Gay in the Berkshires

Why are those Smiling Mormons so happy to take away our rights?

2011-02-27T12:32:00.008-05:00

I've met those happy, smiling, deluded Mormons many times over the course of my life. My first experience with their Stepford Wives style bliss was when I was in the Navy, and let me tell you, it was a lot like that wonderful movie, Latter Days. Only back then, Mormons treated not only gays as sinners, but black folk were not fit to be part of their church either. But this is not about a religion that discriminates, it is about a cult that tries to make LGBT second class folk, as they did with their energetic support of banning gay marriage by funding the Proposition 8 campaign in California. Not only did they provide most of the money for the misleading television ads that led to the electoral disaster for us, but they provided the boots on the ground to sway the public which had been supportive prior to the involvement of the Mormon church and its supporters.

In the Berkshires we can see two aspects of this epic battle between the gay community and that church in two upcoming events. They document the Mormon role in gay oppression, which when combined with the hostility from the Roman Catholic hierarchy, continues to give bigots cover for their ongoing discrimination against hard working, tax paying LGBT's.

8:The Mormon Proposition

The first of these is a March 17 screening of the Dorian Award winning documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition at Mass MoCA with the filmmaker, Reed Cowan, present for a follow-up Q & A afterwards. It should be a fascinating evening. Full details of this event can be found on our main site, Berkshire on Stage.

As California's anti-gay marriage proposition 8 languished in the polls, Mormon Prophet Thomas S. Monson issued a call from Salt Lake City to millions of Mormons all over the world. His was an order to action containing the secret code language of the highly secret Mormon temple ceremony. The action alert commanded Mormons in and out of California to do all things necessary to insure the passage of California's Proposition 8. Within days, hundreds of thousands of Mormons all over the United States funneled thirty million Mormon dollars in to California coffers to purchase the passage of California's anti-gay marriage Proposition 8.

Before the Mormons and their participation in the passage of Proposition 8, evangelicals were flopping in the fight. After Mormons got involved, the fight flourished.

During the fight, the Mormon Church media-engine, including mega-million dollar public relations and political consulting firm support, barraged Californians with a suffocating number of misleading television and radio ads and door-to-door campaigns manned by the Mormon NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE.

When Prop. 8 passed in California by a slim margin, Mormons were quick to take credit for the success. But when backlash from LGBT citizens targeted Mormon temples throughout the United States, the Mormon Church was the first to complain that they were the ones being persecuted.

In the wake of it all, documentary producer Reed Cowan was collecting secret recordings, secret documents and never before seen footage exposing Mormon efforts to quash ANY rights for LGBT citizens anywhere in the world. 'As a former Mormon missionary, I am appalled in knowing that a church which itself worships the practice of alternative marriage (polygamy), would become so vehemently involved in the marriage debate,' he said.

Mormons, Mothers and Monsters
Happy Mormon Missionaries
Meanwhile on a lighter and more sympathetic note, there is the new Will Aronson musical Mormons, Mothers and Monsters that will receive its world premiere at Barrington Stage Company this summer. The tale of a young, emotionally tortured Mormon with a secret, it has a wholly new score with some delightful songs in the spirit of Broadway musicals. I was fortunate enough to hear some of them last Labor Day weekend, and was so impressed I wrote about them in Berkshire on Stage. You can find lots more information on this important event from the Barrington Musical Theatre Lab in this article.

Visit me at Berkshire on Stage

2011-01-01T23:04:00.003-05:00

As Berkshire on Stage has grown in size and scope, it is also claiming more of my available time. Please visit me there, and if you wish to see articles, interviews and stories with a LGBT focus, just select that category.

http://berkshireonstage.com/

Thanks for your readership and support.

Larry

Colonial's LGB lineup: Kate Clinton, Tommy Tune and Ani DiFranco

2010-10-30T20:07:00.008-04:00

Tommy Tune is an idol for aspiring Broadway actors.

November at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield is going to be a rare and special month with three great artists - and members of the LGBTQ community - slated to hold forth on their stage. First up is Broadway's legendary Tommy Tune who at 6' 6" is likely the tallest song and dance man to ever grace the Broadway stage. Winner of many Tony Awards he brings the Manhattan Rhythm Kings plus a backup trio with him on Friday, November 12 at 8:00 PMas we detail in this advance story in Berkshire on Stage. Tommy came out in his memoir, Footnotes.

Kate Clinton is Lady HaHa.
The next night the funny and thought-provoking Kate Clinton brings her Lady HaHa tour to the Berkshires for a taste of the Provincetown Women's Week club scene in the naked Berkshires. (I am talking about the trees post-foliage season.) We had a wonderfully revealing chat with the former school teacher turned stand-up comic which you can also find in Berkshire on Stage, and she said she loved being the second oldest living lesbian comic, while naming the first. She also talks about her pal HIllary Clinton, Arianna Huffington and Al Franken, and speculates on the health of Dick Cheney, admitting she combs the obits every day looking for good news. Her November 13 9=8:00 PM performance at the Colonial sponsored by the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition and The Rainbow Times is only her second appearance ever in the Berkshires. She will be appearing with Roy Zimmerman. More about him in this second Berkshire on Stage story.

Ani DiFranco and her daughter. Courtesy Parenting Magazine.
Then there is the bisexual Ani DiFranco who probably loves her guitar more than any particular partner, though not as much as her daughter Petah Lucia who is now approaching four. Her fluid sexual identity is as famous as her independence in the music business. My story on her is in the works, and will appear shortly. She is at the Colonial on November 16 at 7:30. She will be appearing with special guest Melissa Ferrick.

For tickets to any of these concerts, visit the Colonial Theatre website.

Twice as many teens are gay than previously thought

2010-10-29T08:25:00.007-04:00

But many of them are also engaging in risky behavior which is not good news.

According to a 2002 study of Massachusetts and Vermont teens, only 5 percent to 6 percent of teens had same-sex partners. In the new study, 9.3 percent of teens said they did. The new research, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that teens who had sex with only their own gender or with both genders were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, putting themselves at greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Elizabeth Saewyc, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, told Reuters Health that these teens may engage in riskier behavior because sex education programs don't always acknowledge gay, lesbian, and bisexual relationships.

"Some teens I've seen tell me that they completely check out of sex ed because they feel what they were learning didn't apply to them," said Saewyc, who was not involved in the new study.

She suggested that educators need to acknowledge gay, lesbian, and bisexual relationships more often in sex education curriculums so that teens are more likely to listen and will feel more comfortable discussing any issues.

Bullying has been increasing too as some schools are in denial.

In the 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey, for teens who were sexually active, 8 percent of males and 10 percent of females reported having had a same-sex partner. In a study looking at the 2001 Minnesota Student Survey, 9.4 percent of teens reported having had partners of the same or both sexes.

Dr. Preeti Pathela, lead author of the new study, said the results may have been different this time around because some states do not measure same-sex encounters.

This story is excerpted from a Reuters report.

Super production of "Hairspray" in Cohoes, NY

2010-10-18T20:56:00.003-04:00

"Big Hair! Big Talent! Big Dancing! Big Fun! AND...Jim Charles in a dress. Who could ask for anything more?? Fun from beginning to end. I encourage you to strap on your dancing shoes and pack up the whole family and go." - Gail Burns, gailsez.org

For a community-based theatre, the folks at Music Hall (C-R Productions) in Cohoes, NY really make their musicals um, well, sing!

I often make the trek there when the musical pickings are slim in the Berkshires - like now and until Tommy Tune arrives November12. With their new iteration of Hairspray, you should think about filling up the gas and heading over the border for a good time. They always have a live pit band, too, a real plus. Sometimes the tech crew is a couple of fuses short on the amperage, but the wattage of the talent is still high voltage.

I loved Gail Burns' review of Hairspray - she sees a lot more issues and facets than most reviewers.

Teens - It Gets Better (Broadway Sings for the Trevor Project)

2010-10-17T18:05:00.004-04:00

Sometimes it get pretty lonely being a teen, especially if you are LGBTQ or taken as one....This video made for The Trevor Project features lots of my favorite Broadway performers and is very heartfelt since just about every one of them went through high school enduring the daily harshness. Look at them now.

The Trevor Project was founded by the generous actor-writer James Lecesne, who was our stage manager back in the 70's at the Pocket Mime Theatre in Boston. He helped me make big changes in my life, and has continued to help others as well. Other founders include director/producer Peggy Rajski and producer Randy Stone, creators of the 1994 Academy Award®-winning short film, Trevor, a comedy/drama about a gay 13-year-old boy who, when rejected by friends because of his sexuality, makes an attempt to take his life.

When Trevor was scheduled to air on HBO® in 1998, the filmmakers realized that some of the program’s young viewers might be facing the same kind of crisis as Trevor, and began to search for an appropriate support line to broadcast during the airing. They discovered that no such helpline existed, and decided to dedicate themselves to forming what was, in their view, a much-needed resource: an organization to promote acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, and to aid in crisis and suicide prevention among that group. Thus, The Trevor Project was born, and with seed funding provided by The Colin Higgins Foundation, The Trevor Lifeline was established and became the first and only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.

Today, in addition to operating the crisis and suicide prevention lifeline, The Trevor Project provides online support to young people through the organization’s Web site, as well as lifesaving guidance and vital resources for educators and parents.

Mass MoCA puts out welcome mat for LGBTQ Youth, Adults

2010-10-16T23:28:00.006-04:00

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams has never been shy about showcasing the work of artists who happen to be gay, but they are about to go much further. Mass MoCA has announced that it is a judgement free zone, and has been planning a new after-school program for LGBTQ youth (ages 14-21), to be hosted & launched at MASS MoCA beginning in January of 2011. The program is open to any LGBTQ youth that are looking for a safe space to be who they are and make art! Allies are also encouraged to attend.

Paul Browde and Murray Nossel in Two Men Talking at Mass MoCA.

Also coming up on November 20 is the appearance of Paul Browde and Murray Nossel's in a show they call Two Men Talking. Put together by these two gay men, it has become an international phenomenon. In this unscripted production, the two men, who first met as school children in Johannesburg in 1974, weave their life stories - which includes taunting and homophobia - into a captivating work of live theater that bounces between South Africa and New York touching on issues of personal identity, HIV/AIDS, being Jewish in South Africa, and the creation of a lifetime friendship.

Here's a very creative treatment of Paul and Murray's saga (note mobile users - requires Flash) FLYP Magazine Interactive For More Info: www.massmoca.org

Update: Out in the Berkshires Events Oct. 8-10

2010-10-02T10:26:00.008-04:00

"Untitled" by Kit Restivo.

Pittsfield is clearly the place to be on Columbus Day Weekend. the city is jumping with enormous activity. For the second year in a row there will be an "Out in the Berkshires" celebration which has been slated for October 8-10. This year includes several new events, some of which have only been finalized in the past day or two.

Says Megan Whilden, Cultural Pittsfield's director, "The terrific thing about Out in the Berkshires is that it is the same weekend as a number of other events in downtown Pittsfield, from the Storefront Artist Project-organized open studios, to a conversation with artist Maggie Mailer at Ferrin Gallery, to Barrington Stage’s production of The Crucible and their programming around the Red Scare era and blacklisted writers."

The full slate of weekend events are being held in concert with National Coming Out day on October 11, and are co-sponsored by the Rainbow Times, the City of Pittsfield and the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition. For visitors too, it is a rare chance to enjoy gorgeous fall foliage and gay-friendly arts and nightlife.

Out in the Berkshires kicks off Friday evening with the opening reception for the Out in the Berkshires group art show (see preview slideshow in our concurrent story at Berkshire on Stage. It takes place at the Lichtenstein Gallery, featuring regional artists from the LGBTQ community, including Kit Restivo whose photo appears at the top of this story.

The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts is the new home for the Live Out Loud Youth Project a social support and networking. youth-led, adult-facilitated group to support positive social relationships and meet the needs of LGBTQQA youth in the Berkshires. It's another important reason why the Out in the Berkshires project is to create a welcoming environment for our own LGBTQ youth to avoid tragedies like the recent suicide of Tyler Clementi. "And the LGBT art show was the Mayor's idea," notes Whilden.

Bill Nelson's All Male Revue has plenty of new surprises.

Friday evening continues with the first of three nights of delicious comedic cabaret with Bill Nelson’s All Male Revue at the award-winning Barrington Stage Company, followed by late night Karao-Gay with karaoke champion Ken De Loreto as the ever-so-charming MC.

"As Pittsfield itself has undergone change in recent years, the most exciting and entertaining twist on its diversity has been the arrival of increasing numbers of LGBT residents. They have enriched the arts and cultural scene, of course, but they have also been filling needed spots in the health care, high tech and entrepreneurial communities. The "Out" weekend is one way to reach out to them in hopes that they may become more involved. Not only can they enjoy the beauty and ambience of the Berkshires, but in Pittsfield, we welcome their active participation in the growth of the city." - Megan Whilden

Saturday enjoy the gorgeous fall foliage in the Berkshires and don’t miss the Downtown Pittsfield Open Studios, an opportunity to peek into some of the 60+ artist studios and galleries in downtown Pittsfield. After the All Male Revue Saturday evening, you’re invited to cruise at Come Out and Dance party into the wee hours.

"We know a successful creative city needs to be a diverse, tolerant and exciting city, and one of the key ingredients, as identified by Richard Florida in his seminal book, The Rise of the Creative Class, is the LGBTQ community, along with artists and immigrants. Pittsfield has worked hard to be welcoming to artist and immigrants, and we want to make the LGBTQ community feel equally welcomed, supported and appreciated in Pittsfield." - Megan Whilden

Sunday brings a "family and friends" brunch at the scrumptious Jae’s Spice that’s also a benefit for Out in the Berkshires programming, followed by a late evening screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Keep up with everything LGBTQ-friendly in the Berkshires at www.outintheberkshires.com and look for online on Facebook and Twitter too!

Michel Bellici, "Painting 89", 30x40 Acrylic on Canvas

Friday, October 8, 5-7pm Out in the Berkshires art show opening

Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue Pittsfield, MA
FREE More info: 413.499.9348 mwhilden@pittsfieldch.com

A group show featuring regional artists from the LGBTQ community, including abstract painter Joe Goodwin, trans artists Autumn Doyle and Justin Adkins, mixed media artists Timothy Kushi and Donald Clark, photographers Susan Mikula, the late Vaal London-Kane and Kit Restivo, sculptor Joseph Wheaton currently in a two person show at the Berkshire Museum, painters Jaysin Eli and Michelle Bellici, and fiber artist Nathan Hanford.

Friday-Sunday, October 8-10 8pm Bill Nelson’s Musical Revue

$15 Barrington Stage Company, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, MA
More info & advance tickets: 413.236.8888 or www.barringtonstageco.org

If David Sedaris were musicalized, he’d sound like Bill Nelson! The lyrics are equal parts jaw-dropping, profound and daffy. Join Bill and the guys for a casual, fun evening of fresh, inventive theatre songs!

KJ (Erica) Spizz

Friday, October 8 (doors open 9:30pm) 10pm-1am Karao-Gay karaoke night!

$5/$7 NEW STAGE 55 North Street, Pittsfield MA

Let your inner diva shine with Karaoke Master Ken Deloreto at the helm and KJ (Erica ) Spizz behind the turntable into the wee hours. Reportedly Spizz is thrilled to be making her Shire City debut at Karao-Gay. KJ has the equipment and a 25K+ song arsenal to satisfy both virgins and varsity players alike. She never lets her tone deafness or inability to carry a tune dampen the passion in her performances. Cash bar. Reservations 413.418.0999.

Saturday, October 9, 9pm -1am Come Out & Dance Party  
$5 NEW STAGE 55 North Street, Pittsfield MA 

Get out on the dance floor with the deliriously popular DJ BFG spinning tracks.

Sunday, October 10 11:30am Family & Friends Brunch 
$20 Jae’s Spice 297 North Street 443-1234 

Celebrate community and help support continued Out in the Berkshires programming at this delicious brunch at one of the Berkshires’ finest restaurants.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has become a classic.

Sunday, October 10 , 10pm Rocky Horror Picture Show

$9 Beacon Cinema, 55 North Street, Pittsfield MA
www.thebeaconcinema.com

Let’s do the Time Warp during this late night showing of this cult classic! Dress up encouraged, prize for best costume.

October Events from Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition

2010-09-24T11:51:00.011-04:00

Of course we are all looking forward to the Out in the Berkshires Weekend in Pittsfield (see previous story) but there is a lot more happening before and after the Columbus Day Weekend. Here's the latest from the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coallition.

BSCC Annual Meeting & Potluck

Wednesday, October 6, 7-9 pm at the Unitarian Church
on Wendell Ave, Pittsfield, MA

Join the Berkshire Stonewall Board of Directors for a potluck dinner at the UU Church to be followed by a community meeting where the board will present an annual report of what we have been up to over the past year, and then we’ll open the floor to questions and comments from the community. Our input is vital to the growth of the organization, so please bring yourselves, your thought and ideas, and a dish to share.

BSCC Halloween Dance

Saturday, October 23, 9pm – 1am at the Elk’s Club
on Union Street in Pittsfield, MA

Berkshire Stonewall will be hosting a Halloween Party on October 23rd from 9pm to 1am at the Elk’s Club. DJ BFG will be joining us once again, and we’re coming up with some crazy decoration ideas. Guests are encouraged to dress in their favorite costumes. Appetizers, DJ, Costume Contest!

Admission: $5 Member/$10 Non-Member ($5 additional fee for entrance in costume contest)

HOWARD CRUSE BOOK PARTY

Saturday, October 16, 2-4 pm at The Bookstore
11 Housatonic Street, Lenox, MA

Cartoonist Howard Cruse will read excerpts from his international award-winning 1995 graphic novel Stuck Rubber Baby, which was reissued this summer in a new, 15th anniversary hardcover edition. The Lenox event will begin with Howard’s reading at 2 to be followed by book-signing and socializing.

Set amid the turmoil of the Civil Rights era, Stuck Rubber Baby centers on Toland Polk, a young, closeted gay southerner struggling to find himself and achieve moral authenticity. When it was first published, Artforum International called the novel “bravura storytelling.” In his introduction to the original edition playwright Tony Kushner referred to Howard as “one of the most talented artists to work in the form.” The book’s anniversary edition includes a new introduction by Alison Bechdel, author of 2008’s highly lauded Fun Home. The founding editor of Gay Comix and creator of the 1980s comic strip Wendel, Howard has lived in North Adams since 2003 with his husband Ed Sedarbaum.

DICK LIPEZ BOOK PARTY

Saturday, October 30, 2 pm at The Bookstore
11 Housatonic Street, Lenox, MA

Richard Stevenson (Dick Lipez) will read from his new book, Cockeyed, the eleventh Don Strachey PI novel by Stevenson, the pseudonym of Becket author Dick Lipez. Cockeyed is as much screwball comedy as mystery. It’s about what happens when Hunny “You go, girl!” Van Horn, Albany’s flamingest working class flamer wins the first New York State Lottery payout of one billion dollars. Strachey is brought in to deal with the skeletons that come tumbling out of Hunny’s non-closet. Cockeyed was published in September by MLR Press. Also just out in East Asia from Monsoon Books is Bangkok Free Fall, which was published last year in the US under the title The 38 Million Dollar Smile.

Out in the Berkshires: October 8-10, 2010

2010-09-17T18:03:00.010-04:00

From the August performances of Bill Nelson's All Male Revue: Stanley Bahorek, Orville Mendoza, Claybourne Elder, Bill Nelson, Matt Castle, Frank Galgano. New songs coming in October as part of the renamed "Bill Nelson's Incredible Musical Review."

