Vanessa Williams to perform in special concert series at Kennedy Center (via official website) Since the permanent audience seating can’t be moved for proper social distancing, the Kennedy Center’s famed Opera House is planning a series of concerts putting a limited-size audience onstage spread apart and the artist on an extension built on the front of the stage. From the Kennedy Center official website:
Artists will perform from a stage extension built into the front of the Orchestra-seating level of the hall while concert-goers, entering through the wide loading doors on the Center’s front plaza, are seated in physically distanced pairs on the Opera House stage to watch performances set against the iconic red interior of the theater.
These hour-long, intermission-less concerts will take place approximately once per week for a ticketed audience of under 200 once the District of Columbia reaches phase three of reopening.
Select concerts, including performances by four-time Grammy Award® winner and National Medal of the Arts recipient Renée Fleming; Emmy®, Grammy®, and Tony Award® nominee Vanessa Williams; award-winning Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet and Broadway actress Tiler Peck; and award-winning choreographer and Artistic Director of Camille A. Brown and Dancers, Camille A. Brown, will be streamed digitally via the Kennedy Center website.
Additional artists from the worlds of jazz, hip hop, comedy, and Broadway will be announced at a later date. Performance details and ticketing information will be announced as D.C. approaches phase three of reopening. Imagine being your view as you take in these special concerts: The Kennedy Center Opera House
L-R Arisce Wanzer, Clayton Froning (screen captures) Funny guy Michael Henry’s latest quick bite of ‘things that make you go hmm’ dives into the right or wrong of so-called “gender reveal parties.” The clip opens with Henry and Arisce Wanzer out in the park getting their vitamin D (apparently the only “D” Henry is getting these days) and discussing whether or not glory holes actually constitute social distancing. But Clayton stops to chat as he’s heading to his sister’s Zoom ‘Gender Reveal’ party. Cue the turned-up noses and disdainful string of “honeys” from Wanzer and Henry. “Queer people don’t love those,” shares Henry as Wanzer adds, “The trans community especially.” So, what’s wrong with gender reveal parties? First, our sun-worshippers explain that gender and sex aren’t the same things. “Gender is the way you perceive yourself or the way you want other people to perceive you – boy, girl, or somewhere in the mix,” says Henry. “Sex refers to the biological and chromosomal difference between males and females,” adds Wanzer. Michael Henry (screen capture) Next, the dynamic duo notes that gender reveal party themes – like “wheels or heels,” “ruffles or rifles” – reinforce outdated gender roles for kids and how those social constructs can lead to negative labels on the way to adulthood. Scratching his head, Clayton says, “Wow, that’s a LOT to take in.” Wanzer agrees, “God I miss saying that.” Folks in the comments section of the YouTube page wonder if “genital release party” would be a better term for the events. Although that sounds like what gay men do on a date already, so there’s that… Hit play and see if you think Team Henry is overthinking the issue or putting it all in perspective.
