A trans boy will be allowed to play the lead role in the upcoming production of OKLAHOMA! after all, following a tense school board meeting on Monday night. After nearly two weeks of controversy, school trustees directed the superintendent to reinstate Sherman High students in the roles they were cast in at the beginning of the month, prior to a decision to revoke their parts based on gender. Continue reading “Trans Boy Allowed To Play Lead In OKLAHOMA! After School Reversal”
A scene from Kimberly Akimbo (via official Instagram)
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics‘ has announced the honorees of its inaugural Dorian Theater Awards. The new award honors the best the best of the 2022-2023 season both on and off-Broadway.
Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil, Jr. Trying to have a career in Show Biz is a big risk. To be successful, every day you must put it all out there, doing whatever it takes to get the gig. Occasionally, Fate steps in and years of preparation meet the perfect opportunity — and you’re a star! But every now and then, Fate gives you the fickle finger and dreams of the limelight get star-crossed. Continue reading “NYC: ‘Waiting In The Wings – The Musical’ Debuts May 1”
(photo: Ludovic Bertron/Flickr) This has blown up across many outlets online and I feel the need to underscore Dr. Anthony Fauci’s true words. Per the New York Times, he did not say it would be more than a year after a coronavirus vaccine becomes available that theaters can open. He said it would be a year before “people feel comfortable returning to theaters without masks.”
As theaters look to see how they might reopen with safety accommodations including mask use, Dr. Anthony Fauci says it will likely be more than a year before people feel comfortable returning to theaters without masks.
“If we get a really good vaccine and just about everybody gets vaccinated,” he said in an Instagram Live interview with Jennifer Garner on Wednesday, “you’ll have a degree of immunity in the general community that I think you can walk into a theater without a mask and feel like it’s comfortable that you’re not going to be at risk.”
He said that would likely not be until mid- to late 2021.
But that doesn’t mean he is saying when it would be safe to go to the theater without a mask. Dr. Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, clarified in a phone interview on Friday that he was referring to when people could return to theatergoing at their pre-coronavirus comfort levels. “Words like ‘safe’ are charged,” he said. “I’m talking about the general trend of when we’ll start to feel comfortable going back to normal if we get a safe and effective vaccine.”
It’s an important difference to note because Broadway and regional theaters may open by January or February. The pandemic situation changes weekly. So, folks, please don’t misconstrue Dr. Fauci’s comments to mean we need to write Broadway and live theater off for another whole year. It’s not what he said.
My actual headshot from back in the day… Ok, a post about … me 🙂 A couple of months ago, Joey Hernandez, of the uber-popular podcast An Older Gay Guy Show, interviewed me about the work I do here on The Randy Report. Joey and I have been a virtual mutual admiration society on Twitter for years. I love his podcast, I never miss it, and he’s been a big supporter of mine. Over the years, An Older Gay Guy Show has received many award nominations and twice been a finalist (wow) for The People’s Choice Podcast Awards. During our chat, though, he realized that I’d had this whole other life as a dancer/singer/actor on Broadway and he asked if I’d come back and share some of that journey. We ended up chatting so much about my beginnings in the theater, moving to NYC, and my differents jobs that he’s sharing it as a two-part show (those that know me are aware I can share a story or two…). Hit the play button to hear me chat on how my career in theater began, including the not so great, early salad days before I finally got a break. And this is just Part One, folks…LOL And if you enjoy, you can click over to The Podcast Awards to nominate An Older Gay Guy Show in the Best LGBTQ category as well as the People’s Choice Award.
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.
Theatermania reports that Actors Equity Association (AEA), the national labor union representing stage actors and stage managers, has approved two Massachusetts theaters to produce new productions in the very near future. Barrington Stage Company and Berkshire Theatre Group have both worked with AEA to move forward with their plans.
Barrington Stage Company is producing Harry Clarke, a one-man show that will employ two Equity members, a performer, and a stage manager. It begins performances in August.
Berkshire Theatre Group is mounting the musical Godspell, an outdoor production with a cast of about 10 and two stage managers.
Both theaters have agreed to safety features that include testing for Equity members and those who come in contact with them.
Other new measures to ensure the safety of workers and audiences: Berkshire Theatre Group, for example, will stage Godspell outdoors for 96 audience members.
Barrington Stage Company is using its indoor facilities but has removed seating, reducing its house capacity to 163 down from over 500. Patrons will be required to wear masks.
It also has committed to an isolated backstage area and regular electrostatic spraying to clean the facilities. Additional entrances and exits are also being built, and all performances will be intermissionless.
A star-studded cast of Pride Plays’ livestream of Mart Crowley’s The Men from the Boys is set to include Mario Cantone, Charlie Carver, Rick Elice, Telly Leung, Lou Liberatore, Carson McCally, Kevyn Morrow, Denis O’Hare and James Joseph O’Neil. The Men from the Boys revisits the beloved characters from the iconic gay-themed play, The Boys in the Band, years after the events of the original play. The free stream at 7 pm Eastern this Friday, June 26, will be directed by Zachary Quinto, who starred in the recent Tony Award-winning revival of Crowley’s The Boys in the Band. Sponsorship and VIP opportunities, which include a post-show Zoom party with Quinto and Pride Plays producer and celebrated actor Michael Urie, are also available. The Pride Plays season, which is presented by Playbill, benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. With every dollar donated, you’ll support those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses, as well as champion organizations working toward social justice and anti-racism.
(image via Broadway.com)Deadline reports a cavalcade of stars will take part in Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, a virtual 90th birthday celebration for legendary Broadway composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, and many more are scheduled to appear on Sunday, April 26, which just happens to be the 50th anniversary of the opening night of Sondheim’s iconic musical, Company. The streaming event will be hosted by Raúl Esparza beginning at 8 pm ET and will be available for free at Broadway.com and the Broadway.com YouTube channel. Esparza has a long history with Sondheim’s work having starred as Bobby in the Tony Award-winning revival of Company in 2006, as George in the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sunday in the Park and as Charlie in Merrily We Roll Along in 2002. Additionally, he starred in City Center’s Encores! productions of Anyone Can Whistle and last year’s Road Show. “The world is in a hard place, and we are all searching for something great,” says Esparza in a statement. “Well, Stephen Sondheim is greatness personified. So, we’ve assembled a group of people who love Steve and have worked with Steve and have been inspired by Steve to sing his music and share some joy and some heartache together. We may be far from Broadway right now, but Broadway is never far from us. Besides, Stephen Sondheim turned 90. How many times do you get to be 90? 11? So come on, say it, get it over with, come on, quick…happy birthday.” Mary-Mitchell Campbell will be the music director, with Paul Wontorek serving as director. This online event will act as a fundraiser for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), the organization conceived by Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth through art.
Guest post by Lawrence Pfeil, Jr. Trying to have a career in Show Biz is a big risk. To be successful, every day you must put it all out there, doing whatever it takes to get the gig. Occasionally, Fate steps in and years of preparation meet the perfect opportunity — and you’re a star! But every now and then, Fate gives you the fickle finger and dreams of the limelight get star-crossed. 
