News Round-Up: June 12, 2018

Brandon Haagenson and David Merten in Afterglow (photo: Mati Gelman)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Congrats to long-running play Afterglow (above) celebrating it's one year anniversary running off-Broadway tonight.

The one act play follows Josh and Alex, a married couple in an open relationship, who invite Darius to share their bed one night. What follows is an exploration of individual definitions of love, loyalty, and trust as futures are questioned, relationships are shaken, and commitments are challenged.

• And speaking of New York City, an Uber driver kicked a lesbian couple out of his car for sharing a quick peck/smooch.

• Alec Baldwin gleefully told Howard Stern he'd win if he ran for the White House, but he's busy hosting the reboot of the TV gameshow "Match Game." You know he's just f*cking with the Trumpster...

• Maine has become the third state to approve a third gender for state-issued drivers licenses and IDs.

• A drug used to treat alcoholism appears to improve viral suppression in folks with HIV.

• This tweet of a grandmother ironing her granddaughter's Pride flag has gone super-viral:

I got up this morning to get ready for #DCPride. My grandma walked into my room, looked at my bi flag, and said, “Oh, this needs to be pressed out!” Such a simple gesture, but it holds so much love and meaning for me. pic.twitter.com/stiD3vg5vs

— Lexie 💖💜💙 (@lexie_galaxie) June 9, 2018

Queer Theater: "217 Boxes Of Dr. Henry Anonymous" In NYC

Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Obie Award winner Laura Esterman
as "Katherine Luder" in 217 Boxes of Dr. Henry Anonymous

Three-time Obie award-winning playwright Ain Gordon has written and directed a new play, 217 Boxes of Dr. Henry Anonymous, that chronicles the successful efforts of Dr. John Fyer to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness.

Fryer's testimony at the 1972 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting is considered one of the most significant moments in the history of the gay-rights movement.

As an openly gay psychiatrist who could have lost his medical license, Fryer used a pseudonym, mask and voice modulator to address his colleagues.

The cast includes Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Obie Award winner Laura Esterman (Marvin’s Room), Derek Lucci, and Broadway veteran Ken Marks (Mamma Mia!, Dear Evan Hansen, Dancing at Lughnasa, Hairspray).

Performances begin May 3 at Baryshnikov Arts Center’s Jerome Robbins Theater in New York City (450 West 37th Street).

For more information, head over to the official website here.

News Round-Up: December 14, 2017

Ben Cohen

Some news items you might have missed:

• Some #ThrowBackThursday action as I'm reminded of my major man crush on rugby champ and anti-bullying advocate Ben Cohen (above). Check out his 2018 charity calendar here.

• Researchers say having older brothers could increase the likelihood of being gay.

•  Failed Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore threw more anti-LGBT shade even as he refuses to concede his race to Democrat Doug Jones. Moore says he lost due to "sodomy" sweeping the nation.

• Just six months after legalizing same-sex marriage, Bermuda's lawmakers have reversed course and outlawed marriage equality.

• Gay porn star sentenced to life in prison for "brutal and vicious" murder of his millionaire boyfriend.

• Afterglow, the controversial off-Broadway hit one-act play, celebrates 200 performances tonight and has added a new block of tickets through March 2018.

Via press release: The play explores the emotional, intellectual, and physical connections between three men and the broader implications within their relationships.

The Advocate called the play "compelling and raw" and "not to be missed."

Huffington Post wrote, “It’s clear Afterglow will be a must-see among New York theatergoers.”

Afterglow (photo: Mati Gelman)

Podcast: "Sex Tips For Straight Women From A Gay Man" With Jai Rodriguez & Kendra Wilkinson

In this episode of The Randy Report podcast, Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, The Producers, RENT) and Kendra Wilkinson (Kendra on Top, The Girls Next Door) chat about their new production of the hit off-Broadway play Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man coming to the Las Vegas Strip this month.

The play is good, clean, naughty, interactive fun, so what’s not to like?

I talk with Jai and Kendra about the play, what audiences can expect, and why gay men and straight women make such great team mates in life.

Plus, with 2017 being the 10th anniversary of the finale of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, I ask Jai his thoughts on the newly announced Netflix reboot of the iconic Emmy Award winning show.

For audiences either in or coming to Las Vegas, Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man will perform nightly (except Wednesdays) at Paris Las Vegas beginning Saturday May 27 at 7 p.m. with additional 11 p.m. shows Friday and Saturday nights. For now, the production is slated for a 12 week limited engagement, but you never know… Tickets are now on sale at the Caesars.com website.