Political satirist Randy Rainbow offers his satirical take on the iconic West Side Story showstopper, “Gee, Officer Krupke,” as a homage to the United States’ leading expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci. “Gee, Anthony Fauci!” lampoons Donald Trump’s attempts to diminish or disregard Fauci’s efforts to get the U.S. through the deadly COVID-19 pandemic with some total zingers. Appealing to Fauci about the Donald, Randy sings:
Hey, Anthony Fauci, he’s dragging us south Forget the mask just slap some masking tape on his mouth While you help protect us, he prays it will pass He only covers his own ass
L-R Billy Eichner, the late Paul Lynde (via Back2Stonewall) Some news items you might have missed: • Back2Stonewall: Out actor-comedian Billy Eichner is set to play TV icon Paul Lynde in the upcoming biopic Man in the Box. While Lynde never officially “out,” his sexuality was well-known in front of and behind the camera throughout a run on television beginning in the ’50s up until his death in 1982. • KOMO: The cast and creators of the Emmy-nominated cult HBO classic The Comeback will reunite on July 21 as part of the Stars In the House daily live-streamed series. The show’s creator and star Lisa Kudrow will be on board to chat on the satirical reality show that followed one woman’s journey as a B-list sitcom actress trying to reclaim A-list status via reality TV. Hot hubby Michael and I loved the series – Kudrow was brilliant walking the fine line of reality/scripted TV. • ABC News: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell revealed Tuesday morning that Senate Republicans plan to support another round of stimulus checks to Americans in their next coronavirus relief proposal. This time around, however, Republicans would like to lower the income threshold to qualify. The cap on payments in the first CARES bill was $99,000. • NPR: Teachers in Florida are suing the state to block an emergency order requiring schools to open next month with in-person instruction. They say, with the surge of coronavirus cases, the order violates a provision in Florida’s constitution requiring the state to ensure schools are operated safely. • BroBible: A teen employee at a Lowe’s store in Washington, Kyle Sales, was forced to change his tee-shirt reading “Black Panther Wakanda Forever” after a ‘Karen’ complained the shirt was racist. After the exchange, Sales went home and put a jersey over his Black Panther movie shirt. The next day, ‘Karen’ returned demanding to know how Sales was punished. • Boy Culture: Donald Trump, at his daily coronavirus presser, was asked about Ghislaine Maxwell — perhaps you’ve heard of her? The lady accused of running a child-sex ring for Jeffrey Epstein, who died on Trump’s watch? Yeah, he said — twice — “I wish her well.”
Trump coolly admits to having met Ghislaine Maxwell several times, and says — twice — “I wish her well.” Astounding. Video: pic.twitter.com/R8lwDfTKhR
Amir Levi in ‘Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story?’ In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, artists in the theater are finding new, unconventional ways to bring the vibrancy of live theater to audiences. Over the past few months, theater fans have enjoyed online streaming concert events by Broadway stars as well as previously recorded original Broadway productions, plus Obie Award-winning off-Broadway plays like David Drakes’ The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. And of course, there’s Seth Rudetsky’s daily serving of theater fare with his Stars in the House web series. The acclaimed Blank Theatre in Los Angeles recently served up the virtual world premiere of the new musical, Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story? The one-man show was written by Vanessa Stewart and Brendan Milburn, based on an idea by Amir Levi, who also stars in the musical. Daniel Henning, of the Blank Theatre, skillfully handles direction for the premiere which was all filmed in quarantine. I had a chance to chat with Levi about the new musical, the experience of adapting the show for virtual audiences and more.