There's nothing official yet, no press release, just some events that seem to be coming together, but indications are that there will be a second "Out in the Berkshires" celebration in Pittsfield in October. One of the hoped for events has already been scrapped, but hopefully there will be more. Time grows short. This last minute stuff is ok for the locals, but if there is any hope of drawing in some new faces, a little advance publicity - including on the LGBT state tourism pages would help draw from beyond our meager population here.

Of course once the official announcements arrives, (PR goes to BerkshireLarry@gmail.com) I will be sure to put a feature story up in Berkshire on Stage. Meantime, pencil in these dates. Of course, I highly recommend seeing the new iteration of Bill Nelson's (F)all Male Revue. Witty, clever, and very gay.

Friday, October 8, 5-7pm
Out in the Berkshires opening reception
Group art show featuring leading LGBTQ regional artists including Nathan Hanford, Joe Goodwin, Tim Kushi, Autumn Doyle, Kit Restivo, Vaal London-Kane, Donald Clark and others. Location TBA

Friday-Sunday, October 8-10 8pm
Bill Nelson’s Incredible Musical Reviue
Barrington Stage 2

Friday, October 8, 10pm-1am
Karao-Gay Night
with Karaoke MC Ken DeLoreto
NEW Performing Arts Center (above the Beacon)

And there is a page at the New Stage website announcing Karao Gay. As we get notified by the organizers, we will pass along the word.

Kolok Gallery & Berkshire Stonewall Sparkling Wine & Chocolate Saturday Sept 11

2010-09-08T22:41:00.003-04:00

Robert Mateo Diago

Born in Puerto Rico, Robert Mateo Diago has lived in Northern New Jersey, NYC and South Florida. He's called Dallas, Texas home for 15 years. He has been a student of art since his early childhood, and by high school knew he'd pursue it as a career. He received his college degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

Diago developed a successful career in Art Direction and Commercial Design over 20 years. About ten years ago painting reentered his life - emerging as an almost primal need during a meditation retreat. Since then he's been creating personal and commissioned works; paintings, collage and sculpture. Two years ago Diago made the significant and official switch into making art his fulltime endeavor.

Having planned on constructing only a studio addition, the artist, a proponent of 'green' living, recently built a sustainable USGBC LEED Platinum certified home with a spacious, light-filled studio. The versatility of his new work space allows him to create and showcase large paintings including diptychs and triptychs while also providing him with space suitable for making other works such as sculpture and mixed media assemblages.

Ongoing at Kolok Gallery:

A rotating inventory including sculptures, paintings and prints by artists David Bradshaw, William S. Burroughs, Gregory Crewdson, Shannon Donovan, Joshua Field, Limor Gasko, Brandon Graving, Cai Guo-Qiang, Melissa Matsuki Lillie, Mark Mulherrin, Shuli Sade, Ryan Scheidt, Glenn Paul Smith, Weronika Zaluska, and others.

"Bill Nelson's All Male Revue" returns with a change of songs

2010-08-24T00:53:00.009-04:00

Bill Nelson, Frank Galgano, Claibourne Elder, Orville Mendoza, just part of the company.

For those who were lucky enough to catch the first outing of Bill Nelson's All-Male Revue, seeing it again is a no-brainer. The relaxed and easy-going Nelson is a writer of clever, often gay-themed lyrics that touch both our hearts and our funny bones.

We've talked to Bill and written up a detailed preview which you can read here in Berkshire on Stage. (A special feature of that site is that you can search via category to find performances of special interest, just click on the LGBT category in the drop down "Find Stories by Category" menu). This year there will be something old, something new, something campy, something blue as he skewers everything from his youthful crushes to the latest headlines.

Here's the official news release:

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY’S MUSICAL THEATRE LAB
presents

Bill Nelson’s ALL-MALE REVUE
Lyrics by Bill Nelson

Music by various composers including Will Aronson, Rob Broadhurst, Hailey Chang, Creighton Irons, Anna K. Jacobs, David Mallamud, Katya Stanislavskaya, and Niko Tsakalakos

New to the cast this year: Stanley Bahorek

Starring Matt Castle, Claybourne Elder, Frank Galgano, Orville Mendoza, and Stanley Bahorek

Music Direction by Matt Castle
Directed by William Finn

August 26 through 28, 2010

( PITTSFIELD , MA ) Back by popular demand, Barrington Stage Company's Musical Theatre Lab, under the mentorship of Tony winning composer/lyricist William Finn, presents the return of Bill Nelson’s All-Male Revue from August 26 -28 at the theater’s Stage 2 performance venue in Downtown Pittsfield.

A musical revue where the only thing naked is the lyrics. If David Sedaris were musicalized, he’d sound like Bill Nelson. Nelson’s lyrics are equal parts jaw-dropping, profound and daffy. Join Bill and the guys for a casual, fun evening of fresh, inventive theatre songs.

Starring Matt Castle (Company), Claybourne Elder (Road Show), Frank Galgano (Naked Boys Singing), Orville Mendoza (Road Show), and Stanley Bahorek (See Rock City and Other Destinations), the revue features the lyrics of Bill Nelson and music by various composers including Will Aronson, Rob Broadhurst, Hailey Chang, Creighton Irons, Anna K. Jacobs, David Mallamud, Katya Stanislavskaya, and Niko Tsakalakos.

Matt Castle is music director, with direction by William Finn.

Bill and William

Playwright/lyricist/bookwriter Bill Nelson received an MFA from the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program where he wrote, with composer Daniel Lincoln, Savannah: a Musical Fable. Bill’s plays have been performed across the country and his songs have been heard at cabarets around the world, including William Finn’s Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists—presented at both Barrington Stages and Joe’s Pub—and New York Theatre Barn's The Oh, So Sexy Songs of Bill Nelson. A Dramatist Guild fellow and published lyricist, he's currently working with composer Anna K. Jacobs on a new musical, Harmony, Kansas , about a gay men's chorus in rural Kansas . www.BillNelsonBillNelson.com.

Performances will take place at BSC’s Stage 2 space, 36 Linden Street , Pittsfield on Thursday, August 26 at 9:30pm, Friday, August 27 at 9:30pm, and Saturday, August 28 at 10:00pm. Tickets are $15 (general admission) by calling the BSC Box Office at 413-236-8888 or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.

"Altar Boyz!" a fun show that parodies Christian boy bands

2010-08-11T18:48:00.008-04:00

The Altar Boyz! From L. to R.: Tom Garutto, Eddie Maldando, Trey Compton, Barry Shafrin and Steven Cardona are the Altar Boyz.

If you've enjoyed some quality time watching videos of boy bands then this is the show for you: four wholesome lads from Ohio, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Juan, meet up with their Jewish friend Abraham when they all hear the voice of God telling them to go out among the masses and save a few souls. Only if you are a Christian fundamentalist, it's not going as planned. Imagine if Fred Phelps got a call from Jesus informing him that he was back on earth to help spread the word, but that he was calling from the Crown and Anchor in Provincetown.

You see, Altar Boys - playing at the nearby Theater Barn in New Lebanon, NY from August 12-22 - is a rip roaring parody. It makes fun of boy bands, Catholicism, contemporary Christian music, closeted gays, gay Latino pop stars, boy-band costume designers, simplistic theology, unrequited gay crushes, commercialized Christianity, and occasionally someone in the audience. Those who were brought up Catholic, or Southern Baptist, or have been gay-bashed or even got mocked for going to an 'N Sync concert years ago will feel downright welcome.

And those with sharp ears will find a special message in the song "Rhythm in me" sung by gay boys: "God put the rhythm in me. Put it in me! Put it in me!"

The Altar Boyz (l to r) Trey Compton (Matthew), Barry Shafrin (Mark), Tom Garutto (Luke), Eddie Maldonado (Juan), Steven Cardona (Abraham).

Imagine the shades of red that someone like Tony Perkins or Pat Robertson would turn if they were seated next to you. These are no New Kids on the Block, at least once they hit the road and got out of Ohio.

Read my interview with the director, Bert Bernardi about the show, visit my Berkshire on Stage website where a little more family friendly interpretation of the show prevails. I have not seen it yet, but will get a review up early next week, hopefully by Monday, August 16.

Performances of Altar Boyz take place from August 12-22 on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 5pm and 8:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $24 except Sunday matinees which are $22. For tickets call 518-794-8989. The Theatre Barn is located at 654 Route 20, New Lebanon, NY 12125. They have a simple website with season and subscription information.

Jacob's Pillow schedules an Out Weekend with Ballets Trockadero

2010-07-29T03:20:00.003-04:00

“Out” and About events gaining in popularity – Trocks at the Pillow

The trend towards welcoming the Berkshire’s LGBT community with special events continues with another “Out” night at Barrington Stage’s ART tonight July 29, followed by a special event at Jacob’s Pillow early in August.

Jacob’s Pillow has just announced “A Weekend OUT at the Pillow,” August 13-15. The weekend will provide LGBTQ families, individuals, and couples the opportunity to take advantage of all the Pillow has to offer, including a multitude of free and ticketed events, while spending time with old and new acquaintances.

In the theatres, audiences have the opportunity to see Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion. In addition to these ticketed performances, the Pillow will host several free events during “A Weekend OUT at the Pillow.”

The Pillow will also host a free Artist Mixer at the Pillow Pub on Friday, August 13, where members of the community are welcome to stay after the performances and chat with the performers. “A Weekend OUT at the Pillow” will also feature a special historic tour of Jacob’s Pillow on Sunday, August 15 at noon, given by Jacob’s Pillow Director of Preservation, Norton Owen, and focusing on Pillow founder Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers.

Box Office: 413.243.0745. For complete schedule, visit jacobspillow.org.

BSCC's End of Summer Dance August 28 in Pittsfield

2010-07-15T11:00:00.004-04:00

The Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition is planning an end of summer dance for Saturday August 28, 2010 from 8:00-12:30. Providing the dance beats is favorite spinner, DJ BFG, Admission is $5 for members, $10 for non-members. But if you join or renew your membership in BSCC at the door, your admission will be free!

And here's a creative idea...Bill Nelson's All Male Revue is playing on Barrington Stage 2 over on Linden Street, so you could drop by the dance, have some fun, stroll over to BSC for the 10pm performance and get back for last call.

From the 2009 Version - Howie Michael Smith, Frank Galgano, Matt Castle, Claybourne Elder, Orville Mendoza, Bill Nelson
I saw this show last year, and it was about as out as you can get and yet be family friendly. (Nothing's naked but the lyrics.) It's the final night, so get your tickets early.

Bennington, VT - Summer 2010 Pride Picnic Saturday August 7

2010-07-13T08:51:00.003-04:00

Here's some information on the Bennington Pride picnic.

The annual BennPride picnic this year will be August 7th (with a
possible rain date of August 8th?) 2010 at Shaftsbury Lake. We will gather
between 11 AM & noon with the meal to follow....

Bennington Pride Coalition will furnish the hotdogs, hamburgers and
buns. Please bring a potluck dish to share.

As I wrote last year, the fun starts at about 11 AM, with games and socializing, then a potluck lunch at noon (everyone bring a dish!) the location is the beautiful Lake Shaftsbury State Park, just ten miles or so north of Bennington. Berkshire folks would take Route 7 north into Vermont, and after riding through Bennnington take 7A north through Shaftsbury. After you pass the Clear Brook Farm on the right, and the Chocolate House on the left it is a little further to the park entrance on your right. If you come to Route 313 you have gone too far.

Cost to get into the park is $3.00 for adults ages 14 and older. For children ages 4-13, cost is $2.00. Under age 4 is free

There is a designated group picnic area and once you find that, just look for the rainbow flag, walk up and introduce yourself.

Jason and deMarco to blend sexuality and spirituality at First Congregational Church, Williamstown

2010-07-06T12:44:00.018-04:00

If you haven't been to church in a while, you might consider dropping in on the First Congregational Church in Williamstown this Sunday, July 11 for a very special worship service at 9:30 am. Times have changed, and many churches have kept up with the times. The appearance of the openly gay, openly Christian singing duo Jason and deMarco will be a first. They not only make great music, but are a rare model of how two lovers have been able to integrate their sexuality and spirituality into a lasting relationship and successful career.

Jason and deMarco. Jerry Avenaim Photo.
Of course, their openness about their sexuality often pits them against evangelical Christianity, while their faith at times meets with resistance from the gay community. Jason & deMarco may not have chosen an easy path, but it is a heartfelt one. You cn get a good sense of the guys and their unique approach to life in these excerpts from their DVD, We're All Angels. It was first aired on the Logo network this past May.

You can meet and enjoy the MTV-award-winning music duo on Sunday, July 11th when they perform and speak at the 9:30 am worship service at First Congregational Church, Williamstown. The service is free and open to the public.

Robin Lehleitner, head of the church's Education Team gives us a little background: "We voted to become an Open & Affirming church in 1992, and have a number of gay members, but for the most part this aspect of our ministry tends to be a well-kept secret in Berkshire County. Hosting J & D is our way of attempting to publicize it." She also credits Bennington's Dr. Ken Sullivan-Bol for playing a big part in bringing the duo to the Berkshires.

Rev. Carrie Bail, pastor of FCC, Williamstown says "We care about ensuring that everyone receives an equal welcome, no matter what their race, class, or gender identity. Ken has been a big part of that hospitality, not only for the LGBT community, but for anyone who happens to walk through our doors."

Jason & deMarco, rising stars who are gay, spiritual, and in love, have performed at numerous high profile events including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Awards in Los Angeles, the Matthew Shepard Foundation's annual gala in Denver, and the 2006 Human Rights Campaign Gala at the Waldorf Astoria New York.

Jason and deMarco. Van Der Kolk Photography
They have also been a part of the human rights campaign celebrating marriage equality, Love Rocks, alongside artists such as Christina Aguilera, Pink, and The Dixie Chicks. While Jason & deMarco tour internationally in various venues, they also continue sharing their music and message with the community of faith around the world.

Their controversial autobiographical documentary film We're All Angels, from director Robert Nunez, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the public and private lives of these rising pop stars, with a particular focus on their openness about their sexuality. Most recently Jason & deMarco announced the launch of a new non-profit organization called S.A.F.E. (Safe, Affirming, Family Environment) dedicated to establishing "S.A.F.E. Houses" for GLBTQ youth and young adults. Their concert profits go to benefit this cause.

The First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, of Williamstown, located at 906 Main Street (Rt. 2), in the center of the Williams College campus, voted to become an “Open and Affirming” church in 1992. This means, in part, that the congregation seeks to extend affirmation and support to the LGBTQ community. Services are Sundays at 9:30 am from July 4 throughout the summer, and 10:30 am beginning September 12. The church is fully handicap accessible and parking is available behind the building off of Chapin Hall Drive. For more information call the church office 413-458-4273 or e-mail office@firstchurchwilliamstown.org

About Jason Warner

Jason Warner is the oldest son in an entertainment family. He grew up on the eastern shore of Maryland and began singing at an early age, traveling with his mother in music ministry. His grandmother often called him 'lungs' because she could hear him coming down the street as a baby. In 1996, Jason toured with the professional contemporary Christian recording group, Truth, and then in 1997 and 1998, with the group The Sound. On the road and in the studio with these groups, he learned about music management, direction, production and booking. Jason graduated from Lee University in Cleveland, TN in 1997 with a BA degree in Music and Sociology. The following year, he founded his own independent recording label, RJN MUSIC, originally based in Nashville, TN. Says Jason, "although the foundation of my morals, spirituality, and ideals were a result of my strict Pentecostal upbringing, my spiritual beliefs have broadened along with my musical style. I've always pushed myself to break down barriers and cross boundaries in order to reach people from all walks of life, because I believe that music is the universal language of the soul and has the ability to bring people together."

About deMarco DeCiccio

deMarco DeCiccio's earliest memories of music take him back to nursery school where he was taught to sing nursery rhymes by Catholic nuns. He later furthered his love for music and theater by studying at the Etobicoke School for the Performing Arts, and in 1999 he graduated with a B.A. degree in Music and Languages from York University in Canada. deMarco's debut album was a series of love songs, sung in Italian, called "Melodie." Since relocating to Los Angeles in 1999, deMarco has performed in a number of theatrical productions, and has appeared in several national commercials.

Two Gay Artists Show Sculptures at Berkshire Museum

2010-07-01T12:11:00.006-04:00

"Sea Grass" one of the larger pieces by Susan Rodgers

The new sculpture show at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield is called Spatial Relationships but it might better be called Special Relationships. That's because it has a gay and lesbian connection...the two artists whose works are being featured just happen to be members of our LGBT community.

(While I understand there was a Facebook alert to the BSCC members, either I missed the LGBT connection or it was not specifically mentioned. My gaydar wasn't working in any case. Thanks to a dear colleague who alerted me to the LGBT element yesterday. So sorry for the late heads-up.)

Joe Wheaton's impressive "Shadows ope".
Joe Wheaton was on the Berkshire Stonewall board a ways back, and is married to the gay detective novelist Dick Lipez — in fact, they were the first male couple married in Becket, on the day gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts. And here’s a choice snippet from the the catalog, about his use of materials.

Metal is his medium of choice because, Joe says, “it’s everything I’m not — if I weren’t gay I could work in feathers and Styrofoam.”

As if that were not interesting enough, turns out that Susan Rodgers is also more than just a famous artist, she is in a long term marriage with her gay partner as well. Some of her work is large scale as shown in the first picture, but it can also be surprisingly intimate enough to hang on your wall.

In any case, here is the safe, straight version of the event as presented to the mainstream press: Press releases continue to be the last place to learn about gay and lesbian people. When I ask pr writers why they never include the fact that an artist, show or exhibit has gay content, they answer it's not necessary because we live in a "post-gay" world. Maybe. But the artists themselves might not make the point, and they should.

Susan Rodgers: Silence.

Berkshire Museum will present the work of two local sculptors beginning Thursday.

"Joe Wheaton & Susan Rodgers: Spatial Relationships," an installation of new sculpture created specifically for this exhibition, runs through October 11. The installation brings together two Berkshire-based artists who worked extensively in other materials before gravitating toward metal. Coincidentally, both gained their affinity for working in metal after taking adult education welding classes at local high schools. Both artists will be present for the opening reception on Thursday, July 1 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The reception is open to the public.

Joe Wheaton's Kabuki Series #9
Wheaton, who lives in Becket, began working in ceramics at age 12; in the 1980s he attended Alfred University, where he studied ceramics, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. In 1990 he took a welding class at Pittsfield’s Taconic High School. "The minute I started welding," he told art critic Carol Diehl, author of the exhibition catalog, "I knew I had to do something that truly nurtured me," a revelation that prompted him to commit to the life of a full-time artist. Wheaton describes his work as "old-fashioned modern," although the new work he created for "Spatial Relationships" is distinctly contemporary.

Susan Rodgers: Night Sounds
New York native Rodgers had studied sculpture while working in theatrical set and prop design before moving to the Berkshires in the 1970s. She experienced an epiphany similar to Wheaton’s in a welding class at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington. The two sculptors share a love of working with found objects, as well as a mutual focus on line, form, balance, and shadow. But they diverge in matters of composition. As Rodgers told Carol Diehl, "… we both respond to the same art – David Smith and the usual – however I love the Mondrian grid, and I don’t think Joe’s as drawn to the grid as I am. In fact, I think he’s ‘anti-grid.’"

On view in Berkshire Museum’s Ellen Crane Memorial Room, the sculpture that comprises Spatial Relationships proves complementary and, at the same time, provides thought-provoking counterpoint. "This show is part of Berkshire Museum’s mission to support Berkshire artists and to demonstrate the innovation that has arisen in this special region," said Stuart A. Chase, the Museum’s executive director.

Joe Wheaton's Two Rocks
Chase describes Wheaton and Rodgers as mid-career sculptors who have both achieved recognition and whose work sells well. "Typically, a curator putting together an exhibition of contemporary art would go to the artists’ studio or gallery to select work,"” said Chase. "By giving Joe and Susan the freedom to create new work for Spatial Relationships, we gave them leeway to move beyond what they know is salable in a gallery situation."

Visitors can expect to see work from both artists that represents a departure from what has been successful in the marketplace.

"Spatial Relationships" will be on view in the Ellen Crane Memorial Room. Carol Diehl will lead a panel discussion with the artists on Thursday, September 23 at 7 p.m.

Jay Armstrong Johnson to star in Pool Boy at Barrington Stage

2010-06-30T00:50:00.013-04:00

Jay Armstrong Johnson stars in Pool Boy. Live. On Stage. in Pittsfield. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Pool Boy, a new musical by Nikon Tsakalakos and Janet Allard will debut at Barrington Stage in two weeks time. Beyond being the hilarous tale of a - what else - pool boy at the Hotel Bel Air it is also a chance to see Jay Armstrong Johnson again. He was last in these parts two years ago in Hairspray at the Weston, VT Playhouse, and has been making a name for himself both on Broadway and on the road ever since.

Jay Armstrong Johnson
You can read the full casting details (and see more pictures) in Berkshire on Stage. Watch also for my upcoming interview with Nikos on how this production went from a summer job where he was at the mercy of everyone else's decisions, to a summer job where his input is sought.

Now here's a cute video that shows off both the musical abilities of Jay A. Johnson and his warm personality.

Now here's the thing. This show, with its great contemporary music by Nikos and a fabulous cast is already rapidly selling tickets as the word of mouth spreads. The Stage Two is a small 200 seat house, and has been home to a string of really fine shows - Freud's Last Session (which goes to NYC after it finishes next week) and The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez which had hardly a spare ticket during its extended run. Tip: shows there are general admission, so arrive early for the closer seats.

Out @ BSC on July 8

Reminder: OUT@BSC will take place on three Thursdays this summer. The first is July 8 with a performance of Sweeney Todd and a post show party at Jae’s Spice. Don't forget to ask for your 10% off discount. Read about the first program of its kind for the GLBT community by a major Berkshire cultural institution. A decent turnout means we will see more "out" events in the future too. I thought this Sweeney Todd (review here) was quite wonderful.

Performances of Pool Boy are Tuesday through Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 7:30pm at BSC Stage 2, 36 Linden St., Pittsfield. Opening Night: Wed., July 21 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $15-$45. Seniors: $20 all matinees. Pay What You Can Night for 35 year olds and younger: Fri., July 16 at 7:30pm. Post-show discussions with the cast will be held following the Thursday, July 15 and Thursday, August 5 performances. For ticket information call 413-236-8888, stop by the BSC Box Office at 30 Union Street or visit www.barringtonstageco.org. I suppose I don't have to remind you that Pool Boy contains adult situations (mostly straight) and strong language.

Hot Berkshire Summer Begins - Mark Morris, Jacobs Pillow, FilmTopia, Randy Harrison

2010-06-24T11:48:00.014-04:00

Mark Morris Dance Group in Morris's Mozart Dances. Photo by Stephanie Berger.
And so our 2010 Summer of Plenty begins this weekend. With the always surprising Mark Morris and his dance company at Tanglewood's Ozawa Hall this Sunday and Monday June 27-28 at 9 pm, the once bad boy of dance will show us how refined he has become.

Over at Jacob's Pillow, the State Ballet of Georgia has put together a program from the Petipa days to the present day that is sure to delight dance aficionados. Their Falling Angels is, quite frankly, not to be missed.

From India, The World Unseen, part of the Film Topia series.
Then there is the fledgeling FilmTopia series which is kicking off Saturday at 7 pm at the Topia Arts Center in Adams. Unspooling are three short films by Nuria Olive-Belles, a really fabulous Spanish filmmaker who worked at Jacob's Pillow for several summers as their Video Director. But the big attraction is the feature - The World Unseen by Shamin Sarif. Caryn from Topia tells us it is a gorgeous multilayered story of two Indian women living under apartheid South Africa in the 1950's.

Then, Saturday afternoon, Susan Mikula, who is Rachel Maddow's partner, opens her photographic exhibit at the always interesting Ferrin Gallery. Her latest work titled American Vale: Recent Photographs features images of the Berkshire's industrial past. While they are easily identifiable, they have a somewhat soft, translucent quality that give the impression of looking back through the mists of time. Being that the opening reception is this Saturday June 26 from 4 to 6, you know who will not be in the Big Apple preparing for her nightly program. Could be interesting.

Randy back then. New images with interview in Berkshire on Stage later this weekend.
Yesterday I caught up with Randy Harrison, who is back in the Berkshires for the sixth year preparing for Endgame at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. Arriving in the Berkshires for a month, he assured me that his cats Ella and Aggie are being looked after while he is preparing for the Samuel Beckett play. He spends his time on stage cooped up in a trashcan as Nagg.

Though Endgame doesn't begin performances until July 6, his fans from Queer as Folk have snapped up every available seat for opening night, and are gnawing away at the rest. The interview with Harrison will not go up until late this weekend (lots of transcribing to do first) but as usual it probes the depth of his theatrical knowledge. Which is considerable.

Some people only think of him as his character on QAF, but he was a serious actor long before that role, and intends to keep it that way. He is not a circuit boy, and keeps his private life private. As serious as our talks are, his fans have discovered my think piece on Beckett which has a teeny tiny pic of the lad, and it's gone viral becoming the most read piece on my Berkshire on Stage site. His fans from Germany, Italy and Japan have whole websites devoted to him. The QAF series continues to be rebroadcast both in the US on Logo and Ovation, and internationally.

The Jewdy Show - My Life as a Sitcom
As mentioned in the previous post, Judy Gold took over the Nikos Stage at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She knows funny (with a Jewish Lesbian Mother twist) like few others. This is no stand-up act however, it is a full bore theatrical production, and you can read a bit of its history in this advance story.

A Guide to LGBT shows this summer. Who knew there were so many!

2010-06-22T11:33:00.023-04:00

Actors come in many varieties, too.

Do you think the Berkshires are ready for Judy Gold? This week in Williamstown she's about to reveal her latest comic outing titled The Jewdy Show - My Life as a Sitcom. Her unique brand of humor was honed in the clubs of Provincetown, small stages she shared with Lea DeLaria, Paula Poundstone, Sandra Bernhard and Kate Clinton. What would the annual October Women's Week in P-Town be without her special appearances? Not as funny, for one thing.

So, if you have been blissfully unaware that the esteemed and venerable Williamstown Theatre Festival is opening its 2010 season with both the king and queen of LGBTJ comedy, you are hereby informed.

And since the fact that much of the top entertainment in the Berkshires has creative LGBT writers, performers and content that is poorly publicized, you might just help spread the word. And take a gander at the advance story I have written about Judy and her show in BerkshireOnStage.com.

Judy Gold (l) and her partner Elysa.

You might also make that a regular stop in your web browsing since it has an LGBT category that you can search for the latest entertainment of special interest. Of course you will also find reviews and interviews that you won't find anywhere else as well. Right now we have two advance stories on Sweeney Todd which opens Wednesday, a photo preview of the cast and show, and an interview with director Julianne Boyd about her Sondheim obsession.

You may also want to read all about The Baltimore Waltz being done by Main Street Stage in North Adams. The Paula Vogel play is filled with humor as she uses her imagination to cope with the loss of her brother to AIDS. It's far from depressing, as I point out in my Berkshire On Stage review.

There is also a complete listing with photos of all the cabaret artists coming to the Berkshires this summer. While we were disappointed to see Elaine Stritch postponed since she and the LGBT community are long time friends, her replacement, the glorious Barbara Cook is also dearly beloved. I last saw her at the Provincetown Town Hall. Now I can enjoy hearing her again right here in the Berkshires at the LGBT friendly Mahaiwe in Great Barrington. And, my heart be still, Ute Lemper is due in at the Colonial I could go on. If you love cabaret, read the full story and start saving those pennies.

The maestro, simply referred to as MTT, is a master of Mahler.
And over at Tanglewood, the replacement of the perpetually ailing James Levine with Michael Tilson Thomas (story with slide show) on opening weekend comes as great news to the LGBT community. MTT is the first openly gay conductor to achieve national prominence without having to conceal his homosexuality. Currently the music director of the San Francisco Symphony, we think he would make a great leader for the BSO and Tanglewood, and say so in this story that has been getting lots of hits and controversy in the classical community.

Les Ballets de Trockadero make audiences laugh - they are in pointe shoes and tutus, after all - but oh my, how can they dance!.
Over at Jacob's Pillow, there is dance, dance and more dance, including all those free performances on the inside/out stage at dusk. But if I had to pick two companies not to be missed, it would have to be the Trey McIntyre Project (August 4-8) and the fabulous, stunning, outrageous "Trocks" who play various programs from August 11-15. And if you love real Russian ballet, the incredible ballerina assoluta stupenda Nina Ananiashvili and the State Ballet of Georgia takes the stage this week. The complete Pillow schedule with video samples of each group is on a special page at BerkshireOnStage.com.

Want more? There is also the Bill Nelson All Male Review coming to Barrington Stage Company, and the Bill Finn Labor Day weekend show with the horribly long name that always include LGBT composers.

Who is not excited about the all-male version of the Sondheim musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. That already witty show opening in Williamstown next week should deiight both the eye and the ear. We searched for all the cast member's pictures too, and you can see them in our exclusive Berkshire on Stage preview story.

I'm not done yet. Don't forget the three social "out" nights at Barrington Stage, a first for the Berkshires.

Check the post that follows this one. It will have additional details I am confirming now. You can also keep up to date on the latest buzz by joining the Berkshire On Stage Facebook group. Each new article gets a link on the wall, and you get weekly pick and preview announcements.

Over in Hudson, a Gay Prom King and Queen

2010-06-17T12:39:00.010-04:00

Dan Shaw over at Rural Intelligence has done a wonderful write-up on Hudson's Gay Pride weekend June 19-20. The small community of about 7,000 is on the Hudson River, not too far from Lenox, Lee and Great Barrington.

Charlie Ferrusi and Tim Howard

"Charlie Ferrusi and Tim Howard, the openly gay Hudson High School seniors who ran for Prom King and Queen and won by a landslide in a vote by the student body, made history and headlines a week or so ago, and they have the gay community in Hudson bursting with pride. Well timed, too, as this Sunday, a day-long-plus celebration, Hudson Pride, kicks off with a parade, to be followed by a roster of activities." - Rural Intelligence

Read his complete report on these events at
RuralIntelligence.com

Hudson Pride Parade (Click for link)
Warren Street,
Sunday, June 20, starts at noon

Hudson Pride Festival
Promenade Hill, Sunday, June 20, 1 - 5 p.m.

“Stonewall; It All Started Here” (all ages are welcome)
A talk by Stonewall participant Ed Beaty
Space 360
Sunday, June 20, 5 - 6 p.m.

Hudson Pride Tea Dance (21 & over)
Red Dot
321 Warren Street
5 - 9 p.m.

Developing LGBT audiences, women writers and diversity

2010-06-06T11:50:00.020-04:00

Dustin Lance Black (c) won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Milk. With him are Tina Fey (l) and Steve Martin (r).

Wresting a great play or movie script from the germ of an idea may be tough, but after that is done comes the really hard part. Getting it produced. If you are a woman or a gay man, it often becomes the challenge of a lifetime. Giving up booze and butts is easier.

Trying to figure out which films and plays might be of interest to women, or to those of us who are "out" is not easy either. There are plenty of films and plays to interest the LGBT and feminist communities, but the news seems to be mostly locked tightly in the publicist's closet. Over the years I have become an expert at reading between the lines, but then I deconstruct words for a living.

There seems to be a fear that by revealing the gay element, that mainstream ticket buyers will run the other way. Perhaps promoters lie awake at night having visions of Fred Phelps and his Westboro picketers parading around with signs that say "God Hates Jerry Herman" or "Actors Burn in Hell", but of course that would sell a ton of tickets.

While women writers have been hard to find on screen or stage, gay writers have been a staple of theatre for decades. From Noel Coward to Tennessee Williams they have been with us - but only by writing about the usual boy meet girl stories. Only in recent years have we seen playwrights such as Tony Kushner with his Angels in America - soon to get an off-Broadway revival - and Love! Valour! Compassion! by the brilliant Terrence McNally which was presented by the Berkshire Theatre Festival a couple of seasons ago complete with its nude scene.

Theresa Rebeck found a warm welcome in Boston before her fame spread.
For women, the battle is equally difficult, though in the Berkshires we have become familiar with the wonderful Theresa Rebeck whose Bad Dates at Shakespeare & Company and The Understudy at Williamstown Theatre Festival drew both raves and big audiences. This conversation, quoted from the introduction to her complete plays says it all:

“Maybe you can tell me. Why can’t women ever transcend their identities as women and just write as playwrights?” I said, “Do you mean, why can’t we write like men?” and he said No, that wasn’t what he meant at all. “Yes it is,” said his wife, but he persisted in his position and went on to explain that male playwrights somehow, innately, are able to transcend their gender and write about the human condition, while women playwrights, also innately, are not. As a side note, let me add, this gentleman had never seen or read any of my plays. I was merely the woman playwright who happened to be at the dinner table."

In the Berkshires it is still a man's world when it comes to plays, and even the films currently being shown as part of BIFFMA. My LGBT picks were rather slim this year, and "women's films" were not even featured or pointed out in promotional materials. Not that that proves there is any sort of bias, just the usual state of obliviousness that lulls local artistic and entertainment planners to forget there is a diverse world out there.

The Berkshire's cultural and arts organizations should make sure that works by women or LGBT writers is highlighted, One group that is doing this is the Berkshire Playwright's Lab which has a series of staged readings at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The opening gala had plays pretty evenly divided by gender, and one of the upcoming new plays is by a gay playwright. We hope to soon write about him in Berkshire On Stage.com.

Love! Valour! Compassion! at the Berkshire Theatre Festival several years ago.
The problem is that the general public is so used to a white male, hetero-centric world and unless told otherwise expects their next show to also be based on this conceit. Sometimes they are surprised to stumble into a different world. If it wasn't for Gail Burns pointing them out in her writing for the Women's Times and that publication's Berkshire Women's Festival of the Arts, many of these artists would be invisible. So too does the Berkshire Fringe Festival which constantly finds artists to more completely reflect our world.

One of the wonderful trends has been an increasing number of programs and contests to find and nurture writers who are evolving.

The Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award

Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book for West Side Story and Gypsy recently established the Laurents-Hatcher Award for a major award to be given to the writer of a play of social relevance. Named for Tom Hatcher, his partner of 52 years who died in 2006, the award consists of $150,000 for the playwright and $100,000 towards the production costs of the play's premiere at a nonprofit theatre. It is a generous award, similar to a MacArthur, and the Pulitzer's $10,000 pales in comparison, though still carries enormous prestige.

Other awards have been established. Jane Chambers Award, given annually since 1984 in memory of lesbian playwright Jane Chambers has supported the work of Wendy Kesselman, Madeleine George, Mery Cohn, Christine Evans, and Mary F. Casey among others. There is also the Robert Chesley Award for Lesbian and Gay Playwriting honors the memory of playwright Robert Chesley.

The first Laurents/Hatcher award will be made in 2011. Submissions for the inaugural award will be accepted from invited applicants only, between June 15, 2010, and Sept. 15, 2010, and reviewed by a panel chosen by the trustees of the foundation.

Pride Films and Plays Contest

In Chicago, the nation's second busiest theatre city, a contest has been started, with support from the local Pride group, to find and perform new works by out writers. Called Pride Films and Plays (PFP) it has just announced a new screenplay contest.

PFP is dedicated to fostering great writing for the stage and screen that is important to the GLBTQ community and relevant to our world.

"We are excited about fine writing for films like ‘Brokeback Mountain’, ‘Milk’, and “A Single Man” to name a few.
We hope to foster excellent writing with our Great Gay Screenplay Contest, produced in association with Chicago Filmmakers. Plays with GLBTQ themes have had a major impact on our cultural identity. To remind both our artists and our audiences of great gay writing throughout history, we launched our play reading series "Five Decades of Great Gay Plays" in May and June 2010. "

To check out the Chicago contest, you can find the rules, eligibility and links at www.pridefilmsandplays.com/contests.html

Featuring works from the '60s to the '00s, the series included Mart Crowley's Boys in the Band, Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July, William M. Hoffman's As Is, and Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing, and Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out.

Back in 1979 when Fifth of July was on Braodway it was quite a thrill to see "John-Boy" Richard Thomas get a gay kiss. A gay kiss was as controversial then as was the Vietnam War.
Now here is the strange thing. Fifth of July is part of the 2010 Williamstown Theatre Festival. But you would never know its main character was a gay vet unless you read between the lines of their official description:

"As friends and family gather to remember a lost loved one, a group of thirty-something prodigals from the rebellious post-Vietnam generation return to their rural Missouri home, finding themselves older and wiser, yet still searching. Long-buried rivalries and burning secrets reignite on a late summer evening as this motley tribe struggles to adapt to the changes wrought in their lives. Tony nominee Terry Kinney directs this gentle comic drama from Lanford Wilson’s beloved Talley trilogy."

I might have included this:

"Lanford Wilson's ground-breaking 1973 drama about a gay Vietnan vet and his family."

What the devil are they afraid of? People won't attend because it has a gay character? It is our hope that as Berkshire planners become more comfortable with the idea that there are many LGBT folks living here that they might take their promotional efforts out of the closet and let that community, and its supporters, know.

Here in the Berkshires we have seen three of our four theatre companies making efforts to reach out to the LGBT community, though the fourth is noted for its openness to women writers. A major step is being made this year by Barrington Stage Company with its three openly "out" nights which I write about here in Berkshire on Stage.

In cinema, both BIFFMA and the Williamstown Film Festival include films of interest to the LGBT community. (Compare our picks for BIFF with those for WFF) Of course women and "out" folks are interested in far more than just films that tell stories they can relate to. We all live in the larger world, and love the same great films and plays as does mainstream America. But letting us know we are welcomed and appreciated is important. Don't keep the fact that a film or play has a gay theme or character hidden in the PR closet.

Out with it. You'll sell more tickets. It's 2010, not 1950.

LGBTQ Picks at BIFF Berkshire International Film Festival

2010-06-04T11:38:00.000-04:00

The Owls is but one of several LGBTQ films of interest at the Berkshire International Film Festival from June 3-6 in Great Barrington and Pittsfield.

Every film fest has its LGBT films, but this year, the Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFFMA) has found two films that take a hard look at religious fundamentalism vs. freedom. In Eyes Wide Open, we see two ultra-orthodox jews agonizing - and being mercilessly persecuted - over their love for each other.

The repression of muslims is explored in The Taqwacores. While it is more about the freedom to love music and ignore the more repressive passages of the Koran, it also features a queer character. Both films deal with the spirit-killing nature of religious excesses. Seeing the relentless pressure their adherents pour upon those who dare to be different in the middle east makes us more aware of the battle for doctrinaire conformity that continues unabated in the United States.

Finally, there is The Owls, a riotous amalgam of lesbian love, horror, normalcy, weirdness and terror that can not be put in just a couple of words. You just have to watch the clip to even begin to understand this provocative and - in many ways - experimental film.

Sat, Jun 5 - 7:15PM @ Triplex #3
Eyes Wide Open (Israel/France/Germany, 2009) Berkshire Premiere
Director: Haim Tabakman
English subtitles Print courtesy of New American Vision

Aaron, a respectable butcher in Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox Jewish community, is married to Rivka and is a dedicated father of four children. One day, he meets Ezri, a handsome 22 year old student, and soon falls in love with him. He then starts to neglect his family and community life, swept away by his love and lust for Ezri. But guilt, torment, and pressure from the community will catch up with him, leading him to make a radical decision.

Sat, Jun 5 - 9:15PM @ Triplex #3
The Owls (USA, 2010) Berkshire Premiere
Writer and Director: Cheryl Dunye

A funny, mysterious and humane generational anthem, The Owls is an experimental thriller/film noir about four “Older-Wiser-Lesbians” who accidentally kill a young lesbian and try to get away with it. Raised in the shadow of “pathological lesbian” films like The Fox, The Children’s Hour and The Killing of Sister George, the OWLs once embraced the utopian vision of Lesbian Nation. Now, approaching middle age, the revolution has eluded their dreams. Caught between a culture that still has no place for them and a younger generation indifferent to their contributions, the OWLs face an emotionally complex set of circumstances that have yet to be compassionately and truthfully addressed.

The Owls screenplay is by Sarah Schulman (best known for her novels After Delores and People in Trouble), based on a story by writer/director/professor Cheryl Dunye (The Watermelon Woman; She Don’t Fade; Stranger Inside), and stars some of the most popular underground artists in Lesbian Cinema, including Guinevere Turner (Go Fish; The L Word; American Psycho), V.S. Brodie (Go Fish), Lisa Gornick (Tick-Tock Lullabye) and Deak Evgenikos (The Itty Bitty Titty Committee).

Sat. June 5 - 5:00 PM
The Taqwacores

Filmed in Cleveland for less than $500,000, the story's characters include include a mohawked punk-music fan, a burqa-wearing feminist, a druggie and a skinhead. As Yusef watches them argue, pray and listen to punk rock, he begins to decide for himself what it means to be a good Muslim.

It is a story about a naïve engineering student who moves into a Taqwacore household as our guide. He learns that worshipping Allah is no impediment to alternative lifestyles, bad music and all the clichéd sins that flesh is heir to. Friday, June 4 at 6:30.

Some of the other films that deserve watching include A Shine of Rainbows, about an orphan boy who discovers that love has many colors, and Peaceable Kingdom which is a both a love story and a terror tale about the animals, domestic and commercial, in our lives. They both bring a feeling of hope and optimism to what seems a world that has lost the ability to be loving and human.

Also not to be misssed is Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, an artist who spent time with Andy Warhol at The Factory. The jazz score and dazzling editing make it a worthwhile destination. Just look at the first three minutes!

One film that is likely to capture the attention of Berkshire LGBTQ's is the delightful My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story. It is a film by playwright Mark St. Germaine of Freud's Last Session fame at Barrington Stage. It gets a special screening May 23 (before BIFF officially begins) at the Beacon.)

A paeon to everyone who spoils their furkids, it takes a look at celebrity dogs - and those who serve them, straight, gay and otherwise. Dogs are more concerned about how you smell and who rules the leash than about sexual preferences. More about this, and a film clip in my Berkshire on Stage story .

All in all, the festival appears to have chosen well, and many of the films reflect the Berkshire's optimistic outlook on life in a rural setting. You owe it to yourself to visit their website to find the films that reflect your interest and imagination. Most of their offerings will not be seen on a big screen with simpatico audiences ever again. Visit the BIFFMA Website for the full menu.

Or for the full BIFF film schedule on one page, check out this Berkshire On Stage story.

Glee Star Curt Colfer has paid his dues

2010-06-01T21:25:00.005-04:00

Curt Colfer plays Kurt on Fox TV's Glee.

Sometimes when an actor plays a role, it is all made up from scratch. But for Glee star Curt Colfer who plays Kurt, his high school days were not one of bliss. Like so many teens, the combination of what he calls his "VonTrapp voice" and highly theatrical behavior did not always get a warm welcome in his conservative home town. “I actually was Kurt in ‘The Sound of Music’ a long time ago,” he pointed out.

Growing up in Indianapolis, Murphy sang in his church choir and immersed himself in musicals in high school and college. His mother was a beauty queen; his father was a semi-pro hockey player who was baffled by a son who requested a “Vogue” subscription when he was 5 years old, started ironing his own clothes at 7, and performed in his bedroom, holding a hairbrush for a microphone in front of a mirror.

“My dad would look at me and go, ‘What the hell? I don’t know who you are. How did you come out of me?’ He would say things like that,” Murphy said. He may not have understood his son, but he accepted him, even when Murphy revealed to him that he is gay when he was 15 years old.

In this short video, we see his interview with the Viewsters, and then there is an amazing clip of him singing "Roses Turn" from Gypsy.

New Video of Matthew Lopez and "The Whipping Man"

2010-05-26T21:27:00.007-04:00

Nick Westrate (L) and LeRoy McClain in The Whipping Man in Pittsfield. Kevin Sprague photo.

Although we wrote a couple of entries about Matthew Lopez a few weeks ago, and interviewed both the playwright of "The Whipping Man" (TWM) and its director in the Berkshires, Christopher Innvar, there's plenty more.

TWM is getting twin premieres - tonight, as I write this, it is having its first preview at Barrington Stage Company's Linden Street Stage II. A week ago it had it official West Coast opening in San Diego.

In the video below, Lopez seems taken with San Diego, but now that he is in the Berkshires, he's bound to find ample reason to like it here, too. Unfortunately, we can't offer him a stipend to be the "playwright in residence" as San Diego's Old Globe has done.

In terms of tickets for this play, the first week is already sold out, and I suspect that this is going to be very popular with Berkshire audiences, all the more so because Matthew is one of us. They've added two Sunday matinees to the original schedule, too. Go here www.barringtonstageco.or to get your tickets before they are gone. It has been selling out, especially on weekends, though new performances have been added through June 17.

Read my interview with Christopher Innvar.

Read my interview with Matthew Lopez.

Get the dish on Matthew Lopez.

Pittsfield Prom June 5. Corsages not mandatory.

2010-05-26T08:42:00.006-04:00

Now, there's an idea.

Just like you remember, only better!

OK -this if for all of you in school whose choice was no choice. It's for those of us who never got to take our special love to that school prom, back in the day, too. Take a chance and go stag if so inclined.

Prtty Pitty Productions presents...

Pittsfield Prom: Party On!

Saturday June 5 from 8:00pm to 1:30am at Jae's Spice, 297 North Street, Pittsfield.

"Yes, I went to hella gay prom with my girlfriends!!! even if some of my girlfriends are guys IT WAS SOOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!! I love these people!!! I put their little names on the pic, so look at it!!! OMG if you have a gay prom around where you live, you have to go to it!!! you have not lived until you have!! EVEN IF YOU'RE STRAIGHT!!!! oh, and I just met Lily that night, but DAMN that girl can dance!!......But no one compare to Alanna!!"

"lol, It's where we go to party, istead of regular prom, because we'de get weird looks and people herasing us at the normal dances. It alot more open to. You can wear whatever you wnat, and the whole night is basicaly just a time to campleatly let go. You just dace with everybody, talk to everyone, and forget that you don't know the person you're dancing against. It's a substance free place, but that sure dosn't stop people from getting crazy. About an hour form the end of the dance, all the girls will inevitably take off their shirts, and no one cares, cus the likly hood of any one getting pregnant there is zero to nill, thanks to the faggyness!!! wow I was rambling!! sorry, I just realy love it!!!!!!!"

(Random comments on other proms found on the internet)

Bring a date, bring a friend, bring everyone you know - just make sure you want to have a good time! Relive your best prom memories, undo your worst, and make new ones, all in one night. Semi-formal attire suggested, fun required!

Featuring:
- live DJ with dancing all night
- complimentary cake
- on-site makeup and touch-ups by makeup artist Ericka Hanger
- balloon archways, streamers, and confetti

June 5th, 8pm
Jae's Spice Upstairs
$10 | 21+
$15 | 18+
$8/$13 | BCC, MCLA, and Williams College Students with valid student ID.

The organizers say: "It's all happening the weekend before the NAMA Prom 2010! and we hope that the adults of Berkshire County have as much fun this prom season as the high schoolers! Hope to see you all out looking classy at both proms, getting your party on!

With "Brief Encounters", Paul Taylor Dance comes out of the closet

2010-05-24T12:49:00.010-04:00

Sean Mahoney and Francisco Graciano in Paul Taylor's Brief Encounter Photo: Tom Caravaglia

What was once a whispered secret is now on stage for all to see. And enjoy. Paul Taylor's Dance Company has always had the knack of hiring not only accomplished dancers, but some pretty nice eye candy too. Now as they prepare for their fifth appearance May 29 and 30 at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, you will be able to see one of the most important dance pieces he has created in a long a distinguished career.

It is one of two new ballets which will get their Massachusetts premiere this weekend. The first is a fun piece celebrating vaudeville titled Also Playing.

The other is named Brief Encounters, and it is about homo and hetero encounters with love. Here is how Arts Journal blogger Tobi Tobias put it:

"Two trios--two men with a single woman, two women with a sole man--dance simultaneously until one person drops out of each group, leaving a male pair and a female pair.

This initiates the most recent step in Taylor's slow progress toward allowing himself to depict same-sex couples onstage, celebrating the love (and lust) that can now finally speak its name.

Later in the piece, the choreographer throws reticence to the winds and links two men in a series of handsome acrobatic postures, making them look like copulating gods."

The whole article is a fascinating preview of this weekend's featured works.

Julie Tice (left) and Michelle Fleet lend each other a hand in Paul Taylor's Brief Encounter. Photo Tom Caravaglia.

Now here's the rub. While the company will perform twice, the erotic Brief Encounters will only be performed on Saturday night, while the busky Also Playing will be seen at the Sunday matinee.

Silvia Nevjinsky and Michael Trusnovec in Piazzolla Caldera which will be seen at both performances. Photo Paul Goode

Here's the rundown of the programs. On Saturday, May 29 at 8pm, the program features the satiric Public Domain, the aforementioned Brief Encounters, and Taylor's red-hot look at the culture of tango, Piazzolla Caldera. The Sunday, May 30, 3pm family-friendly program includes the blissful Brandenburgs, the comic Vaudeville tribute Also Playing, and Piazzolla Caldera.

The Mahaiwe is located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, Mass. Tickets are $12 to $62, with a 25% discount when purchasing tickets for both Taylor programs. To purchase tickets, visit www.mahaiwe.org or phone the Mahaiwe box office at 413.528.0100.

All Male Version of the musical "Forum" onstage in Williamstown June 30

2010-05-17T15:42:00.008-04:00

Paul Castree (l) is remembered from 9 to 5 and Young Frankenstein. Here he is with pal Gavin Creel who does not appear in the show.
Kevin Cahoon was in The Who's Tommy and The Lion King.
Jeremy Shamos (l) played in Clybourne Park and Reckless. Christopher Fitzgerald (r) was Tony nominated for Finians Rainbow, Wicked.
It's going to be a fun summer, theater fans, because Nicholas Martin over at the Williamstown Theatre Festival has just announced the outrageous, gorgeous, amazing, all-male cast for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Mark my words, kiddies, some local jaws are going to drop and some very big smiles are going to be plastered on the faces of the normally taciturn Berkshire crowd.

Forum, as most of you know, is a Stephen Sondheim musical, a spoof of ancient Rome and this production by WTF will undoubtedly get the full treatment - pit band, great sets and costumes, and above all, a glorious cast of some of the best actors around.

People I trust estimate that almost half the cast is gay, too. Let Newsweek criticize that! (You know they declared bankruptcy immediately after dishing Sean Hayes, don't you. Serves them right. Next they will insist that any actor playing Hamlet will have to be Danish to be believable. They are trying to put out the critical fire, too.)

Leading the legion of Roman actors is Christopher Fitzgerald, plus a dozen other top players who will be doing the love scenes in drag. It should be something to see.

To see the entire cast and read the background story, visit Berkshire On Stage for photos of the whole cast.

How Far Will You Go? We preview the new series about gay models

2010-05-17T12:19:00.003-04:00

Monday nights in the Berkshires are best spent at home, relaxing. It's also your chance to preview a new series just for us, "How Far Will You Go?" The show follows a group of aspiring gay models as they claw their way through hard work and heartbreak towards careers in gay modeling.

In episode 2, the model hopefuls learn choreography with dance coach Rob Trinh and only the best will be selected to dance as go-go boys at Whistler's Snowball event.

First Photos from "The Whipping Man", San Diego and Pittsfield

2010-05-13T10:39:00.015-04:00

LeRoy McClain, Clarke Peters and Nick Westrate star in the Barrington Stage Company production of The Whipping Man, May 26 - June 17. Photo by Kevin Sprague

Playwright Matthew Lopez is juggling two openings for his play, The Whipping Man. Tonight, in San Diego, the Old Globe production gets reviewed. Meanwhile under the direction of Chris Innvar, rehearsals at Barrington Stage Company are well underway as they prepare for the BSC debut in two weeks.

Matthew reports that he has put on eight pounds since they started rehearsals, and blames the whirlwind schedule for causing his usual discipline to lapse. For the latest on this up and coming gay playwright, see the article immediately below this one.

Matthew Lopez will soon be in the Berkshires where he can hike those San Diego pounds off.

Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company thinks Matthew "Is such a fun person because he's so effervescent. He's very witty, and it's no secret that I am in love with his play, it's fabulous. The only problem is he's so up all the time, he makes me look downright boring."

Julianne Boyd of Barrington Stage thinks The Whipping Man is a fascinating play. Photo by Charles Giuliano-Berkshire Fine Arts.
The writer has a more serious side, too. Lopez talks candidly with me about the genesis of The Whipping Man here in Berkshire on Stage.

Above is one of the first photos of the Barrington Stage cast together and below are some fresh production photos from San Diego that are in tonight's press kits. The energy and tension apparent in these images testify to the compelling nature of this show. And it is visual proof as to why you should not, can not, must not miss The Whipping Man.

Mark J. Sullivan as Caleb in the West Coast Premiere of The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, directed by Giovanna Sardelli at The Old Globe May 8 - June 17, 2010. Photo by Craig Schwartz

(l. to r.) Charlie Robinson as Simon, Mark J. Sullivan as Caleb and Avery Glymph as John in the West Coast Premiere of The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, directed by Giovanna Sardelli at The Old Globe May 8 - June 17, 2010. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

l. to r.) Mark J. Sullivan as Caleb and Avery Glymph as John in the West Coast Premiere of The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, directed by Giovanna Sardelli at The Old Globe May 8 - June 17, 2010. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Just in! The first San Diego review: and they love The Whipping Man.

Performances (May 26 to June 17) of "The Whipping Man" are Tuesday through Friday at 7:30pm, Wednesdays at 2pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 3:00 and 7:3pm at BSC Stage 2, 36 Linden St., Pittsfield. Opening Night: Sat., May 29 at 8pm. Tickets: $15-$45. Seniors: $20 all matinees. Pay What You Can Night for 35 year olds and younger: Fri., June 4 at 7:30pm. For ticket information call 413-236-8888, stop by the BSC Box Office at 30 Union Street, or visit www.barringtonstageco.org.

Getting familiar with Matthew Lopez and "The Whipping Man"

2010-05-10T08:31:00.016-04:00

Playwright Matthew Lopez started out as an actor, but found that writing used his talents best.
Playwrights like Matthew Lopez have a keen eye and ear for what turns audiences on, and, it turns out that Matthew has a finely tuned sense of irony and humor as well. Here's a video he recently shared. This takeoff on Dreamgirls by Israel Cortez (who could be his stunt double) is a hoot, a real knee slapper. Creative souls need lots of clever nourishment to keep the good stuff coming, and the video proves that good performances are a lot more than just lip synching.

While the Matthew Lopez drama The Whipping Man is serious rather than funny, it is a fascinating look into a subject you have probably never thought about.

Lopez likes to write about underdogs ... people who don't make it into the history books but are somehow caught up in the wheels of historic events. One of his plays is about a young man dealing with the after-effects of a gay-bashing. Another is about a New York family of Puerto Rican performers who are evicted from their home in 1959 to make way for Lincoln Center. The Whipping Man tackles an even more arcane subject.

Berkshire Cast for The Whipping Man: CLARKE PETERS, LE ROY McCLAIN and NICK WESTRATE at Barrington Stage Company

It's about a post-Civil War Jewish Confederate soldier and his former slaves, who share his faith. He returns home to find the place in ruins, but with his now freed slaves still there. Filled with twists and turns, Lopez's play examines Caleb's moral ambiguity, Simon's guileless loyalty to his former owner, John's ideas as a newly radical freeman, and the approaching Exodus in the post-Emancipation South. The production will feature Clarke Peters (HBO’s Treme and The Wire), LeRoy McClain and Nick Westrate. Christopher Innvar directs the Barrington Stage production at Stage 2 ( 36 Linden Street , Pittsfield ).

To read more about Matthew Lopez and the reasons he wrote this play, visit my primary site, Berkshire On Stage

In San Diego: Matthew Lopez (front) with actors Charlie Robinson, Avery Glymph and Mark J. Sullivan. The West Coast Premiere of The Whipping Man runs at The Old Globe May 8 - June 13, 2010. Photo courtesy of The Old Globe.

The Whipping Man has just begun rehearsals at Barrington Stage Company. There will be several low cost previews beginning on May 26 with the official opening May 29. (NOTE: Now opened to universally positive reviews, it has been selling out and the run has been extended to June 17.) It has had an almost simultaneous opening at the Old Globe Theatre is San Diego. Lopez was just named playwright in residence for that company.

For more information and tickets, visit Barrington Stage Companyand while you are at it, be sure to check out Berkshire On Stage for the latest performing arts news and reviews.

DJ Dennis da menace to DJ "Faux Q" Black and White Dance Party

2010-05-09T08:15:00.009-04:00

Another great event for the LGBTQ community and its allies
organized by Quite Queer and Timothy Michael Kushi.

Quite Queer and Wet have gotten together (the first time publicly!) to throw a kick-ass queer dance party on Saturday May 15, another in their series of fun dance events in the Berkshires.

There's great news, too. DJ Dennis da menace has been announced as one of the spinners. DJ Absent is another.

Dennis da M will bring his special brand of turntablism to Jaes where the dancing begins at 8:30 and goes to 1:30.

Dennis da Menace will make your feet happy this Saturday at Jae's Spice for the QQ "Faux Q" Event.
This naughty master of music is well known in Spanish Harlem for the good times he brings with him. His choices have strictly urban creds and are tinged with hip hop, reggae and latin beats. Having been at this for several years now, he's a rising celeb, in demand in Miami, California and other hot spots of the club scene.

Sample the danceable soundblends on his MySpace page and then try to resist his only Berkshires appearance next weekend.

Suggested dress theme is black and white, with maybe a little creative use of red.

And if you need more incentives, remember there will also be a Chinese raffle with the chance to win some amazing prizes, a professional photo booth to get photos so you can remember this magical night forever, and some useful and interesting party favors courtesy of Wet! lubricant company. Full open bar for 21+ too.

Advance ticket prices are $8 for 21+ and $12 for 18+. Admission at door: $10 for 21+, $15 for 18+ Check out their Facebook page for more details.

Gay Teens Plan Semi-Formal Ball, Face Down Homophobia

2010-05-04T16:36:00.016-04:00

Since this column began people have said that the Berkshires are very LGBTQ accepting and that there really wasn't much need to cover the "out" scene, gays and lesbians being well integrated into the community.

That's pretty much true, but there are still some problems.

For example, today's Berkshire Eagle had a wonderful story by Jenn Smith on the "Crooked" event. It's a LGBTQ Prom being organized by the Live Out Loud Youth Leadership Project of Western Massachusetts. It will take place at Jae's Spice in Pittsfield on Friday, May 14.

But within an hour of this upbeat and factual article being published, the hatred began. The paper's Topix comments linked to the story started to accumulate gay bashing comments. Anonymously of course. The haters are mostly nervous nellies who would never dare sign their name to such vitriol.

The cover of anonymity the Eagle provides these nabobs enables them to act as the Berkshire's own shadow Ku Klux Klan. The KKK wore hoods to conceal their identity and avoid being held responsible for their terrorist tactics. So too does the Eagle provide cover for these cowards. Already several comments have been deleted because they contained clearly hateful and threatening comments. The Topix columns will remain a haven for the local lynch mob until they require people to sign in and identify themselves before posting. The fact that this has not happened after repeated requests to do so can only prove that the Eagle would rather have the hatred and controversy than rational community discussions in their public forums.

The same people who cheered when the original Jae's closed are now threatening to boycott it. And promising violence outside the event. Fair minded people will remember that Jae's has provided a warm welcome for everyone, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other divisive term.

While I defend the right of these Topix dwellers to their own narrow version of free speech, it is perverse how they would refuse other Americans the right to free assembly. Or the pursuit of happiness. How un-American. How un-Berkshire like.

Lincoln's concepts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness still is lost on some people. They probably think the wrong side won the Civil War.
Here is a smattering of some of their comments: "Sure to be a big fight out side SPICE the night of this venue
SICK...a pedophile's delight....Go back in the closet." Some of the more colorful ones are gone, I will not repeat them here.

The article can be found here. It is titled "A Chance to be Yourself."

"This ball is purposely being launched during prom season to offer an additional venue for LGBTQ kids and allies to go to feel safe. Our dance aims to provide an avenue where couples of all types can be celebrated in a safe setting," said Kelly Shuff-Heck, who co-advises the Live Out Loud Youth group.

In recent weeks we have read about controversies over gay and lesbian teens being refused permission to attend proms in other states, and though there have been no overt refusals in the Berkshires, the undercurrent of disapproval still deters many students from participating. "We wanted to have a dance where you can be yourself and have fun," said Tiffani White, a student of the Pittsfield Adult Learning Center and a Live Out Loud member.

La Cage, Sean Hayes get Tony Nominations

2010-05-04T13:02:00.005-04:00

Robin De Jesus of La Cage: "The last time I was nominated, I ended up in therapy."
The 64th Annual Tony Award nominations gave a huge boost to the Broadway revival of La Cage aux Folles with 11 nominations. The new Bill T. Jones musical Fela! tied La Cage with 11 nominations of its own. La Cage is in the running as Best Revival of a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Robin de Jesus, and Best Lead Actor in a Musical for both Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer.

There were other gay favorites getting the honor. Elton John's Next Fall (he and David Furnish are producers) received several nominations including one for Best Play. Next Fall's director, Sheryl Kaller got a Best Director nod.

Meantime a battle of the Broadway divas is shaping up as both the legendary Barbara Cook (Sondheim on Sondheim) and Angela Lansbury (A Little Night Music) are in the running for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

From soap operas to the stage: Levi Kreis.
Gay performers being recognized include Levi Kreis frm Milion Dollar Quartet for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and Sean Hayes for Best actor in a Musical, for Promises, Promises.

Sean Hayes already has a mantel full of awards.
The full slate of nominees and a more detailed story is now posted on my Berkshire On Stage website.

Great Food and Company - the BSCC Potluck May 5

2010-05-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

The Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition will be hosting their bi-monthly potluck dinner on Wednesday, May 5th at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Church on Wendell Ave in Pittsfield. This in-person social event supplements its online presence (Website and Facebook) and is free and open to all members of the GLBTQ & Allied Communities. You don't have to be out, or even gay to attend this traditional Berkshires social event. Just bring an open mind.

Attendees need only bring a food dish to share, themselves, witty conversation and charm. Donations to the coalition are always appreciated.

Just prior to the potluck, the Board of Directors will hold the monthly board meeting at the Unitarian Church from 5:30 - 7 p.m.

The Board will be discussing several important upcoming events, including the Live Out Loud Youth Project's Youth Ball on May 14th, and BSCC's Annual Fundrasier to be held on June 19th. Both events will take place at Jae's Spice. The Board meeting is open to the public, with the last 15 minutes of the meeting for community questions, comments, and input.

Gay Pride Activities begin this weekend in Northampton

2010-04-28T23:21:00.006-04:00

The Pride celebrations begin this weekend in Northampton. Visit NoHo to start the country's Pride Season. Here's a rundown on most of those taking place in the New England region:

NoHo Pride 2010 on May 1st. To learn more about the event, please visit NoHo Pride's website.

CT Pride 2010, taking place on June 5, 2010 at Bushnell Park. You will find the organization's website here.

Boston Pride 2010, celebrating its 40th Anniversary, will also be one of the biggest celebrations in the commonwealth. Boston Pride will happen from June 4-13th, 2010 this year. For more information, and to see what will happen throughout the week just click here!

Worcester Pride 2010, will take place on Sept 11th this year. For more information about this great celebration, you can visit the organization's website.

Pride Vermont 2010 will be celebrated on July 24th, 2010. For a small state, the Pride event is pretty legendary. Check out their website for the latest information.

In Rhode Island, Pride Fest 2010 takes place on June 19th. PrideFest and the Night Gay Pride Parade through Providence basically functions as Providence Gay Pride and Newport Gay Pride all rolled into one statewide celebration. For schedule information, visit PrideFest.

Is there gay life in the Berkshires?

2010-04-23T12:17:00.004-04:00

A reader sent me this question, and it made me stop and think.

Hey, Gay in the Berkshires -

I saw your blog online and thought I would send you an email.

I just got a job offer in the Berkshires and I'm considering moving there.

I am a single gay man in my early 30s. Is there enough of a gay life in the Berkshires
that would interest someone to move there?

Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks

Mike.

Mike -

That's a tough question to answer without knowing more about you. If by "enough" you mean lots of clubs and bars, the short answer is our club scene is limited. But LGBTQ folks are far from one-dimensional, and if you mean a rich, rewarding variety of activities and a great working environment, the Berkshires are the place to be. We're here. We're queer. But we're pretty laid back about it.

The Berkshires are pretty rural with an overall population of about 100,000. But we enjoy more culture, nature and history than most places three times our size. With Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow and four major theatre companies, what's not to like. To get an idea about our nightlife, check out my online magazine, Berkshire On Stage which is gearing up for the summer of 2010.

While nothing like Provincetown or Manhattan, there is a decent sized LGBTQ community here, though no full time gay bar. (Though you might try Mezze in Williamstown on Thurday evenings.) The Berkshire Stonewall Community Coaltion is the community organization, and from one of the monthly potluck suppers you can begin to get acquainted with the community. There are young people who love to dance, and lots of events they share with our allies. In the Berkshries being gay is like no big deal. You can even get married in any of our town halls. Many churches will conduct the ceremony, and almost all our guest houses are gay friendly to a fault.

Barrington Stage Company has several "Out" evenings, a first this summer, and last year we had our first Out in the Berkshires Weekend which was sponsored by the City of Pittsfield, imagine that!

A lot of the LGBTQ folks are already in committed relationships, but there are plenty who aren't. Facebook is a major way we all keep in touch. There is even a Berkshire Gay Guerrilla Group (BG3) which posts where we can meet for a good time.

We like the slower, gentler pace of the Berkshires, but that doesn't stop us from dashing from one thing to another if we want. Or simply hiking the Appalachian Trail to the top of Mount Greylock for some quiet time with ourselves.

We hope you might take the job and join us. If you have been living in the big city, you will find the cost of housing and other essentials pretty low here, too. That means you can afford to do more! There are even half price ticket operations at several of the visitor centers to save on entertainment, and you can always see a show for free by ushering. Great way to meet people, too.

Hope this answers your question.

Sarah Vowell on Tom Cruise

2010-04-22T10:13:00.003-04:00

Sarah Vowell is not to be underestimated.

When I gush about her, everyone says: "Sarah who?" Well I am here to tell you that she is the real deal. An eccentric, literate, understated and hilariousy funny writer who has taken to the stage with her deadpan stories about famous people. Presidents, movie stars, history, they are all grist for her mill.

Take her laid back analysis of Hollywood icon Tom Cruise, his anatomy, his geometic face, his undies. She deconstructs the myth in this audio slide show.

Which is to say that if you miss Sarah tomorrow night at 8:00PM at the Colonial Theatre, you may miss the best event of the year. She has already dished the Berkshires, its B&B's and theatre companies to dirt (as I reported in this Berkshire On Stage article) and I bet there is more to come.

Here's a synopsis of her life so far: Sarah Vowell is the acclaimed author of four bestselling books and a contributing editor for NPR’s This American Life. She has written documentaries and monologues about everything from the Cherokee Trail of Tears, presidential libraries and Frank Sinatra, to more personal pieces about her father’s homemade cannon, a youthful obsession with The Godfather and her own Goth makeover.

I can hardly wait to hear her latest stories.

Benefit Dinner for Homeless LGBTQ Youth on Friday April 23

2010-04-20T12:16:00.003-04:00

Kimy from Lost in the Crowd in midtown Manhatten. Photo by Susi Graf.

Join the Williams Queer Student Union and its allies for a benefit dinner on Friday, April 23rd at 5:30pm for MCCNY Homeless Youth Services: Sylvia's Place, with food donated by Jae’s Spice in Pittsfield. http://eatatjaes.com/

Sylvia's Place is a homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth in New York City. The shelter is a charity of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York. See these links for more information on Sylvia's Place, as well as some statistics on homeless youth in NYC:

http://www.homelessyouthservices.org/

Tickets for the dinner will be $10 each, and all proceeds from ticket sales will go to MCCNY Homeless Youth Services; Sylvia's Place. The QSU will be tabling throughout Queer Pride Days in Paresky to sell tickets in advance, so be sure to get them before they sell out- we can only seat 150 people at this dinner!

Clothing Drive, too.

In addition to this benefit dinner, we will be holding a clothing drive with Williams Christian Fellowship. Clothing will go to residents at MCCNY Homeless Youth Services; Sylvia's Place. We will be collecting clothes in the donation bins in the back of Paresky throughout Queer Pride Days. Any and all donations are welcome, particularly age-appropriate clothes for the residents at the shelter. We will be driving down to New York City on Saturday, April 24th to deliver the clothes and hang out with the residents at the shelter- email jmw1@williams.edu if you're interested in this, or if you have any questions!

Lost in the Crowd benefit for homeless LGBTQ youth is tonight

2010-04-20T12:09:00.003-04:00

Just received a note about this 8:00 pm screening and fund raiser at Williams College tonight:

Hey everyone,

Don't forget that we're screening Lost in the Crowd tonight at 8pm in Paresky Theater. This documentary details the experiences of transgender homeless youth in New York City, and the subculture they created within and despite their conditions. Some of the people featured in the film are or were residents of Sylvia's Place, the organization that will be receiving the proceeds of our benefit dinner this Friday. Please come learn more about the conditions under which many youth in the queer community must live.

http://lostinthecrowd.net/profiles.php

There will be free pizza!

-Johannes

Lost in the Crowd is a short documentary that explores the experiences and subcultures formed by queer homeless youth in New York City. There will be free pizza at this event. We will also be selling tickets to the Benefit Dinner here, so please stop by to learn more about the issues at hand.

Berkshire Visitor's Bureau Unveils New LGBTQ Outreach

2010-04-16T14:12:00.015-04:00

The Berkshire Visitors Bureau runs the visitors information center in Adams. One day we could find a "Berkshire LGBTQ Events and Atttractons" leaflet in the rack.

As part of their ongoing promotional efforts, the Berkshire Visitor's Bureau is reaching out to the LGBTQ community to make sure they know they are welcome here. Following up on a brainstorming session held earlier this year, the latest edition of Discover The Berkshires includes a story by Bess Hochstein, called "LGBTQ in the Berkshires."

It is also a web page that will be included on their website. You can find it at http://berkshires.org/LGBTQintheBerkshires/tabid/924/Default.aspx

The BVB is open to further ideas on ways to promote and market to our community. Being member supported, those establishments which are gay friendly or gay owned are encouraged to further the ongoing discussions both between themselves, at meetings and with the BVB professionals.

One of the ideas discussed by the BVB was finding a way to incorporate the rainbow into marketing materials to make clear that the Berkshires offer a gay friendly welcome.

The benefits of including an LGBTQ marketing focus are many, not the least of which is the positive impact it has on those of us who live and work here. While the cities have always been a magnet for gays, in Massachusetts we are seeing significant populations in the smaller cities and towns as well. Provincetown, of course, and Northampton. And lately we are seeing increasing numbers in places like Pittsfield and Springfield, too.

Around Memorial Day, look for our specialized Summer Calendar of Events. If you are planning something of interest to the LGBTQ community, please take a minute to be sure we are getting an email or press release. It would be a shame to miss an event because nobody told us about it. Even with Gaydar in full force, we miss a lot. My email is BerkshireLarry at Gmail dot com.

Trailer Park: The Musical in Boston

2010-04-16T13:38:00.005-04:00

I don't know what it is about trashy people that fascinates us gay boys. But they do. That's why this Boston premiere musical deserves your attention.

If you are interested in agoraphobia, adultery, spray cheese, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, kleptomania, flan and disco, then this rockabilly musical is worth a trip down the pike to the Boston Center for the Arts.

(From left): Leigh Barrett, Kerry A. Dowling and Mary Callanan in a scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL, running April 30 - May 30 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in the South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600 or www.SpeakEasyStage.com. Photo: Mark L. Saperstein.

The plot is real Jerry Springer fodder. When Pippi, a stripper on the run, comes between Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her toll-collector husband, neighbors Betty, Lin and Pickles team up to save their friend's marriage.

Great casting, with Boston legend Leigh Barrett, plus Mary Callanan, Kerry A. Dowling and David Benoit starring. For more information, visit www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

The Hilarious Off-Broadway musical hit runs from April 30 to May 30, 2010 with Music and lyrics by David Nehls, Book by Betsy Kelso, Directed by Paul Daigneault, Music Direction by Nick Connell and Choreography by David Connolly

“One of the Most Laugh Out Loud Shows in Town” –Broadway.com

“A Bright New Musical” –The New York Times

“Undeniable Fun!” –The New York Post

Janis Ian has traveled the long, hard road

2010-04-12T15:35:00.005-04:00

Janis Ian performs in Pittsfield April 17.
Janis Ian is a great singer and songwriter, and on Saturday night April 17 at 8:00 PM she and Karla Bonoff will take to the stage of the Colonial Theatre for a great evening of song and memories. The evening is sponsored by WGBY.

Ian is an original, having first stirred the pot in 1966- when she was 15 - with her album "Society's Child." Its topic of interracial marriage outraged many because of the taboos of the times. She has released two dozen more since then, her latest being her autobiography collection to go with her new book.

Ian has had a diverse personal life. She married Portuguese filmmaker Tino Sargo in 1978. He was abusive and they divorced in 1983. Details of Sargo's physical and emotional treatment are discussed in Ian's autobiography, Society's Child. After moving to Nashville, she met Patricia Snyder in 1989; and they later married in Toronto in 2003. The two celebrated their 20th anniversary together in 2009. Ian has a stepdaughter by Snyder, and two grandchildren.

The Colonial performance called Songs of a Generation is a celebration of song, featuring two of the most influential songwriters of the ’60s through the ’90s. Janis Ian’s hit songs include “At Seventeen,” “Jessie,” and many more.

Karla Bonoff has written numerous million selling songs including “Someone To Lay Down Beside Me,” “Home,” “All My Life,” “Personally” and “Tell Me Why.”

These two Grammy Award-winning stars will take you on a musical journey starting in 1966 when “Society’s Child” became a lightning rod for racial equality in the most storied and turbulent time in our musical history. Coupled with Janis Ian’s new autobiography released this year and both artist's new retrospective CDs, this will be the concert to remember from two unforgettable artists.

Tickets for the performance are $65 (VIP preferred seating with post-show Artist meet & greet), $45 and $25 and can be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM, performance Saturdays 10AM-2PM, by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.thecolonialtheatre.org

Under the Gay Big Top - climACTS 2010 in Boston April 27

2010-04-11T12:29:00.010-04:00

Backstage with Michael Lanphear (R). Thomas Olsen photo.

Have you heard about climACTS which happens each year in Boston? It is the anything-goes event, known for it’s unusual antics, and in previous outings has featured everything from glittery drag shows, caged go-go dancers and outrageous auction packages. In a word, it is unpredictable.

The crowd gets into the act, too.
On tap for this year is an exotic martini bar, circus sideshow acts and a live auction featuring City Year's Charlie Rose as auctioneer. The big ticket auction item will be VIP tickets to the Amfar benefit at this year’s Cannes Film Festival as guests of Mr. Cummings, valued at $8800.

Considering his continued support, it's a special evening in which the Tony Award winner will be honored, and some amazing circus acts will be enjoyed under the Big Apple Tent at Boston's City Hall Plaza. The glitterati of Boston LGBT community will be in attendance. And “Project Runway” winner and designer to the stars Christian Siriano will accept the award on Mr. Cumming’s Behalf since Cummings will be filming in South Africa that evening.

Project Runway winner and bon vivant Christian Siriano will accept an award for Alan Cumming.
Currently in it’s 11th year, climACTS, the annual gala benefit for The Theater Offensive will be held on Tuesday April 27th and promises a showstopper under the big top with performances by a dazzling aerialist, Massachusetts native Michael Lanphear (fresh from appearing on Britney Spears World Circus Tour), contortionist Viktoria Grimmy (also on the World Circus tour) and honors for film and theater star Alan Cumming. Christian Siriano, “fierce” winner of season four of Project Runway and designer to stars such as Lady Gaga, Estelle, Whoopi Goldberg and Tori Spelling, will accept the award on behalf of Mr. Cummings.

The action will take place under the Big Apple Circus’ tents on City Hall Plaza beginning at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $150 and all proceeds benefit the Theater Offensive. For more information, call 617.661.1600; tickets can also be obtained online at www.climacts.org.

Honored at the event will be Alan Cumming, best known for his villainous roles in Goldeneye and Spy Kids 1, 2 and 3. He won a Tony for his role in Broadway's Cabaret and is currently filming alongside Kristin Bell, Stanley Tucci, Christina Aguilera and Cher in Burlesque, a musical set for a Thanksgiving 2010 release. Alan also has a recurring role on this season's hot new show, The Good Wife.

Michael Lanphear, a graduate of Bridgewater State College does "silks" among other things. It's when the aerialists hang from those long sensual silk ropes flying, spinning and falling. It's awesome.
Aerialist Michael Lanphear trains with the Gemini Twins of Cirque Du Soleil fame and focuses on three aerial apparatuses: straps, hoop and fabric. As a performer Michael captures audiences with breathtaking displays of strength and flexibility.

The Theater Offensive has driven ambitious programming to the cutting edge of queer culture and politics since 1989. Grounded in their commitment to build an activist-based artistic forum, their groundbreaking programming has become a vital arena for the unique voices of diverse queer cultures, and has led to lasting coalitions between the varied communities under the queer umbrella. It is a commitment to debunking assumptions both from inside and outside the queer communities that directs all Theater Offensive work.

Ringmaster for the evening will be Boston arts and culture critic Joyce Kulhawik.
The Theater Offensive mounts and produces festivals and individual productions by national and local queer performers, and also serves as a development environment for new theatrical work. Among the programs developed by The Theater Offensive are The True Colors OUT Youth Theater troupe (formerly Teen Theater Works) which generates original productions written and performed by its young actors, Plays at Work, which develops and presents new, local theatrical productions in staged readings and workshops and A Street Theater Named Desire, a guerilla AIDS activist theater troupe, that enters gay cruising grounds and presents performances that promote safe sex and AIDS education.

ClimACTS is chaired by Eric Georgi, Faith Soloway and Donald Vaughan alongside Honorary Chairs Harry Collings, Tony Corey and Joan Parker. Tickets to the event are on sale now at www.climacts.org

Berkshire Stonewall Spring Dance April 17 in Pittsfield

2010-04-05T23:10:00.004-04:00

Berkshire Stonewall LGBTQ Spring Dance April 17.
The Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition will be hosting a spring dance at the Elk's Club in Pittsfield on April 17th, from 8:30pm - 12:30am. It includes a Cash Bar, DJ, and appetizers, as well as a 50/50 raffle.

If you are not yet a member, here's a chance to meet the Berkshire Stonewall community as they kick off our spring membership drive.

The 50/50 raffle will benefit the Live Out Loud Youth Project: youth dance this spring.

While the cost is $5 for members and $10 for non-members you can get FREE ADMISSION if you Join/Renew your membership at the door!

Lesbian Albatross Colony in the News Again

2010-04-04T13:04:00.005-04:00

The scientific community tries to tell everyone that just because a third of Hawaii's albatross colony consists of same sex birds, it is not at all the same thing as when we humans do it. Scientists avoid the suggestion of anthropomorphism while to us it is cause to raise the rainbow flag.

Lady Gagabatross: "Whatsa matter, haven't you seen a gay albatross before?"

The New York Times Magazine has done a very long, very informative article on homosexuality in the animal kingdom - and goodness, there is a lot of it. When news of this common occurrence first came to light a while ago, the media and politicians had a field day.

Speaking on Oahu a few years ago as first lady, Laura Bush praised Laysan albatross couples for making lifelong commitments to one another. Lindsay C. Young, a biologist who studies the Kaena Point colony, told the Times: “They were supposed to be icons of monogamy: one male and one female. But I wouldn’t assume that what you’re looking at is a male and a female.”

"A Denver-based publication for gay parents welcomed any and all new readers from “the extensive lesbian albatross parent community,” reported the Times. The conservative Oklahoma senator Tom Coburn highlighted Young’s paper on his Web site, under the heading “Your Tax Dollars at Work,” even though her study of the female-female pairs was not actually federally financed. Stephen Colbert warned on Comedy Central that “albatresbians” were threatening American family values with their “Sappho-avian agenda.” A gay rights advocate e-mailed Young, asking her to fly a rainbow flag above each female-female nest, to identify them and show solidarity."

"We just love to decorate our nesting site with a little green..."
Of course, straight people see things through straight lenses. As the Times article points out:

Various forms of same-sex sexual activity have been recorded in more than 450 different species of animals by now, from flamingos to bison to beetles to guppies to warthogs. A female koala might force another female against a tree and mount her, while throwing back her head and releasing what one scientist described as “exhalated belchlike sounds.”

Male Amazon River dolphins have been known to penetrate each other in the blowhole. Within most species, homosexual sex has been documented only sporadically, and there appear to be few cases of individual animals who engage in it exclusively. For more than a century, this kind of observation was usually tacked onto scientific papers as a curiosity, if it was reported at all, and not pursued as a legitimate research subject.

Biologists tried to explain away what they’d seen, or dismissed it as theoretically meaningless — an isolated glitch in an otherwise elegant Darwinian universe where every facet of an animal’s behavior is geared toward reproducing. One primatologist speculated that the real reason two male orangutans were fellating each other was nutritional.

The article is a great read for everyone, especially those of us in the LGBTQ community. New York Times Magazine article.

The Greek Easter is Different from Ours - it has Tsougrisma

2010-04-03T10:38:00.001-04:00

In tsougrisma, if your egg stays intact, you will have a good year.
It's been 50 years since I dyed an egg or paid much attention to Easter, but not too long ago a gay friend invited me to take part in his family's Greek Orthodox customs. For the Eastern church, the resurrection of Christ is the big deal, while Christmas is just a minor holiday.

The Patriarch's vestments are amazing examples of embroidery gone wild.
For those who have attended a full tilt Roman Catholic sung High Mass, lasting more than an hour, that's the Reader's Digest condensation of the Greek Orthodox ritual. Their celebration starts at 10 PM, plenty of robes, processions and general prayer muttering in the totally impenetrable Greek language, until Midnight when the lights go out.

Slowly the light returns as a candle is passed from pew to pew to light the ones in our hands.
The darkness lasts only a couple of minutes as one-by-one we light candles, but the darkness represents the time in the crypt, and then the light slowly comes, He is Risen! Gales of Hallelujah! singing, lots more prayer mumbling, and finally...the feast with the priest! We all went to the Parish Hall where a big spread was laid out and everyone has a great time.

Getting home at 3:30 in the morning is fine with me, but the next morning there is the business with the red eggs. The Greek tradition is to dye the eggs red, the color of Christ's blood. But wait. There's more.

The Greeks are not the only ones who take part in the egg cracking game, but they take it very seriously. The person who ends up with an intact egg is guaranteed good luck for the coming year. Not many get this special blessing.

They call the game tsougrisma, meaning "clinking together" or "clashing." It is pronounced chigger-ah in English.

Basically each player holds an egg and they lightly tap the ends together. It can either involve one person holding the egg while the other taps or both players can tap their eggs together at the same time. The winner is able to successfully crack the ends of their opponent's egg.

There are plenty of Easter Eggs, so everyone can play the game.
It is fairly widespread in other cultures, too. The Netherlands calls this game Eiertikken; Germany declares it Ostereiertitschen. Croatians describe it as the egg fight or tuca. In Northern England an "egg-jarping" competition is held and the loser has to eat their eggs. If you search hard enough, you can find a similar version in some southern backwater towns. It is called "pocking eggs" and while it is similar to the egg cracking tradition in Europe, the winner has to eat the eggs of the losers.

Easter Bonnets. Provincetown's infamous Joel Brooks and Richard Riehle stared as the irrepressible Hat Sisters in the film, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green. Photo: Bob Sebree.

In most of our country, God Bless America, we have lost touch with such quaint customs, and replaced them with new outfits to wear, chocolate and marshmallow bunnies and overeating, not as bad as Thanksgiving, but close.

Even if I no longer go to Easter mass, I still hate to see the commercialization of the religious day in tacky, superficial common culture.

So on Easter I think back to that sharing of the Greek traditions and how much they remain deeply rooted in my memory, and many people's lives. For others it is just an excuse to eat a ham dinner.

Lesbian Film Fest in Northampton April 16

2010-04-03T08:45:00.007-04:00

Edie and Thea will be screened.

The second annual Lesbian Film Fest will be a celebration of love with three films being screened - one feature and two shorts. The three together run about two hours.

Presented by Out! For Reel LGBT Film Series, it is a rare opportunity to see films that rarely make it to theaters or television. It takes place Friday April 16, beginning with a Social Hour at 6:30 and the screenings at 7:30 at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton.

These events draw a good sized crowd who don't want the fun to end, so there is an After Party as well, in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Northampton. Last year there were more than 300 attendees. And some of the Out! For Reel events have drawn a capacity audience of 800. Impressive operation, led by Jaime Michaels and dozens of energetic film lovers.

She is excited about this year's offerings. I love her description of the event: "Imagine the comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer as your couples therapist, or surviving dating disasters, or being in a committed relationship for 42 years - a variety of experiences all in one night - that's the fun of the Lesbian Film Fest."

Jaime promises that those who make the trek to Northampton from the Berkshires "Will be touched deeply and you will be laughing out loud all in the same evening. We hope our Berkshire sisters Join us for the After Party at our elegant Hotel Northampton's Grand Ballroom with great music by DJ Jodi, food, and lots of Pioneer Valley women."

Edie and Thea

The makers of The Brandon Teena Story return with an empowering but intimate film centred around a 42-year passionate romance between two women - Edie and Thea. Beginning pre-Stonewall, Edie and Thea's relationship gives us an inspiring glimpse into lesbian life, love and activism since the 1960s.

Unable to achieve marriage in their home country, Edie and Thea, the latter recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, leave for Canada to legalise their vows with the country's first openly gay judge. As they face into the unknown, Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement has something to enlighten, impress and move us all. (61 minutes)

We Have to Stop Now

Couples therapy has never been this funny! Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer stars as a couples therapist who tries to save a lesbian couple from the brink of divorce. This power couple, who wrote a runaway bestseller on the success of marriage, gives Suzanne quite a run for her money. (Best episodes from this popular lesbian web series – 36 minutes)

Falling For Caroline

A hilarious, heartwarming comedy about a cute but klutzy young woman who must overcome her dating blunders, her friend’s wrong fashion advice, and the bad lesbian habit of over-analyzing every detail. You can’t help but root for her in her quest to find true love. (20 minutes)

There's a great deal for those who buy in advance. You can get a Combo Ticket: for only $20 which includes $12.50 Fest + $7.50 Party admissions. For more information, go to www.OutForReel.org Order now, prices are higher if you wait too long.

Queer the Census

2010-04-02T21:58:00.005-04:00

It's time to be counted! Print this out and affix to the form.

If you are a LGBT couple, think about how to fill out the census form. Though not designed to accurately represent us, you can still make our presence count. For starters visit QueertheCensus.org

And there are ways to make sure same sex couples can be counted, even if they are not legally married. Watch this amusing video with George Takei and Brad Altman for details:

With many thanks to Greg Roach who originally published this on his blog.

John Kelly's "The Escape Artist" hits Mass MOCA Stage This Weekend

2010-04-01T19:48:00.017-04:00

Everyone is familiar with Caravaggio and his paintings which come into play in The Escape Artist this weekend at Mass MOCA.

John Kelly is the 2010 Sundance Time Warner Storytelling fellow-in-residence at MASS MoCA. Along with the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, he will give a Work in Progress reading of his newest work, The Escape Artist, on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at the intimate Club B-10 at MOCA. It is but one work that is part of the unusual Sundance residency.

The Escape Artist is a collision of music, video and story. In a studio dubbing recording session for cinematic re-enactments of the paintings of Caravaggio, a singer hired to lay down the tracks channels the characters that populate the paintings, encounters unexpected technical difficulties, and reveals a turbulent personal history of his own.

Prior to arriving at Mass MOCA, John Kelly spent time in Rome recording video and taking photographs of the characters he takes on in The Escape Artist including Bacchus as painted in 1597 pictured above. As you can see, he has updated the "drug of choice."

His always fertile mind is ceaseless in its creativity, as evidenced by the oblique video he put together earlier today and which is embedded below for your fun and general puzzlement.

it's a promo filmed by Kelly on April Fools Day 2010. There are more photos and an informative update on Mass MOCA's blog. Brittany BIshop gives us a sneak peak at the mysterious Kelly piece and reminds us: "Although the showing at MASS MoCA is only a staged reading and will not include all of the final pieces of the show, from one theater nerd to another, this performance is going to be a night at the theater you don’t want to miss!"

There are many more details and ticket information on the event site.

Steven Petronio is Hot, Handsome and Happening April 9-10

2010-04-01T07:26:00.000-04:00

Barrington Hinds by Sarah Silver
The innovative Stephen Petronio Company will bring its visceral and exciting I Drink the Air Before Me to MASS MoCA’s Hunter Center in North Adams on Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10, at 8pm. It is a joint production of Mass MoCA and Jacob's Pillow which collaborate to present one dance event at the renowned art center each year. Petronio is acclaimed for his lush, sweeping performance landscapes enriched by artful pairings of contemporary music and movement.

Comments the Pillow's executive director, Ella Baff: ”Stephen Petronio is well recognized in the U.S. and abroad as a bold, leading choreographer of his generation. He also collaborates with some of the most important contemporary artists in music, fashion, and the visual arts such as Laurie Anderson, Rufus Wainwright, Anish Kapoor, and a great painter who is especially familiar to us in the Berkshires, Steve Hannock.”

The composer Nico Muhly (L) and choreographer Stephen Petronio. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris.
The work features an original score by contemporary Nico Muhly, a composer whose work has been performed by the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Chicago Symphony. Although in the original presentation it was played live complete with a chorus that was scattered throughout the audience, at MoCA the music will be recorded, not live.

A Trio of Petronio dancers in photo by Steven Schreiber.
Petronio's new work is titled after a quote from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest from the moment in which the sprite Ariel rushes away on Prospero’s errand: “I drink the air before me, and return / Or ere your pulse twice beat.” Moved by the character’s willingness to throw himself in the path of a raging storm, Petronio combines inspiration from forces of nature, both environmental and human. The work portrays both the calm and anger of storms, while a sailor (performed by Petronio himself) rides along.

Petronio created I Drink the Air Before Me in celebration of this year’s 25th anniversary of the company. He comments, “Instead of looking back on our achievements like photographs of old friends, I have chosen to look to the future with a new work. I wanted to give a dance that spoke of riding the awesome and unpredictable forces of now, and I hope you will receive our presentation in that spirit of adventure and pleasure.”

The performance will be followed by a post-show talk with Ella Baff and Stephen Petronio.

Amanda Wells in a photo by Sarah Silver.
Tickets in the orchestra section of the theater are $38, mezzanine tickets are $32, and student and children’s tickets are $20.
The MASS MoCA Box Office hours are Wednesday through Monday, 11am – 5pm. To purchase by phone: call the Box Office at 413.662.2111. To order online: www.massmoca.org. The Hunter Center and Box Office are located at 87 Marshall Street in North Adams, MA, 01247. MASS MoCA theaters are handicapped-accessible.

For additional information on Jacob’s Pillow or the 2010 Festival, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

Famous Gay Moments in Broadway History

2010-03-29T00:02:00.005-04:00

Always on the lookout for great videos, this little gem has Nathan Lane visiting Cheyenne Jackson n the dressing room of the infamous musical Xanadu.

They discuss whether the show might be a little "too" gay.

There is a whole collection of great gay moments in the history of Broadway in the latest online version of OUT magazine.

Sorry Scott Brown, but Rachel Maddow says you lied

2010-03-27T16:04:00.015-04:00

Scott Brown as Pinocchio
"How do you know I am lying?" "Lies, my boy, are known in a moment. There are two kinds of lies, lies with short legs, and lies with long noses. Yours, just now, happen to have long noses."
Ah the joy of politics, especially Republican politics where spreading fear and lies are the coin of the realm, and armed demonstrations seem to be taking the place of nonviolent protests. We have already had our mini-Kristallnacht following the health bill signing. What's next Tea Partiers, guillotines in the town square? The armed demonstration you plan for April 19 ought to be exciting.

The latest nonsense comes from our own Massachusetts senator, Scott Brown, who is apparently desperate to shake the money tree to get re-elected. He sent out a fundraising letter that says:

It's only been a couple of months since I've been in office, and before I've even settled into my new job, the political machine in Massachusetts is looking for someone to run against me. And you're not going to believe who they are supposedly trying to recruit--liberal MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow.

Rachel lives in western Massachusetts, and recently it was reported that the chairman of the state Democratic Party had apparently tried to reach out to her in an attempt to coax her into a race against me."

But of course, even though some of us think this would be wonderful, it is absolutely untrue. Maddow took out a full page ad in yesterday's Boston Globe to make sure everyone understands exactly where she stands. It is difficult to spread lies about someone who won't let bullshit stand. Despite repeated corrections, Brown continues to spread the lie.

Click on image to enlarge.
Rachel Maddow shoots down the bullshit from Scott Murphy.

Of course, it is nice to know that Brown lives in fear of Maddow and her never ceasing search for truth, justice and preservation of the American way of change through rational discourse. One can hope that the Massachusetts voters will keep an eye on the new Senator, and when it comes his time for reelectionin 2012 will remember what kind of person he really is.

Update on Glee and "Sneaky Gays"

2010-03-24T13:49:00.000-04:00

The character Kurt (Chris Colfer) may find a romantic interest this Spring on Glee.
I've written a lot about Glee which has some great new episodes coming up, and here's a delightful promotional video to help get the next installments off to a rousing start. It has Sue Sylvester complaining how difficult it is to fit people in boxes these days.

Glee has one gay character the fourteen-year-old Kurt, played by Chris Colfer. Originally written so as to imply his being gay without actually saying the word, you can tell, just the way you can tell that Vin ("I come from the Harrison Ford, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino code of silence") Diesel is most likely straight.

Word has it that the new Glee episodes will find Kurt being more specifically gay as he enters into a relationship.

Meantime all is not a bowl of cherries as far as gay characters on tv. As few and far between as they are, they could get rarer still as the whacko right continues to punish equal treatment through whatever means they can. In Florida there is an effort to remove tax credits from films and tv productions in that state that feature homosexual characters. Half the world away, Malaysia is finally allowing the depiction of gays in films as long as they go straight before the film ends.

So it goes. The battle for equality is far from won.

Agog over Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's new video "Telephone"

2010-03-23T10:48:00.012-04:00

Click here to view.
Fresh from the delightfully sick minds of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and what looks like hundreds of co-conspirators, "Telephone" is the most creative and outrageous music video since Michael Jackson's "Thriller." The nine minute plus production has already swept all the youngsters up into its clutches, and it is slowly seeping its way into the consciousness of the original MTV Generation as they approach retirement age.

While it is not possible to embed the video into a blog like this, you can simply click here or on the caption above to see the full video.

Lady Gaga and Telephone Video
This is the "clean" version of the video I have linked to. But a few bleeps and a little blurring hardly make it any less wonderful.

While I hate over-hyped commercial media with its product placements, (in this video Coca Cola among others) cliches and mediocre music - all of which are present in the Lady Gaga's current and past work - this video has so many layers and so much going on it is worth repeated viewings.

John Waters was once the Duke of Dirt and Prince of Puke. In the past couple of years he has been unable to get financing for his proposed film "Fruitcake". Perhaps he is living out the same frustrations that Orson Welles felt at the end of his career. Time marches on. The crown has been passed on.

Once you were forbidden to watch Divine. But now your parent's worst nightmare has just reinvented itself. And I am simply gaga over it.

BSCC April Dance April 17 in Pittsfield

2010-03-21T17:28:00.006-04:00

Spring in the Air!

The Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition invites the LGBTQ community and its allies to celebrate Spring!

More information at the BSCC website.

Namoli Brennet in Concert April 23 at the Topia Cafe in Adams @ 7:30

2010-03-21T17:16:00.007-04:00

Folksinger Namoli Brennet returns to the Berkshires at the Topia Cafe.
The NAMOLI BRENNET Concert

Friday, April 23. at 7:30 PM

PLEASE NOTE THE PERFORMANCE TIME IS 7:30 PM (Not 9:00 as published earlier or elsewhere.)

Plan a pleasant evening with a great talent. It takes place at the Stone Soup Café at Topia Arts Center, 27 Park Street, Adams. There is a $10 cover charge.

Here's a rare chance to see and hear Namoli Brennet, the distinctive singer-songwriter as she returns to the Berkshires with her warm, funny, distinctive style in a totallyfriendly and intimate setting.

Grapes of Wrath_ Namoli Brennet from Kevin Anderson on Vimeo.

Chris Evans offered Captain America role

2010-03-21T16:59:00.005-04:00

Chris Evans
The Heat Vision Blog tells us that, based on a rerport in the Hollywood Reporter, the actor, who once donned superhero garb in two "Fantastic Four" movies, has been offered the role of Captain America.

Evans' offer would include starring in up to three "America" movies plus "The Avengers" movies and appearances in several other Marvel movies.

Since it is not yet confirmed, nor signed, it still could be offered to one of the actors we mentioned below if this deal does not work out...Evans does have other film commitments that could create problems with scheduling and shooting.

Who will play Captain America?

2010-03-19T20:42:00.010-04:00

"When I’d heard that Will Smith was [interested], I’m just like, ‘God, yeah. That’s who should play it… It would be a different Captain America than we all know in the comic, but it’s perfect.” Channing Tatum (pictured here).

In less than a year the first of nine Captain America movies will begin shooting, and a new star will be born. Based on the Marvel comics character, the superhero will also inhabit the persona of his alter ego, Steve Rogers, and try to defend an America that is in deep trouble. It's going to get interesting.

The rumors of which actors heads the top of the list have been flying, and just to give you an idea of who they are looking at I have compiled a list of both the finalists and the failures.

Wilson Bethel, who starred in HBO’s “Generation Kill” and currently appearing in “The Young and the Restless,” is still in the running.

Mike Vogel, who appeared in “Cloverfield” and CBS’ “Miami Medical” is still on the list of possibilities. Bethel and Vogel are relative unknowns, and therefore long shots, though the lower salaries such actors demand can be a deciding factor.

My choice, because of the success the Star Trek franchise had in casting Chris Pine to play Captain Kirk.

There's also James Cameron's choice of Sam Worthington for Avatar. But he is Australian...

Still very much in contention, and currently moving to the top of the pack is actor Chris Evans, currently shooting "Safety Point" in Texas. He has read for the part and has a test offer which may come to fruition next week.

Garrett Hedlund has not tested yet though Marvel itself is very keen on him.

Sadly, word has it that Chace Crawford is a no-go.

Michael Cassidy is no longer on the list.

John Krasinski (The Office) has always been a long shot.
So who would you like to see try out for the role? Whoever it is, they will spend a lot of time underneath a face mask and costume, so the acting is likely more important than the look. But still...

When Men Dance Together: Trey McIntyre at Jacob's Pillow August 4-8

2010-03-18T12:47:00.018-04:00

Jonathan Powell and Jonathan Dummar duet. Photos by Jonas Lundqvist
Gay Berkshires is always on the prowl for artistic events that appeal to the LGBTQ community and its friends. It appears that the first half of August is going to be the perfect time for LGBT folks to plan their stay in the Berkshires.

Not only are there two incredible dance events of interest to the gay community at Jacob's Pillow, but the highlight of the Berkshire Theatre Festival 2010 season is likely to be their fresh version of Samuel Beckett's Endgame (July 6-24), featuring Randy Harrison as "Nag."

Randy Harrison last summer between rehearsals. Larry Murray photo.
Randy played Justin in the groundbreaking Queer as Folk series (now being rerun on the Logo Channel). In his sixth season at BTF, he continues to prove that he is far more than just another pretty face, but an actor of depth and substance who can hold his own on any stage.

When I wrote up the Jacob's Pillow schedule earlier this year I focused on the highly amusing and talented Trockaderos who will perform August 11-15.

Strong women dancers too. Alison Roper can hold her own with the boys.
Now I would like to bring the Trey McIntryre Project to your attention, playing at the Ted Shawn Theatre from August 4-8. It will be an uplifting experience in more ways than one.

Hymn from Trey McIntyre Project on Vimeo.

In the video above you get a real sense of the company and its work. Hymn was commissioned by DRA for the 2007 Fire Island Gala. The dance was created by Trey McIntyre, with music by CocoRosie and simple costumes by Liz Prince. The gorgeous dancers are Marc Petrocci and Jonathan Powell.

One of the challenging things about filming dance is that - for the moment at least - it is strictly two dimensional. On stage the dancers come towards you, getting closer before they move away. The diagonal line delivers the feeling of both arrival and departure.

On film these effects are difficult to replicate. The flatness of film and video renders the dancers getting larger and smaller or moving side to side. A very different vocabulary than what is possible on stage. This presents a true creative challenge to filmmakers who must suggest the third dimension depth through special camera setups, lenses and lighting. This particular film does the job extremely well. It was filmed in the studios at White Oak Plantation.

In the end, you must see dance in person. It's the only way to fully enjoy it. Sitting close up you can even feel the air move as the dancers execute their combinations.

Company founder, Trey McIntyre.
While Hymn is not currently scheduled for the Pillow, Trey McIntyre has equally entrancing works planned. We think that now is a good time to line up your seats, and before the season begins, you do have access to some of the best seats in the house, which go quickly as the summer approaches.

For all their daring, this company is sometimes called the "Bad boys of dance."

Tickets: Jacob’s Pillow Member single ticketing began Wednesday, March 10. Single ticket ordering for all others opens via phone, fax, mail, and online on Wednesday, April 7. Box Office phone ordering begins March 1, Monday-Friday, 10am - 5pm, with additional hours during the Festival. Box Office: 413.243.0745 (phone) or 413.243.0749 (fax). For complete ticket policies, visit jacobspillow.org.

Rising Talent: Jack Cutmore-Scott - "The Next Matt Damon"

2010-03-09T12:16:00.009-05:00

Jack Cutmore-Scott in the dressing room.
It remains to be seen if he lives up to the expectations that have been placed on him. And they are many, what with his debut this week as the lead character in Entertaining Mr. Sloane in Boston. But Jack Cutmore-Scott, the young (22) Harvard Senior and already accomplished actor is likely to fulfill them. He has the charisma, the accent, the talent, and yes, the looks.

Jack Cutmore-Scott opens this week in Entertaining Mr. Sloane at the Boston Center for the Arts. Susanne Nitter photo.
I was pleased to be able to do a profile of Jack for Arts America and get the ball rolling. Now the Boston Globe's Joel Brown has followed up with this great compliment:

“He’s probably the most talented undergraduate I’ve seen come through since Matt Damon,’’ says director Eric C. Engel.

Jack may be straight, but he is not intimidated to play the bisexual Mr. Sloane, nor to don a dress in the service of the Hasty Pudding Club. "It's not that different from the British panto I was brought up with, and just as much fun." I mention this because should you entertain any thoughts of chasing Mr. Sloane, you will have a lot of competition - his female fans outnumber the male ones by a wide margin.

Where's Jack? Welcoming a Hasty Pudding winner.
The Hasty Pudding boys like to watch.
Entertaining Mr. Sloane is of course written by the infamous (and out gay playwright) Joe Orton, whose life was explored in the testily titled Prick Up Your Ears. And Orton is a genius with both convoluted plots and hilarious farce which explode in equal portions of gasps and laughter from an audience.

If you plan to be in Boston between now and April 3, I urge you to find your way to the Publick Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theatre, and be among the first to see this promising new talent at work. Tickets are priced at $33-$37.50. You can call for reservations at 617-933-8600, or go online to order them at www.bostontheatrescene.com

Jack's roots as a comic actor sometimes go to his head. Candid photos from Mr. Scott and his friends.
While in Boston you should also consider seeing The Adding Machine, a new musical from the Speakeasy Stage, and of course, The Donkey Show - a disco version of A Midsummer's Night Dream at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge. And to top off these treats, Ryan Landry's Phantom of the Oprah is the ultimate spoof with Varla Jean Merman playing at The Machine.

Great art comes to life in this captivating music video

2010-03-08T08:28:00.007-05:00

What starts off looking like a sacrilegious spoof ends up being four minutes of music and creativity uncensored. What fun.

What is it? The entertaining and cheeky music video for “70 Million”, hit song by Franco-American band, Hold Your Horses!, offers a wink at art history as band members playfully reconstruct famous paintings in an off the wall lyrical interpretation all their own. Produced by L'Ogre.

Clip de 70 Million, chanson du groupe franco-americain Hold Your Horses ! produit par L'Ogre, mettant en scène les membres du groupe dans un voyage à travers l'histoire de l'art.

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

Did you catch all the tableaux vivants?

1. The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)
2. The Birth of Venus ( Sandro Botticelli)
3. The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (Rembrandt)
4a .Portait of Henry VIII (Holbein) and
4b. Girl with a Pearl Earring (Johannes Vermeer)
5. The Raft of the Medusa (Theodore Gericault)
6. The Death of Marat (David)
7. The Creation of Adam (Michelangelo)
8. The Son of Man (René Magritte)
9. Composition with Black, Red, Yellow and Blue (Piet Mondrian)
10.Frida Kahlo Self-Portrait
11.? Portrait of Dora Maar Seated (Pablo Picasso)???
12. The Scream (Edvard Munch)
13. Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear (Vincent van Gogh)
14. Marilyn Monroe (Warhol)
15. Gabrielle d'Estrées (right) with his sister, Princess de Villiers (School of Fontainbleaux)
16. Santa Trinita Madonna (Cimabue)
17. The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (Caravaggio)
18. Olympia (Eduard Manet)- but without shoes
19. Liberty Leading the People (Delacroix)
20. Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden (Otto Dix)
21. mix : ''The Kiss''and "Virgin'' (Klimt)
22. La Mariee/The Bride (Marc Chagall)
23. Las Meninas (Velasquez)
24. Sunflowers (Van Gogh)

Gender Outlaws, Wannabes and Perplexities

2010-03-05T09:45:00.012-05:00

An LGBTQ eye on the week ahead.
If the world was really as simple as the fundamentalist Bible thumpers claim it should be most of us would not be annoyed by them. But god makes more than just straight people of two sexes. He uses an infinitely variable palette of possibilities, not just male and female.

In the coming days, several of these will be discussed at the Queer Summit at Williams College, showcased at a national sculpture exhibit curated by Pittsfield's Leslie Ferrin and the focus of exploration at the Mass. College of Liberal Arts who welcomes "gender outlaw" performer Kate Bornstein to the Berkshires.

NEW ENGLAND SMALL COLLEGE QUEER SUMMIT
As surely as night follows day, informal pizza will follow the more serious working sessions.
More than a hundred students from colleges throughout the region are expected to converge on Williamstown tomorrow to participate in a "Queer Summit" organized by Justin Adkins, Williams College, and a group of hard working volunteers.

The purpose is to enable LGBTQ students to network and to discuss the successes and challenges of being LGBTQ identified at small colleges in New England.

It starts off at 10 am with two sessions: How do you do what you do in your student group? What are the goals and are they being met? How do we face criticism and grow as an organization? A breakout session for LGBTQ directors and staff advisers
looks at supporting and advising students without taking over.

After lunch, the gathering will explore the different ways of constructing identities and how best to incorporate them into activism and community building.

Beginning at 2:30We the summit will look at policies affecting LGBTQ students and how to make institutional changes. What are the methods that have worked and what are the ones that haven? At 3 there will be an opportunity for smaller focused discussion, including LGBTQ within athletics, QPOC, and queer students abroad.

Following the work sessions, the students will gather for a Pizza Dinner and Meet and Greet featuring DJs Nordia & Krystal. We wish the participants a positive and productive day!

NOTORIOUS 'GENDER OUTLAW' KATE BORNSTEIN TO PERFORM AT MCLA
Kate Bornstein's book is a good read.
Issues of sexual preference, gender identity and self identification will be explored through a performance by author and “gender outlaw” Kate Bornstein on Thursday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in the MCLA Church Street Center. A former heterosexual male who now is a lesbian woman, Bornstein is an author, playwright, performance artist and gender theorist who incorporates cultural criticism, dramatic writing and autobiography to make her point that gender is a cultural rather than a natural phenomenon.

Using slam poetry, Bornstein performs several monologues from the plays and other performance art she has written and performed over the years. Audiences might see her cranky eighth grade teacher, a drag queen who is dying of AIDS or her mother talking about the day she discovered her son was undergoing a sex change.

The event is sponsored by the Mass College of Liberal Arts in North Adams and theMCLA Women's Center (413-662-5497.)

“This year, it’s a very special celebration because it is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 8,” said Susan Birns, professor of sociology, anthropology and social work at MCLA and the director of the College’s Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center. “Kate will perform what she calls ‘Postmodern Gender 101’ with a comic twist. She performs and speaks this piece in the unique style she calls ‘edutainment.’”

Sponsored jointly by MCLA and Williams College, Bornstein will perform “On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us.” The Women’s History Month event is free and open to all.

THE HERMAPHRODITES: LIVING IN TWO WORLDS
Seen here: Tip Toland's Tender Flood (Detail). 2010. Ceramic.
Tonight in Philadelphia the Wexler Gallery opens The Hermaphrodites: Living In Two Worlds. There is an online portfolio you can view. This unusual and provocative exhibit is curated by Leslie Ferrin from Pittsfield's Ferrin Gallery. We can only hope that many elements of this breathtaking exhibition might return to her gallery in the Berkshires following this showing. She has shown some of these artists previously, but this grouping is especially strong.

Chris Antemann, "Wardrobe." Ceramic. 18 x 12 x 8 in.
Ferrin's group show of figural ceramic sculpture embodies the literal definition of hermaphrodites as encompassing both genders. Such art is sometimes found in early societies but is rarely seen in contemporary art. The Hermaphrodites: Living In Two Worlds coincides with the 44th annual National Council for Education on the Ceramic Arts Conference (NCECA) in Philadelphia (March 31-April 3, 2010).

The Pain and the Ecstasy of Lee Alexander McQueen 1969-2010

2010-03-01T13:08:00.011-05:00

Lee Alexander McQueen was the "hooligan of fashion."
Outrageous and unconventional barely describe the life and work of Lee Alexander McQueen, an English fashion designer whose approach to couture was more theatrical than practical. Still, for sheer creativity and brilliance, he is unlikely to be surpassed. He died on April 11 of asphyxiation by hanging. It took place nine days after the death of his mother, and the day before her funeral. One can only speculate as to the state of his mind.

Hats, gothic and eccentric.
McQueen was quoted by Vogue in 2002 as having been born gay with nothing to hide. " I went straight from my mother's womb onto the gay parade," he quipped.

During his early career, before he received his degree from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, he worked on traditional Savile Row. McQueen developed a reputation for impeccable tailoring and drew clients like Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Charles. But he was already breaking the mold. McQueen once bragged that he had sewn the words "I am a cunt" into the lining of a jacket destined for Price Charles. It wasn't long before he was dubbed the hooligan of British fashion.

McQueen's designs were never dull.
That didn't stop Björk and later other celebrity patrons, including Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Sarah Jessica Parker and Rihanna, from wearing Alexander McQueen clothing to events. Lady Gaga has often incorporated Alexander McQueen pieces in her music videos.

In the video above, you can see some of the incredible feats of this designer. In it his 2007 showcase featured models sporting intense blue, green, and teal eyes with strong black liner extended Egyptian-style. McQueen handpicked the makeup based on the Elizabeth Taylor movie, Cleopatra.

McQueen was known for his lavish, unconventional, runway shows, such as a recreation of a shipwreck for his spring 2003 collection, spring 2005's human chess game and his fall 2006 show, "Widows of Culloden", which featured a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss dressed in yards of rippling fabric.

His "bumsters" established a new low in jeans that someone like Marky Mark could appreciate, and came close to revealing a new backside cleavage.

Alexander McQueen designed shoes that any drag queen could fall in love with.
From 1996 to 2001 he designed for Givenchy, toning down his usual Over the Top approach. Still in 1998 he had models in white cotton dresses being spray painted by robotic auto refinishers and double amputee model Aimee Mullins striding down the catwalk on intricately carved wooden legs.

He will most certainly be missed.

"Falsettos" in Rhinebeck, NY this weekend

2010-02-25T16:36:00.007-05:00

Falsettos is By William Finn (Music and Lyrics) and James Lapine (Book)

I just learned that Bill Finn's wonderful Falsettos is being performed not too far away in Rhinebeck, New York, and highly recommend seeing this moving and entertaining musical before it closes February 28. Remaining performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00.

Last Saturday's performance was a benefit for the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center, which hosted an after party. Rural Intelligence was there, and did some fabulous coverage of the event and its guests.

With music and lyrics by William Finn and book by William Finn and James Lapine, this Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of a totally dysfunctional Jewish family. Jason, the 13 year old son of Marvin and Trina is preparing for his Bar Mitsvah. Enter Mendel, the family psychiatrist, who is bedding down with the wife of Marvin who has just come out of the closet. The husband has taken up with the younger “Whizzer”. Got all that?

The Rhinebeck Cast.
Well, Jason thinks Whizzer is cool and has flat-out stated that there will be no Bar Mitzvah if Whizzer is not included. Across the hall lives a lesbian couple – Cordelia, the kosher caterer in charge, and her partner Charlotte, a doctor who will eventually determine that Whizzer has AIDS. From the opening number “Four Jews In A Room Bitching” through Jason’s “Everyone Hates His Parents”, Trina’s tour-de-force “I’m Breaking Down”, and Marvin’s lament, “What Would I Do” – the show is a complex and richly entertaining journey filled with laughter and tears.

The musical, while not heavy is nevertheless poignant, being set at the time when AIDS was beginning its insidious spread. A CENTERstage Production directed by Kevin Archambault with musical direction by James Fitzwilliam.

Composer Finn is a Berkshire regular with a house in Pittsfield (he teaches at NYU) and in residence each summer to nurture new writers and composers at the Stage 2 Music Workshop at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield. He is also the composer of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and many other works.

Tickets are priced at $22 for adults and $20 seniors and children. More information at www.centerforperformingarts.org or call Box Office Manager Eileen Contreni at 845-876-3080.

Also on their schedule is Rent another musical which touches on gay themes, plaing from March 12 to 28.

Rachel Maddow to deliver the 2010 Smith College Commencement Address May 16

2010-02-22T14:10:00.017-05:00

Rachel Maddow's most recent local appearance
was last August at Jacob's Pillow.
When Smith College President Carol T. Crist announced to the senior class that MSNBC's political analyist and Berkshire favorite Rachel Maddow would deliver the commencement address, it was an event all by itself. Watch and enjoy:

Maddow's success story is one that began locally. A contest launched Maddow’s career in 2004. As the winner of a challenge for a new on-air personality in Holyoke, Mass., she addressed listeners for the first time. Meeting with success at the local level, she soon joined the newly created Air America and, a year later, MSNBC.

Maddow's success may seem somewhat serendipitous, but she worked hard to get where she is. Maddow earned a degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1994, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, and earned a doctor of philosophy degree from Oxford University.

Maddow undertakes a regular 190 mile commute home to her 1865 house in Western Massachusetts. She maintains a teeny 275' apartment in Manhattan too. She is a real person, too, with a real full time relationship.

Rachel's human side: "One of my liabilities as a broadcaster is sometimes I get a little teary. Having a handkerchief is handy. My partner, Susan Mikula, buys me cute ones."

Lucky Dog.

Four Honorary Degrees to be Awarded

Commencement is on May 16 at 10 AM in Northampton. Honorary degrees will be awarded to Maddow, renowned dance composer Martha Myers, record-setter Victoria “Tori” Murden McClure, environmental justice advocate Peggy M. Shepard and global activist Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan.

The complete commencement schedule indicates that students may invite as many guests as they want.

Historic Homos: How the world viewed us in 1967

2010-02-20T16:41:00.020-05:00

The Bad Old Days when a paranoid alcoholic, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, and a deeply closeted self-loathing lawyer, Ray Cohn used the new medium of television to launch a national witch hunt for communists and gays.

It was a different world for LGBT's before Stonewall. Except for a meager handful of people like Gore Vidal and a few other brave souls, few challenged the status quo. Not only were queers supposedly not happy, but the word "gay" had not yet come into use. Yeah, the 60's were a very long time ago. Most American's alive today weren't even born yet.

This so-called CBS documentary on homosexuality is about as factual as Reefer Madness, and not half as funny.

Half a century ago, almost everyone was deep in the closet, and had been since Oscar Wilde went to jail during the Victorian era. It was not until the 1950's McCarthy-Army Hearings and its promotion of "Lavender Menace" theories that the first few voices of the gay liberation movement began to speak out about the persecution. That is when the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis were founded, and a few very brave souls admitted they were lesbian or gay to an ignorant world.

It was a dark time to be gay. And it is where self-loathing took hold of many men - now in their 60's to 80's - and driving them deep, deep into the closet. Open that door today, and you will find many old Republican white men like Idaho's US Rep. Larry Craig still afraid to come out. So they act out their desires in the anonymity of public rest rooms and react with denial when confronted. Granted, Craig was in his formative years when the infamous witch hunt called "The Boys of Boise" ruined hundreds of lives in that small city of 45,000. And it wasn't just Iowa, it was the whole damn nation. Vice squads were everywhere, looking for homosexuals to harass, arrest and extort. The underworld ran the bars; our business was not welcome elsewhere.

The straight world ruled, and it was one that was filled with public loathing, police hatred, and woefully misinformed psychiatrists and sociologists. Then, the biggest battle was doing away with intrusive laws, that penalized what two consenting adults did in the privacy of their own bedroom.

Those days contrast sharply with our current situation where most of us live and let live with our neighbors. But the old days left their mark for us older folks. That's the power of the shocking kinescope embedded above. It shows Mike Wallace and CBS News doing the first expose of homosexuality ever aired on television. If you think the news is manipulated today, watch how things used to be!

That it resembles Reefer Madness in many of its lies and distortions is not surprising, yet it documents just how far we have come. And have to go. With the right to marry, to serve our country in the armed forces and to live peacefully without harassment still being determined, it is not yet done. Even more worrying is that fundamentalist based homophobia is now spreading across Africa like a plague. The price of freedom, as always, is eternal vigilance.

Berkshires Snuggle Time - but Boston is about to get HOT!

2010-02-17T21:14:00.009-05:00

This Mr. Sloane is going to be very entertaining.
At this point every winter many of us in the Berks start to get Cabin Fever, and there are simply not very many LGBT events here to make us leave the house. But my mind itches, it needs stimulation. So my annual forays into Boston and Albany begin. I would much rather write about events in the Berkshires, but other than The Mikado March 6 at the Colonial Theatre, there isn't a lot I am looking forward to.

Boston is humming. Their theatre and entertainment scene is approaching its peak. There's much to recommend as being worth a special trip. At the top of my list is Big Bean's Publick Theatre. They are mounting one of my favorite Joe Orton plays, Entertaining Mr. Sloane. It runs at the Boston Center for the Arts. The handsome and manipulative boarder who turns on and upsets the whole household is played by Jack Cutmore-Scott. Jack is currently in his fourth year at Harvard, and we hope to have an in-depth interview with him as to how he will approach his role. Jack is straight we are told, and so may be Mr. Sloane. It's complicated, funny and, yes, Mr. Sloane is entertaining too.

Cars, Kisses and Rusty Daggers
It's an all British cast for this production, including the return to the Boston stage of Sandra Shipley who plays Kath, a lonely, delusional landlady, in the junkyard house she shares with her declining father, Kemp (Dafydd Rees). Sloane, ever the handsome opportunist, quickly ingratiates himself, entering into seductions offered by both Kath, and her estranged brother Ed (Nigel Gore), who soon employs Sloane as his driver. Sloane’s past misdeeds and the dueling affections within the family soon collide, leading to a desperate act that proves the limit of his charms, and reveals the ruthless and cunning strategies that Sloane’s victims will engage in to preserve their unique arrangement.

The play is directed by Eric Engel who describes the dark comedy as "almost a farce. All four characters, because they are desperately lonely, allow their domestic, social and animal instincts to become irrevocably intertwined.” He adds, “Orton eliminates the line between the obvious and the Freudian, making things all the more confusing and delightful. Entertaining Mr. Sloane is a perfect play for today's audiences, who can explore sexuality with intrigue and open minds, rather than fear and judgment.”

Few had heard of Maxwell Caufield until he played Mr. Sloane off-Broadway back in the 80's.
Entertaining Mr. Sloane will run from March 11 through April 3, 2010 at the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. Performances are Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets: $33.00 - $37.50. (SPECIAL PRICING: Preview Performances March 11 -14 - All Tickets $20. More information from the Publick Theatre website.

Aaron Carter Tweets - "No" on California's Prop 8

2010-02-09T16:08:00.007-05:00

Aaron Carter may be a man of few words, but they are the right words. Here he says everything that needs to be said about Don't Ask, Don't Tell as well as Prop 8. Adam Bouska photos.
Bad boy Aaron Carter is finally working on a new album - his first in five or six years - and is becoming a bit of a political activist now that he is laying off the pharmaceuticals.

The younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, Aaron has been rehabilitating himself and keeping in touch with fans via Twitter.

Aaron Carter takes his shirt off.
His Dancing With the Stars appearance certainly helped, but for many of us, stripping his shirt off and taking part in the No H8 campaign in LA makes him one ok guy. Best of all, he sent one tweet that said: "Oh, Yeahhhh...I'm a single man."

There's an interesting story in his hard work to make a come back, one which I hope to interview him about some day. It is one thing for you or me to go through rehab and take our lives back. It's almost an impossible task for someone in the public eye. But it can be done if you ignore the twin pitfalls of adulation and nasty rumors.

Here's wishing him well in his healthy new lifestyle, and warm thanks for both the visibility and help fundraising for the second round of Prop 8.

Gays are America's Most Precious Resource

2010-02-08T10:59:00.005-05:00

Finally, the secret is out about gays in the military. They've only been "protecting" us all this time. As the debate on DADT re-ignites, a satirical view on the issues provides some comic relief.

Don't Tell.

A Quite Queer Valentine's Eve Dance with Live Music Feb. 13

2010-02-07T21:33:00.009-05:00

"Get Your Heart On" February 13 at Jae's Spice Upstairs
New York City's Jen Urban and the Box "Will bring the ruckus" as QQ's "Get Your Heart On" Dance Party gets underway this Saturday night. Live music is always a treat, and this most amenable group will illuminate the day before Valentine's (February 13) at Jae's Spiece Upstairs. Located at 297 North Street in Pittsfield, Quite Queer's event theme is Love. Bring who you love, meet whom you might the organizers say. They suggest that the dress be your version of "high fashion" which means you should dress to kill, while planning to bring peace on earth.

Quite Queer's Dance Poster
As a further inducement to entice the best dressed crowd in ages, there are prizes. The top three best-dressed guests will be decided and each given prizes according to their ability to PUT AN OUTFIT TOGETHER! 20's careless, 30's impoverished, 40's victorious, 50's domestic, 60's radical, 70's ridiculous, 80's chic, 90's clueless and new millennium inclusive -- whatever you pick, have fun and have it together.

Nehru Jackets? Jean Jackets Redefined? Depends on who's wearing it.

In addition to the live music, from Minneapolis comes DJ PB&J who will bring a brilliant mix of tunes to keep the dance floor moving. The cost for all this fun? $5 cover for 21+, $8 for 18+ There will be a full cash bar for those 21+.

Maybe I can find that old Nehru Jacket and love beads...though since I am no longer a kid, maybe that space suit in the background will cover a multitude of sins...

The Colonial's Romeo and Juliet is a rare chance to see the Guthrie's magic

2010-02-05T11:38:00.013-05:00

Laura Esposito (Juliet) and Sonny Valicenti (Romeo) in The Acting Company/Guthrie Theater co-production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Production photos by Michal Daniel.
I often marvel at how those of us who live in the Berkshires year round can expect - with a little patience - to see the best that the arts world can offer. The great artists seem to find their way here. Eventually. Certainly that is true with symphonic music, dance companies and contemporary art.

The Colonial and Mahaiwe go even further than Tanglewood, Mass MoCA and Jacob's Pillow in that they book those companies and artists that we might otherwise never see. Such is the case with the Romeo and Juliet arriving next Friday, February 12 at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.

It's certainly not a "gay" Romeo and Juliet - though there's a concept to ponder! It is instead a resetting of Shakespeare's most popular play to a time closer than our own, the beginning of the twentieth century.

The "boys" of Romeo and Juliet are full of fun and pranks.
With the resetting comes a Romeo and Juliet that is closer, in some ways, to West Side Story than to 16th century Verona. The words are as Shakespeare wrote them, but the action, and acting, is contemporary. Purists may object, but for the adventurous, it is provocative, and ribald fun. And it showcases some of the youngest, most talented actors in America today.

This is a co-production by Minnesota's Guthrie Theater and The Acting Company. It was created and first staged last month (January 9-31) in Minneapolis, and is now engaged in a 25-city tour. The New England appearances are made possible, in part, with support from the New England Foundation on the Arts as well as funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Fight! Isaac Woofter (Tybalt), Sonny Valicenti (Romeo) and Hugh Kennedy (Benvolio)
Romeo and Juliet is a familiar tale to most of us, recounting the tragedy of star-crossed teenage love ensnared in a family feud. Bounding between soaring romanticism and battles of wit, festive celebrations and bloody duels to the death, the play of cruel destiny runs on high energy throughout, as impulsive and emotionally hot-blooded characters bring to life the greatest love story of all time.

Evoking the lyricism of Shakespeare's sonnets, the timeless and deeply moving Romeo and Juliet exquisitely embodies the brief joy of youthful passion and ecstasy. The young couple loves each other passionately as only teenagers can, while their families' mutual disdain and prejudice lead to revenge and an irreversible fate. Young love has never been so delightful or as dangerous as in this stirring new production.

Reviews of this production ranged from mixed to raves, but the cast has had time to settle in, and the production should be highly polished. Most critics remarked on how well the usually watered down comedy and fight scenes played. In the production the guys use walking sticks which seemed odd until the big fight scene where they turned out to hide the real weapon - swords. The "prick of the moon" and "maidenhead" lines which happens between Mercutio and the nurse also brings some hitherto naughty nuances to light.

"The Guthrie has proven to be the perfect ‘incubator' for our national tour," said Acting Company Producing Director Margot Harley. "It is a breathtaking theatrical complex replete with staff, artisans and workshops to bring the most brilliant work to life. Our co-production of Henry V was thrilling to be part of and I know this season's Romeo and Juliet will be equally rewarding to audiences as well as for The Acting Company and the Guthrie."

A cast member heads home through a dusting of snow after a performance at the Guthrie. He should feel right at home here in the Berkshires.
"We're truly excited to embark on the second production of our partnership with The Acting Company," said Guthrie Director Joe Dowling. "After the success of last year's production and tour of Henry V, we look forward to continued success this season with Romeo and Juliet."

Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Penny Metropulos directs. The cast for the traveling production is identical to the one on stage at the Guthrie. Sonny Valicenti (2009's Henry V) and 2008 GEx alumnus Laura Esposito leading the 13-member cast in the title roles.

The production will also feature UofM/Guthrie B.F.A. alumni Hugh Kennedy (Benvolio), Elizabeth Stahlmann (Nurse/Samson), William Sturdivant (Mercutio/Prince) and Christine Weber (Lady Capulet), Guthrie Experience alumni Jamie Smithson (Paris/Abraham) and Isaac Woofter (Tybalt/Apothecary), Henry V company member Chris Thorn (Capulet), and newcomers Jesse Bonnell (Gregory/Friar John), Raymond L. Chapman (Friar Laurence), Jason McDowell Green (Montague/Peter) and Myxolydia Tyler (Lady Montague/Balthasar).

Troublemaker Tybalt (R) (Isaac Woofter) gets his due from Romeo (Sonny Valicenti).
The Romeo and Juliet artistic team also includes Neil Patel (Set Designer), Mathew J. LeFebvre (Costume Designer), Michael Chybowski (Lighting Designer), Victor Zupanc (Music Composition), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Designer), Marcela Lorca (Choreography), Felix Ivanov (Fight Direction), Andrew Wade (Voice and Speech Consultant), Sara Phillips (Voice and Speech Consultant), Corey Atkins (Staff Director), Karen Parlato (Stage Manager) and Nick Tochelli (Assistant Stage Manager).

Tickets and information: www.thecolonialtheatre.org

The Colonial Theatre
111 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
P: (413) 448-8084

Carnivale - Hot Event of the Weekend - Saturday at Jae's

2010-02-04T20:59:00.011-05:00

Los Sugar Kings have a great website.
Nobody throws a party like Barrington Stage Company, and they are always gay friendly events. In fact it is the LGBT's in the mix that adds the extra spice. This Carnivale is a fundraiser for the company - but one that is affordable for most of us. So come, let your hair down, or put it up - it's going to be a good time!

Carnivale in Rio is the hottest celebration on earth. But it is summer there. In the Berkshires we are in a deep freeze and we will keep our clothes on, thank you, and still have a good time.
Carnivale is scheduled a full week ahead of the rest of the world, how's that for being ahead of the crowd! To keep the good times rolling, you can hop a jet to Rio, Trinidad, New Orleans or Venice to sample the real thing, a four day celebration that begins February 12 and ends on February 16 ("Fat Tuesday") at midnight signaling the upcoming 40 days of Lent.

For this fundraiser, Barrington Stage Company stages the sizzling Brazilian celebration of Carnivale in the Berkshires at Jae’s Spice Upstairs. Beat the winter blues with hot music plus great food and drink. Dress your best (be mysterious behind a fabulous mask if you feel so inspired!) and dance the night away with the rhythmic and upbeat Boston Latin band Los Sugar Kings. You can sample their sounds on their website or My Space page.

Carnivale starts at 8pm with a spicy Latin Dance lesson to get you in top-shape of a night of wild dancing! The ticket includes delicious hors d’oeuvres & an unlimited specialty cocktail! There will be a special VIP pre-party dinner at 6pm that includes three course dinner, open bar ALL NIGHT, and entry to the Carnivale party!

Saturday, February 6 | 8pm| Jae’s Spice Upstairs | 297 North St | 499-5446 x115 | $35 advance/$40 door/$125 VIP Dinner & Open Bar. Further information at barringtonstageco.org

Galileo Sets Up LGBT Capital for Gay Market - but do they have credibility?

2010-02-04T14:30:00.016-05:00

It seems the LGBT community is all atwitter over news from Galileo Capital Management of a Gay Capital Fund that is going to come to the rescue of LGBT businesses which are unable to negotiate loans from traditional sources. And to that I say, "show me the money." NY Times story

With hundreds of recent investment scams built on porous foundations and promises, excuse me if I don't buy the line.

Like a politician promising something in the future, but never delivering, this is one more investment scheme with a great premise and no track record. That's a red flag. They may indeed prove to be the best thing ever, but more likely, they are just saying what they think gays want to hear.

They do not self-identify as LGBT. In fact the connection seems strictly to raise cash. What they surely are is investment types who worked with some of the biggest banks and investment firms in the past decade that led us down the primrose path to the current economic mess.

Founders Anders Jacobsen and Paul Thompson have over 40 years’ combined experience in the investment management sector at firms including Goldman Sachs, Prudential Financial, Bankers Trust and Chase Manhattan Bank.

Thompson says: “We have identified a number of investment strategies in niche areas offering a low correlation to markets that are still significantly untapped. Our expertise in structuring and launching investment funds will enable us to bring these strategies to market quickly and effectively”.

Jacobsen adds: “The future of Galileo will witness niche positioning and effective maximization of opportunity in markets that are quite unexplored to date. Our strategy will pick up in areas which the market has traditionally dropped off its radar screen.” quotes from Hedgeweek

It is true that the LGBT consumer market is huge; it's worth nearly $700 billion and is projected to reach $845 billion by 2011, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Galileo may just be testing the water, measuring how much interest such a move could generate. It seems they have neglected to say when the fund would be launched. Another red flag.

If you want to consider investing, I say wait a while, do serious due diligence, and don't jump in too deeply. I still think if you want to make your dollars do good, invest in local banks and firms, not the monolithic ones, and their spawn.

Campy, Satirical "Mikado" is Hot Winter Fun

2010-02-03T20:10:00.013-05:00

You can't be gay if you haven't seen The Mikado at least once in your life. And if you have been properly initiated into the Victorian cult of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, the mere mention of The Mikado has probably made you pull up your calendar on the screen and start saving money for tickets. It is coming to Pittsfield's Colonial Theatre as soon as it finishes its run in Cohoes, New York.

Yes, The Mikado is a classic G&S outing, complete with pretty "girls" and both mincing and manly men. In their day, they were clearly stereotypes, but still funny and ring true. Especially the Lord High Executioner, which, with any luck will be played by the fabulous Jim Charles who brings an extraordinary theatrical sensibility to the small upstate town of Cohoes, New York. If I didn't live here in the Berkshires, it would be on my short list. At the Cohoes Music Hall he does extraordinary productions complete with great costumes and a live orchestra, yet keeps ticket prices within reason. The whole town turns out for his extravaganzas.

The video I have embedded is about ten minutes of the show as performed in 1990-92 by the famous D'oyly Carte Opera Company. It is the same company G&S worked with a century ago. It has one of the classic patter songs - "I've got a Little List" which is about two minutes in, after the Lord High Executioner introduces himself. It is my fervent hope that this is the role producer Jim Charles (the performing half of C-R Productions) assumes in the production which debuts February 18 at the Cohoes Music Hall.

As my fellow critic Gail Burns sums it up, what could be better than The Mikado- "that wholesome family show about decapitation." Yes, Mikado tells a tale of preposterous carryings on in the mythical Japanese village of Titi-pu. A Japanese prince will do just about anything to win the hand of the national executioner's daughter, for she is his one true love. Over a century later, the themes of The Mikado still resonate with modern audiences with references used in films and television from "Chariots of Fire" to "The Chipmunks". The ultimate classic love story set in the most famous Savoy Opera continues to captivate audiences.

This is the Hill Country's own production, which gets a two week run in Cohoes, New York at their Victorian Music Hall by C-R Productions and then moved, cast, sets and orchestra to Pittsfield where Berkshire audiences can easily enjoy it. If this is half as good as their sell out production of The Producers last year which played the Colonial under similar arrangements, then we are all in for a real treat.

Before there was Saturday Night Live, there was Gilbert and Sullivan spoofing the norms and conventions of the time, and drawing other countries and cultures in caricature. Considering the size of this production, the ticket prices are very reasonable.

Performance Schedule:

AT THE COHOES MUSIC HALL IN COHOES, NY:

February 18-28
Thursday-Saturday at 8:00pm
Saturday and Sunday at 3:00pm
Tickets: $25-$35
Box Office: 518.237.5858
http://www.cohoesmusichall.com/

AT THE COLONIAL THEATRE IN PITTSFIELD:

Saturday March 6, 2010
Performances at 3 PM and 8 PM
Tickets $25-$45
Box Office: (413) 997-4444
www.thecolonialtheatre.org