Hit the play button below to listen to the very charming Jai and Kendra:

Pageant: The Musical Comedy Beauty Contest returns to NYC

The new contestants of "Pageant"
Photos by Jenny Anderson

While I was still acting in New York City, I made my off-Broadway debut in a huge hit show called Pageant.

Opening to rave reviews, the show was a parody of what we put women through in beauty pageants across the country and around the world.  With six contestants vying for the title of "Miss Glamouresse" the audience is treated to talent, swim wear, evening gown and spokesmodel competitions.

And the best part?  The audience decides the winner each night - the cast has no idea who will win.

Immediately after the show opened, the production realized they didn't have someone to understudy the contestants.  Quick audition held - one callback - and I got the job.  Two weeks later I was on for the fab "Miss Deep South" originally created by Obie Award winner David Drake.

I loved doing the show.  I was only with the production for the first three or four months as I got a job on the national tour of "A Chorus Line" which paid more.  But it was amazing fun to be in Pageant and the cast was brilliant.

The new NYC cast includes Nick Cearley (of The Skivvies), Frankie James Grande(Mamma Mia), Douglas Lyons (Beautiful), Alex Ringler (West Side Story), Marty Thomas (Xanadu), and Seth Tucker (Our Kiki). The evening is "hosted" by Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar (The Producers; Big Fish).

Fifty percent of ticket sales benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations.

Pageant is running on Monday nights for the rest of February at the Red Lacquer Club, home of the new Lucky Cheng’s.  Tickets are available here.

Head over to Queerty for more pics.

Brad Oscar as host for the evening "Frankie Cavalier"

Marty Thomas as "Miss Deep South" during the Talent competition

Frankie J. Grande as "Miss Industrial Northeast" shows her Talent

And for a little "Throwback Thursday," here I am going on as "Miss West Coast" in the original off-Broadway run of Pageant.  On the left is Russell Garrett ("Miss Texas") and on the right is Tony Award nominee Dick Scanlan ("Miss Great Plains")

Michael Urie's off-Broadway hit "Buyer & Cellar" recoups in only 9 weeks

I love theatrical successes.  And I really love it when it happens to completely deserving projects and artists.

Michael Urie (of Broadway and "Ugly Betty" fame) has had a big success with his new play "Buyer & Cellar" off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre where the production has recouped it's initial investment of $500,000 in only 9 weeks!

Urie stars in the the play as a struggling actor who goes to work for Barbra Streisand.

From the New York Times:

Few Off Broadway shows ever turn a profit, and even fewer do it this quickly. But “Buyer & Cellar” received strong reviews last spring in its first production at the 99-seat Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, then transferred to its current 199-seat house in late June. The show recouped in late August, according to the lead producer, Darren Bagert, and has grossed more than $1 million at Barrow Street, which has a strong track record of profitability.

Mr. Urie is set to perform “Buyer & Cellar” next year in Los Angeles and Chicago, the producers said, and talks are under way for productions in San Francisco, Toronto, and Dallas.

Lynne Wintersteller - "Life Story" from CLOSER THAN EVER

Lynne Wintersteller sings "Life Story" from the musical CLOSER THAN EVER written by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire.

From IF IT ONLY EVEN RUNS A MINUTE (3/26/12), created by Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Kevin Michael Murphy, and Caleb Hoyer.

I saw the original run of CLOSER THAN EVER at the Cherry Lane Theater off-Broadway in the 1990s. This particular song, and Lynne's fantastic performance, stayed with me for days. I played the recording over and over back then.

The night I saw the show for the first time, I rode the subway home with my friend Bryan Landrine, who knew Lynne. So, for an almost 30 minute subway ride, I had the chance to get to know her a bit and hear about the experience of doing the show. I worked hard not to turn into "fan boy" at the time. It was hard, but I stayed calm.

Fast-forward to a few years ago, I was choreographing a new musical at the New York Musical Theater Festival called PLANE CRAZY. At a press event for NYMF my show performed a number and a woman from another show performed. I remember thinking "Wow. She looks just like Lynne Wintersteller. But surely they can't afford her off-Broadway." I went up to say hello, and it WAS Lynne and she remembered me from our brief meeting years before. Still just as charming and warm as a decade before. Thus, further cementing her place in my admiration.

The song portion of the video begins around the 6:00 mark.

To see her perform the song now is a master class in voice and acting. Nothing is hard; she makes it look so simple. But what an amazing journey she takes us on. How note how she takes her time near the end without being indulgent. And in her eyes, you see how present she is in every moment of the song.

Art.