The Randy Report: What was the inspiration for the play? Amir Levi: A few things! Thematically, the idea of obsession has always been fascinating to me. I think partly because we all have a little bit of obsessive tendencies in us. Some of us Facebook stalk our exes, some of us constantly re-read texts to make sure we said the right thing, or we look for deeper meaning within the texts that have been communicated or not communicated with a lover/ex-lover/potential lover, etc. Most of us have the ability to stop ourselves, however. We have that little voice inside our heads telling us to stop because we’re being ‘crazy.’ This show is about someone who doesn’t have that ability. Structurally, I’ve always loved telling stories through song. I had done a few solo concerts, and the order of the songs that I picked was always important, and there would always be something to talk about between numbers. I love “Tell me on a Sunday” because we get to see several romances from one person’s perspective, and it’s all singing. This is similar to that because we see one person’s perspective on a romance, and it’s mostly done through song, but this is perhaps a more targeted approach. Amir Levi in ‘Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story?’TRR: What moved you to release this during the pandemic? AL: Our writer, Vanessa Stewart, e-mailed me, the director (Daniel Henning) and the composer (Brendan Milburn) about a week or two into the quarantine and said that since we don’t know how long this will last, and most of the show takes places in Nathan’s apartment, why not have this be our world premiere? We don’t know when live theater will come back, and each of us is an artist that can’t sit still unless we’re working on a project (or several) at a time. Just because the physical theatrical spaces are gone for now doesn’t mean theater needs to stop. Stories need to be told and people need to express themselves. Also, many people who are in quarantine (and even before quarantine) can probably relate to Nathan’s loneliness and desperation for companionship and love. TRR: Do you feel you were able to capture the mood/point of the play via virtual release? AL: Yes! Daniel is a brilliant director and came up with the different places to set the webcam to give it a more dynamic feel, and to really take advantage of this medium. We were originally planning on doing a live-stream of the whole show, but then we discovered that unless a musician was physically in the room with me, it would be impossible to really do the music justice. Also, as a performer, it would be hard to stay ‘in it’ while constantly adjusting the camera and doing everything on my own. Through rehearsals, Daniel took note of what times of day the different lighting options were affecting my apt (Daniel directed me via Zoom screen share so he could see what my webcam was seeing). Brendan and Vanessa wrote a new song (“Friend You”) for this medium that really helps show not only the emotional journey of Nathan but in this medium, is able to get a sort of intimacy that can only be conveyed through film. Amir Levi in ‘Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story?’TRR: What’s next for ’Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story?’ AL: Eventually, when live theater comes back, it would be amazing to get a full run of it, and to perhaps tour it! I’m sure 1 or 2 new songs would probably be inspired for a fully staged version. However, since live performance probably won’t return till at least Spring 2021, we want to reach as many audience members as possible and hope this story moves them.
In addition to just overcoming the immense hurdles of creating a piece of theater via Zoom and the internet, the creative team and Levi deserve big props for telling the sometimes obsessive/sometimes touching story of one man’s desire to find love. Favorite lyric: “Oh Chad, if you break it then you buy it / If you break my heart, you know you have to pay…” Does Nathan end up with the virtual love of his life? I’m not giving anything away 🙂 You can watch the full one-act musical, Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story? below.
Kitty Coen in ‘Dark Soul’ (image via Instagram) Any press release that begins with “Psychedelic disco cowgirl realness” is definitely going to get my attention. That’s how Texas-based artist Kitty Coen describes her new song and music video, “Dark Soul.” “I wanted to take the viewer on a psychedelic trip through the mind of Kitty Coen,” says the indie singer/songwriter. “‘Dark Soul’ is a song about being in love or infatuated with something at first glance because of its beauty but then realizing that nothing is as it seems.” Coen says the tune was originally written on acoustic guitar in a friend’s garage. But as she performed it live, she realized the song was, and needed to be, “bigger.” So, she went to Nashville to work on it with her producer and “re-worked it into a western disco dance track.” Acknowledging her musical upbringing on a lot of country music, Coen is clear: “This isn’t country, it’s more like Dolly Parton on an acid trip.” Check out the groovy alt-rock/electropop bop set in Coen’s glam neon world below. You can follow Miss Kitty on Instagram here.
Broadway star Norm Lewis Some news items you might have missed: • What To Watch This Weekend: I’ll definitely be watching Tony Award nominee and all-around super-talent Norm Lewis in concert with SiriusXM’s Seth Rudetsky at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Broadway audiences know the oh-so-handsome Lewis from his performances in Phantom of the Opera, Once on This Island, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables, Chicago and more. Continue reading “News Round-Up: July 17, 2020”
Brian Austin Green on dad duty at the grill (image via Instagram)Brian Austin Green, who came to fame playing high school nerd David Silver on the 1990s hit series Beverly Hills 90210, turned 47 this week sharing the day with his kids while sharing his dad bod with his Instagram fans. Green posted pics of his big day with three of his four sons, Noah, Bodhi, and Journey. The actor announced in May he had split with the boys’ mother, actress Megan Fox. Green started the day with “Coffee and popsicles – the breakfast of champions,” before hitting the beach with the kids. And, of course, there was the traditional pic lighting candles on his b-day cake with the little ones before he headed off for ‘dad duty’ at the grill. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCoJtphnDob/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CCmVg5_n44y/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CCrcWOXnhj5/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CCosJqcnZbH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Green also has an 18-year-old son Kassius with his former 90210 castmate, Vanessa Marcil. After the 10-year run of 90210, Green continued acting on television as a series regular on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Freddie, Wedding Band, and Anger Management. Most recently, he reunited with his Beverly Hills 90210 costars for a six-episode reboot of the 90s hit in 2019. Titled, BH90210, the former teen stars got back together to play heightened versions of themselves in a serialized drama “inspired by their real lives and relationships with each other.” https://www.instagram.com/p/B0UdYyxHPEV/
L-R Naya Rivera, Heather Morris (image via Fox) Actress and dancer Heather Morris has shared a touching tribute to her former GLEE costar Naya Rivera, who played her on-screen wife, Santana Lopez, on the hit series. Santana’s body was found in a Southern California lake where she apparently drowned saving the life of her young 4-year-old son. Morris, who played out bisexual character Brittany Pierce on the series, honored Rivera in an emotional letter posted to her Instagram on Wednesday. Noting their friendship had “a bit of a rocky phase” here and there, Morris captures the nuances of what she describes as “the most beautiful friendship built out of love and understanding.” What strikes me the most about the personal message is that instead of generic ‘grief and sadness’ tones, Morris shares specific life moments between Rivera and herself like gifts of oranges left at front doors and the reason why she didn’t post a photo of the two together in her tribute. I won’t do it justice, so I encourage you to read it for yourself.
We started out as the closest friends and then like all new things, we went through a bit of a rocky phase. However, we stuck by each other’s side and created the most beautiful friendship built out of love and understanding.
The last I had the chance to see you in person, I had left oranges outside our home for you to take. I wanted to say hi through the window but my phone didn’t ring when you called (which it never does, f*cking T-Mobile), so instead you and Josey left two succulents on our doorstep as a thank you. I planted those succulents and I look at them every day and think of you.
I still listen to your EP on repeat because from the moment I heard it, it struck me and I always wished the world knew more of your voice. You sent me over 5 dozen SnapChat videos when you and Josey woke up in the morning and I kick myself that I didn’t save one of them.
You always shared recipes and I admired your love for food. We vowed to spend every Easter together, even though Covid stole this last one from us. You are and always will be the strongest and most resilient human being I know, and I vowed to carry that with me as I continue to live my life.
You constantly taught me lessons about grief, about beauty and poise, about being strong, resilient, and about not giving a fuck (but still somehow respectful). Yet, the utmost important lesson I learned most of all from you was being a consistent and loving friend. You were the first to check in, the first to ask questions, the first to listen..you cherished our friendship and I never took that for granted.
We never took photos together because we mutually hated taking pictures…our relationship meant more than proof. I have countless pictures of our babies playing because we shared that kind of pride and joy.
So I’m showing the world a photo of our little goofballs for you, because I know that meant more than anything and they remind me of you and I.
I speak to you every day because I know you’re still with me and even though I’m feeling greedy that we don’t get more time together, I cherish every moment we had and hold it close to my heart.
It’s important to note that Rivera’s performance as the tough-as-nails Santana gave LGBTQ Puerto Ricans a rare moment of proud representation on television. The 33-year-old actress had also appeared on the CBS sitcom “The Royal Family” and in the comedy film “The Master of Disguise.” Her most recent role was in the YouTube Red series Step Up, based on the movie franchise. Other castmates have offered their messages of sympathy via social media as well.
This photo of the cast of #Glee gathering together at Lake Piru today where #NayaRivera’s body was found is incredibly powerful — especially when you consider today is the 7 year anniversary of Cory Monteith’s death. I’m a mess. pic.twitter.com/RhY9hUb78E
She played by her own rules and was in a class of her own. She had a brashness about her that I couldn’t help but be enchanted by. I also always loved her voice, and savored every chance I got to hear her sing. I think she had more talent than we would have ever been able to see.
