadway in 1968 hoping to run for five performances. The production became an instant sell-out and ran for over 1,000 performances.

The movie adaptation, released in 1970 featuring the original stage cast, continues to be a milestone in queer cinema.

While being touted as a "revival," this will actually be the first appearance of the play on the Great White Way.

The Boys in the Band will begin a limited 15-week run at the Booth Theater on Broadway April 30, 2017.

From the film: