LGBTQ news and entertainment
Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil Jr. In 1992 when the first Broadway Bares was put on, or rather “taken off,” at Splash bar in New York City by Jerry Mitchell and the company of The Will Rogers Follies. Continue reading “Celebrating XXX Broadway Bares: A Fundraising Video Tribute”
Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil, Jr. You can turn off its bright lights, lock up its stage doors, and silence the “Lullaby of Broadway,” but you’ll never take away a gay man’s dreams of being a musical theatre star! But while the rest of us wait for theatre marquees across America to light up again, we can follow Anthony on his journey in the new movie musical comedy, Still Waiting in the Wings is set for its worldwide release May 15, 2020, on DVD and all digital platforms, including Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play. Still Waiting in the Wings is a light-hearted musical tale following the triumphs and trials of actors dreaming of the Great White Way, mixing sweet aspirations with bitter drama. Our stars sing and dance while living the reality of slinging hash under the florescent lights at Times Square’s famed “Café Broadway.” There are truly no people like show people and there’s no telling what can happen when they’re pitted against each other. Sprinkled along the way are special appearances by Nick Adams, Ed Asner, Carole Cook, Lee Meriwether, Patricia Richardson, Chita Rivera, Seth Rudetsky, Sally Struthers, Bruce Vilanch, and Cindy Williams. 
Jeffrey A. Johns and Chita Rivera in ‘Still Waiting in the Wings’
Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has reviewed film and theatre, both on and off-Broadway, for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications. You can follow him at TheOUTfront.com.
(image via TheOUTfront.com)
Today the Blue Planet marks not only the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, but even during a global pandemic and social distancing, the world is coming together in one common goal, Climate Action. The vision is straightforward and simple. From the website:
“Our world needs transformational change… As an individual, you yield real power and influence as a consumer, a voter, and a member of a community that can unite for change… When your voice and your actions are united with thousands or millions of others around the world, we create a movement that is inclusive, impactful, and impossible to ignore… The time is long overdue for a global outpouring of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a new plan of action for our planet. Earth Day 2020 can be the catalyst that galvanizes an unparalleled global collaboration.”
How can you help S.A.V.E. our planet? 
For 24 hours “Earth Day Network” will be inspiring change with streaming content bringing viewers together for performances, teach-ins, calls to action, and global conversations meant to empower people to make a better environmental future for our planet. 
“We must build the largest, most diverse online mobilization in history in defense of the environment. Our world needs a united response for bold action. On Earth Day 2020, we say enough is enough. We say we believe in science. We say that everyone can make a difference. We say that the protection of our planet and the wellbeing of the people who live upon it are the top priorities. On Earth Day 2020, we say that we’re committing to vote, we’re registering to vote and we’re showing up to vote. Human health and planetary health are inextricably linked. Learn more about Earth Day activities, Climate Change information, and joining forces with others around the world making a difference in their future at EarthDay.org 
Our Planet Our Home credit: Ernesto Yerena Montejano)
Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has reviewed film and theatre, both on and off-Broadway, for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications. You can follow him at TheOUTfront.com.
L-R Effie Passero, Spencer Day (screen capture)
“Like many of you, we are trying to make the best of the worst and keep looking on the bright side of life,” the duo commented. “Earlier this month we came down to Mexico for some concerts, and then a week later it felt like the world was falling apart.” “This is a brand-new song we wrote after finding ourselves with the need for ‘social distancing’ down here in Mexico,” continued the artists. “We hope everyone is safe, healthy, and finding moments to smile.”
“STATE OF EMERGENCY” Written by: Spencer Day & Effie Passero Performed by: Spencer Day, Effie Passero, Zoe Wood, Eduardo Leon Videographer: Daniel Marquez Ortega (The Groove House Studio) SPENCER DAY is one of the most acclaimed young artists creating witty and sophisticated pop songs in the tradition of the classic American writers. He has been called “compelling” by Time Out New York, “prodigiously talented” by the Village Voice, and “brilliant” by the San Francisco Chronicle. The Washington Post praised his “cool jazz sensibilities” and “cleverly crafted tales.” Day has wandered amid the expansive and diverse landscape of American music, developing an artistic sensibility that borrows from numerous sources: jazz, musical theater, cabaret, soul, folk, traditional and contemporary pop. He uses intuition and improvisation as his primary tools to craft a sound that is familiar, yet fresh and innovative at the same time. Day’s album Vagabond peaked at #11 on the Billboard Album Chart and stayed on the chart for 47 weeks. The lead single, “Til You Come To Me,” peaked at #3. His recent album, Daybreak, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart. Spencer’s first collaboration with Postmodern Jukebox just surpassed 1.5 million views on YouTube. Broadway By Day, his upcoming album of reimagined theater songs with surprising and inventive genre-blurring arrangements, will feature special guests Jane Monheit and Dave Koz. Follow Spencer Day on Facebook here, Twitter here, and Instagram here. EFFIE PASSERO is a classically trained performer turned singer-songwriter. After 12 years in Opera Theatre, she discovered her passion truly lies in storytelling and sharing her own life through music. In early 2018, she was seen on ABC”s first season of “American Idol,” placing in the top 20 contestants. In late 2018, she won the Hollywood Media in Music Award for her original song, “Sarsaparilla.” Effie has been brought into session singing, working on both Leonard Cohen and Barbra Streisand’s latest albums. She is currently finishing her first EP to be will be released in the fall. Follow Effie Passero on Facebook here, Twitter here, and Instagram here.
Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has reviewed film and theatre, both on and off-Broadway, for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications. You can follow him at TheOUTfront.com.
By Lawrence Pfeil, Jr Every year as World AIDS Day approaches, I struggle with what to write about a subject so deeply woven into the fabric of our community, but this year the story was unfortunately clear. Three decades after “the first-ever world health day” was declared by the World Health Organization as “an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV; show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died,” World AIDS Day is largely forgotten. In New York City, the epicenter of the AIDS crisis, home of GMHC, BroadwayCares/EquityFightsAIDS, ACTUP, and openly HIV-positive City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, the Empire State Building won’t be lit red in recognition again this year. The last time was in 2015 when I noticed World AIDS Day wasn’t on the lighting schedule and submitted the request as a private New Yorker living with HIV/AIDS. (Requests are usually made by a major organization/corporation.) When I made the same request the following year, it was denied even though nothing else was scheduled. The Empire State Building hasn’t recognized World AIDS Day since. 
Empire State Building
And there is still no cure and no vaccine. What they’re really saying is HIV/AIDS isn’t killing enough people anymore; it’s not the “disease of the month;” and/or it won’t get enough “clicks” for their advertisers. Here are the results of that attitude and the stories not getting told. Current retroviral medications that are allowing people like me to live healthy full lives and PrEP – which is helping prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS – are lifesaving, but only if you have access to them. Many people in our community, especially people of color, don’t have the same access to treatment let alone afford the medication’s $1800/month price tag. Moreover, only 79% of people with HIV know their status. The 21% who don’t is due in great part to a lack of access to testing. A recent article on The Randy Report published the data from a study on the attitudes and behaviors of the youngest generations towards people with HIV and the results were horrifying.
*via HIV.gov Even in our own community, there is a shocking lack of knowledge about HIV transmission which has fostered a campaign to educate, “Undetectable = Untransmittable.” Still, the stigma of HIV/AIDS continues, not so much out of fear as before but out of sheer ignorance. 
At the other end of the spectrum are the long-term survivors of the AIDS epidemic which even fewer are talking about. I know many with severe health issues caused by the ravages of early drug treatments like AZT which are only now catching up with them. Coupled with growing older in a Community obsessed with youth who are oblivious to the basic facts of HIV/AIDS, it’s yet another bitter pill to swallow. Finally, an original purpose of World AIDS Day was to commemorate those lost in the plague, and those people still deserve to be remembered especially by our Community. The health care providers, researchers, activists, fundraisers, caregivers who fought for them (and continue to fight) expect nothing less. If we don’t care about their lives who will? Their stories are part of Our Story. World AIDS Day – attention must be paid because lives depend on it. 
By Lawrence Pfeil, Jr. On a white platform resting like a blank sheet of paper just above the bare stage, a diverse group of gay men gathers with pencils and paper, laptops, and tablets. They write their stories — or try to begin. The story germinating inside the youngest to be nurtured by his mentor will grow round them blossoming into an epic reflective of a community continually grappling with its own story. This is The Inheritance, Matthew Lopez’s two-part play which has opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Structured on, Howard’s End, Lopez reimagines E.M Forster’s masterpiece as New York City’s 21st century, “gay society.” In the process, he trades the original’s examination of social mores, ridged conduct, and reputation for issues of intergenerational relationships, interpersonal responsibility, and community. Bridging the two is Forster himself aka “Morgan” offering a masterclass to his writing protégé and creating the story within a story framework, not unlike the stage around the central “writing platform.” Following Forster’s roadmap, The Inheritance is a journey of revelation to find lost connections, that while occasionally veering off path, arrives with an emotional impact like few other plays in recent years. 
The cast of The Inheritance (all production photos: Matthew Murphy)
Jordan Barbour, Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr., Kyle Soller, Arturo Luís Soria and Kyle Harris in The Inheritance
Samuel H. Levine, Kyle Soller and Andrew Burnap in The Inheritance
“If we can’t have a conversation with our past, what will our future be? Who are we? And more importantly: Who will we become?” – Matthew Lopez
The Inheritance By Matthew Lopez PART 1: 3 hours 15 minutes, with two intermissions PART 2: 3 hours 20 mins, with one intermission and 5 min pause The Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, Open End Run More information, performance schedule, and tickets click here. Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has reviewed film and theatre, both on and off-Broadway, for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade, and Edge Publications.
Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein in his new play, Bella Bella
Bella Abzug
Harvey Fierstein in Bella Bella (photo: Jeremy Daniel)
Harvey Fierstein in Bella Bella (photo: Jeremy Daniel)
By Lawrence Pfeil, Jr. “There’s no place like home,” Judy Garland’s most iconic line of her storied career came at the beginning. So, finding the “world’s greatest entertainer” homeless with Lorna and Joey in tow as JUDY begins thirty years later is, to say the least ironically heartbreaking. Arriving on the doorstep of her third husband, Sid Luft takes his children in but demands custody to give them a permanent home all to Garland’s absolute objections. Broke and with few options, she books five weeks of concerts in London during the winter of 1968, even though it means being separated from her children. Focusing on these few months during the last year of her life, the new biopic JUDY is not the story of an “impossible” diva chasing her big comeback one might expect. Rather it finds at its heart, a mother desperate for the means of providing a stable and loving home for her children, something she never had herself. 
“I was born at the age of twelve on an MGM lot.” – Judy Garland
The film’s harrowing prologue shows an innocent teenage Garland making her pact with MGM’s devil, Louis B. Mayer whose menacing and emotional manipulation could only be called child abuse. Throughout JUDY, flashbacks expose how Garland’s story was completely staged for the cameras. From phony picturesque dates with co-star Mickey Rooney to her 16th Birthday party shot on a fake poolside set with hired guests and prop cake, it was for the Garland image. Resistance was futile as the scope of the mogul’s grip on his young starlet grew from mental trauma to physical control of her diet, regiments of amphetamines and barbiturates, and eventual fondling.
“In our house, the word of Louis B. Mayer became the law.” – Judy Garland
Catching the last twinkles of a once brilliant star about to burn out, Renée Zellweger sparkles in an uncanny portrayal of the Hollywood icon. Her much anticipated first song as the legendary performer doesn’t come until well into the film, but when it does, it smashes like a farmhouse landing in Oz. As with other leading actors in recent music biopics, Zellweger does her own singing; but in JUDY, her songs were performed and recorded live on camera. While the litmus test for portraying Garland is arguably vocal performance, Zellweger most shines in the smaller more intimate moments of the film. It’s Garland as a loving mother, a kind and caring woman, an addict in pain, and not “performer” where she is the brightest. Finn Wittrock is charmingly smarmy as Mickey Deans, Garland’s predatory, opportunistic, fifth husband. From the moment he lays eyes on her at a party to leaving her curled up with anxiety on the bathroom floor, it’s clear Deans, like the other men in her life, only view her as a commodity. 
Jessica Buckley as Rosalyn Wilder, Garland’s personal assistant assigned by her London concert producer is the woman caught in the middle. She sees the lonely, addicted, terrified woman off stage but responsible for getting a living legend on stage. Yet as compelling as that is, screenwriter, Tom Edge gives Buckley little to work with. In fact, he gives so little attention to the supporting characters in JUDY they have the depth of soundstage cutouts.
“There have been a lot of stories written about me, some of them fantastically distorted.” – Judy Garland
More than shallow characters, Edge’s screenplay (based stage play “End of the Rainbow” by Peter Quilter) is inauthentic and unabashedly fraudulent for a biopic. Accounts of Garland’s London concert meltdowns and her behavior offstage are almost as notorious as she is legendary. Three decades of drug addiction and alcoholism were reaching their apex fueling her stage fright and terror of losing her children and vice versa. Rather than depicting the reality of a woman literally on the brink who would succumb to her demons in six months, Edge’s screenplay is a watered-down, dramatically washed out story with little pathos, emotional connection, or impact. Sadly, the moments that do strike a chord are completely made up. 
(Spoiler alert) Admittedly, one of the most touching scenes in JUDY is her late-night dinner with an adoring gay couple at their London flat. The problem is, it never happened. Of course, biopics dramatize events in the lives of their characters, but fabricating significant events with absolutely no basis, in fact, is wrong. What’s more, if the same fictional gay couple is in the audience and helps Garland when she can’t get through “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” then obviously that didn’t happen either, but neither did the entire treacly final scene for that matter. Those scenes are phony and staged ala Louis B Mayer and MGM solely for the JUDY image. To have a film call out studio manipulation and deception only to do the exact same thing is hypocritical, disingenuous, adding more insult to Garland’s already injured truth. She never got redemption, an exit with head held high, her Hollywood ending. It’s tragic but, it’s the truth. It’s part what makes Judy Garland, Judy Garland, endearingly vulnerable, immensely talent, cripplingly flawed, and gone too soon. At the end of her rainbow, as the pot of gold she desperately needed grew ever more elusive, Garland was terrified she’d never be able to give her children a home. Given Renée Zellweger’s stellar performance, it’s a shame the people behind the curtain of JUDY, didn’t have the brains, heart, and courage to tell her story with more truth and honesty.
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland
JUDY Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland Darci Shaw as young Judy Garland Finn Wittrock as Mickey Deans Rufus Sewell as Sidney Luft Jessie Buckley as Rosalyn Wilder Directed by Rupert Goold Screenplay by Tom Edge Based on the stage play “End of the Rainbow” by Peter Quilter BBC Films Pathé Calamity Films Roadside Attractions 118 minutes (photo credit for all images: David Hindley) Lawrence Pfeil, Jr., is a freelance writer/playwright who has reviewed film and theatre, both on and off-Broadway, for media outlets including The Randy Report, the New York Blade and Edge Publications.
Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil, Jr.
This year in America, there have been 251 mass shootings as of day 215; three of them in the past week.
While the motive of the Dayton shooter is still TBD, the shooters in Gilroy, CA and El Paso, TX were both motivated by racist hate with the goal of slaughtering men, women, and children of color.
This is the sickening truth that Americans woke up to today and must live with.
How do any of us cope with the ceaseless crisis of gun violence and our leader’s complacency and willful inaction? How do we stem the growing tide of racism, xenophobia, and public displays of hate? How did we get here? What’s going on?
Nearly fifty years ago, the great Marvin Gaye asked the same question after an act of police brutality. His chart-topping, “What’s Going On?” is a ballad of grief, yearning, and most of all hope.
It became an instant classic and has brought people together in the darkest of times reminding us of common humanity when we are in most need of healing.
Playing For Change, an artist collective created to inspire and connect the world through music recently released a cover of Gaye’s hit that shines a special light of hope today.
From their official website:
“Playing For Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music, born from the shared belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people.
“Our primary focus is to record and film musicians performing in their natural environments and combine their talents and cultural power in innovative videos we call Songs Around The World.
“Through these efforts, we aim to create hope and inspiration for the future of our planet.”
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Founded in 2002, Playing For Change released its first album in 2009, “Songs from Around the World,” featuring 100 musicians from 21 countries.
From its liner notes:
“For seven years our small film crew traveled the world with recording equipment and cameras in search of inspiration — we traveled from streets and subways to native Indian reservations, through African towns and villages, up to the Himalayan Mountains and beyond.
“Throughout the journey, we created a movement connecting the world through music. This album is a collective statement from over 100 musicians spanning five countries. Many of them have never met in person, but through their different cultures, these songs demonstrate a profound human connection and willingness to unite.
“Through music, we can understand our differences and create a better world.”
Playing For Change’s debut music video, a cover of the Ben E. King classic, “Stand By Me,” showcases their inspirational and remarkable journey.
Their latest music video of Imagine Dragon’s “Love” was recently released and its message could not be more relevant or important. Featuring musicians from across six continents, “Love” reminds us we are all one in the human choir inviting us to share in the song,
“All around the world, we are one …” and let’s share the love with everyone we meet.”
More about Playing For Change:
Support their work by becoming a member HERE.
Follow their inspirational work on social media:
Facebook: @PlayingForChange
Instagram: @playing4changefoundation
Twitter: @playing4change
You can follow guest contributor Lawrence Pfeil Jr. at his website, TheOUTFront.com
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| Melissa Etheridge kicked off the festivities (photos: Lawrence Pfeil Jr) |
By Lawrence Pfeil, Jr.
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| Melissa Etheridge |
Comedian Margret Cho brilliantly hosted the evening with hilarious observations on gay men.
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| Hunky sign language guy |
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| More of hunky sign language guy I think Lawrence was trying to tell me something 😉 |
Broadway’s The Prom stopped by strutting their stuff in a celebration of Love is Love with the entire cast thrilling the audience with the show’s finale, “It’s Time to Dance.”
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| Mel C – ‘Sporty Spice’ – of the Spice Girls |
Big electrifying numbers from MNEK, Spice Girl Melanie C with Sink the Pink, and Jake Shears wowed the capacity audience, but it was an unexpected small moment that spoke to the occasion.
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| Jake Shears |
Those who came together last night as a global community united in pride were not prepared for what happened next.
Leave the world behind you — @Deborah_Cox has taken the stage at the #WorldPrideNYC Closing Ceremonies in #TimesSquare! pic.twitter.com/fMYmLHlGS0— Times Square (@TimesSquareNYC) July 1, 2019
Cox talked about spending 18 months touring in The Bodyguard the Musical in Whitney Houston’s iconic role. On the giant video screen, a rainbow ribbon could be seen on her dress.
Amazing @Deborah_Cox #iIWillAlwaysLoveYou ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 #Pride #WorldPride #NYCPride #Stonewall50 #DeborahCox #Gyom63 @TimesSquareNYC @NYCPride pic.twitter.com/UaZ9DNC8Oo— guill@ume (@Gyom63) July 1, 2019
I don’t know if at Pride Island they could hear what was happening in Times Square; but if they did, what they heard was, “Madonna, go home and try again.” Deborah “Nobody’s Supposed to be Here” Cox Threw. It. Down. and blew it up! Taking a crowd from emotional heartbreak to ecstatic joyous dance party like it’s nothin but a thing takes a fierce dancefloor diva. It was a feat not many performers could pull off. Deborah Cox didn’t just drop the mic, she dropped it, buried it, never to be seen again.
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| Empire State Building lit up in rainbow for Pride |