Wednesday night's performance of Souvenir was spectacular. I prefer to go into shows with no prior knowledge of reviews, history, or even plot. This two person show was engaging and entertaining and superbly acted. While Judy Kaye was both delicate and powerful in her careful recreation of Florence Foster Jenkins, it was Donald Corren who had to carry the show's tone, timing, and tempo as narrator, character, and confidante. What I wouldn't pay to spend nights in his Cosmo's piano bar.
Summary of the show from ACT's site:
The remarkable Judy Kaye (Sweeney Todd) returns to A.C.T. in the outrageous Broadway role that earned her a Tony Award nomination. A fresh, original adventure, Souvenir imagines the story of real-life Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York socialite and tone-deaf diva who thought she was a great soprano. Broadway's brilliant Donald Corren plays her wry accompanist, who chronicles Florence's unlikely rise to cult status, culminating in an infamous sold-out Carnegie Hall performance. A heartfelt, wickedly funny look at the limits of self-perception and the unpredictable nature of friendship.
I had no idea it had such a successful Broadway run and had been nominated for the Tony. And Judy Kaye herself had to educate me on her true character.
Kevin Koberle, Judy Kaye, Wilson Hardcastle
Both actors play so well off of each other, and Corren's comedic and story-telling timing could not be more spot on. And without Judy's pointing him out, we would never have recognized him at the reception without the wig.
When complimented on his timing and interpretation of the role--on stage for the entire performance mind you--Darren graciously ceded all credit to Director Vivian Matalton who had a very clear vision and directed every line and nuance to its manifest perfection.
Beyond his impeccable performance, Donald Corren was a joy Wednesday night. He was charming and gracious with we few theater aficionados, and engaged us as long-lost friends. I was particularly rapt, as was Kevin as a native San Franciscan, to hear his tales of growing up young and gay in 70's San Francisco. Donald introduced us to Robin, his first lover from back in the day. Both are happily "aged and partnered," and Robin BARTed in from his home in Danville for the show.
Wilson Hardcastle, Donald Corren, Robin, RMJ
It is meeting and talking with people like these that Kevin and I adore our Out with ACT nights.
Earlier in the week, Jonathan Carpenter had taken RMJ to an opera as that is his fancy. When RMJ saw that this month's Out with ACT had an opera theme, he was delighted to return the favor. Jonathan C did not stay for the reception, however, so I do not know how well he received the fantasia that was Florence Foster Jenkins.
RMJ himself has recently discovered Boylesque, and we were more than happy to introduce him to Cory/Maximus, Artistic Director of Boylesque. Cory is a friend and regular at the ACT receptions, but I think it may be less for the shows and more for the free booze and friendships with the bar staff (a former ACT bartender himself).
Speaking of which, we continued our enjoyment of the lovely Darren and Christine--AKA Pretty Pretty Kissy Face. Both had hot new haircuts, but Pretty Pretty Kissy Face's was strikingly different from her old do.
While this particular Out with ACT event was not so well attended by the usual gay theater boys we have grown to know and love, nor was there the food and drink and spectacle which often accompanies the event (I blame the absence of Randy for the lack of fans and fare). We did enjoy the company of Sundance and ACT regulars David and Kip,
not seen since Sunday's fete at the Academy of Friends.
The lineup at ACT has been hit or miss over the past years, and it's nice to have a season so full of great shows—great works with great performers.
Souvenir, a Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins is a splendid show and I highly recommend it. Find a date, make a plan, and enjoy the evening!
Apologies if anything inappropriate was said.
No apologies if anything was inappropriately touched. ;-)
Also, some items have to be claimed from the portable locker (my purse): a nightlight, bottle of water, trick toothbrush, naked clown calendar, lube, and a tampon that is not mine.
If not claimed within 30 days, these items will be donated to charity.
Besos,
~S
The nightlight is mine.
I love the nightlight. I've got to boogie.
Photos are in the gallery and on flickr. A sampling....
Local theater favorite Randy Tarash is producing Bare, a new rock musical to premiere in SF this fall/winter. He's also hosting an invite-only Manhattan presentation tomorrow night.
San Francisco producer Randy Taradash has put together this presentation of the Catholic teen-angst show by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere. The invite-only Manhattan presentation is in anticipation of its San Francisco Bay Area premiere in late fall 2009.
The cast for the reading includes Bean (Wicked, Hairspray), Felciano (2006 Tony award nominee Sweeney Todd), Kecia Lewis-Evans (The Drowsy Chaperone), Janine LaManna (The Drowsy Chaperone, Sweet Charity), Neil Haskell (Altar Boyz) and Alysha Umphress (2008 MAC Award nominee, Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn).
Director Arima's previous productions include the Obie Award-winning Altar Boyz, currently in its fourth year Off-Broadway; the 2004 West End premiere of Ragtime (for which he earned a Best Director Olivier Award nomination); the international music sensation, Bowfire; and the critically acclaimed concert production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide by the San Francisco Symphony.
With music by Intrabartolo, lyrics by Hartmere, and book by Intrabartolo and Hartmere, bare is a cult hit due to its 2007 studio recording. The musical had a sold-out five-week run Off-Broadway in 2004. It was originally presented in an award-winning production in Los Angeles.
Surviving an all around clusterfk, the show will go on tonight with a trio of great bands at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. The Presidents Week Twang Celebration (WTF, I know) will feature The Good Luck Trift Store Outlet starting at 9:00, followed by Mississipi Rider, and headliners 77 El Deora. I fear that 77 won't go on until 11:00, but I am looking forward to the show. It's always a good crowd at the Starrry Plough.
The Twins, i.e. Jimm & I, will be going tonight after a foodie dinner in Berkeley. He's the foodie. He's choosing. I just drive and provide the tunes, man.
Cowboys and cowgirls UP. It's going to be a late night of honky tonking in the Beast.
And I have to go replace a second headlight in two weeks before I pick him up. What's up there?
No one knows why, but the BTP at NBC/Universal have asked Boxee to remove access to their content. All Boxee does is provide a portal to online content, and streams the same content with the same ads, in convenient way without having to use a browser. This is especially awesome for people like me who have an AppleTV.
It's just weird, and crippling, and indicative of the ongoing inability of old corporations to understand the new media world.
Last Thursday night was the premiere evening for Nightlife at the Academy (The California Academy of Sciences). Advance tickets were sold out, but Shilpa and Yarbrough got in line around 4:00 and snagged us some of the few "day of" tickets available.
Shilpa and Stephen were about the sixth people in line to get in.
And first in line at the bar.
Huge surprise.
Typical to these sorts of functions, the drinks were laaaaame. Seriously, straight cater/waiters cannot pour a decent cocktail. We have been spoiled in the Castro. The catering company failed on two other levels too: (1) straws and stir sticks should not be shorter than the depth of the cups or pour level and (2) the uber-environmental Academy required compostable cups and provided compost bins everywhere, but the drink straws/stirrers/skewers--included in every cup and so shorts as not to be easily removed--were not compostable. So all cups discarded in the "proper" bin screwed up the whole composting effort by including non-compostable plastics.
We did love the new Academy though. Very cool, even if the environmental/carbon footprint/eco-friendly exhibits now seem to take up half of the space leaving less for the cool science-y exhibits.
We did learn some new things. Like that the T-Rex is the number one threat
to California's biodiversity.
Curse those dinosaurs!!
I thought this sign was kind of funny, as clearly there has been some behavior to necessitate the sign:
Until Yarbrough tripped over the protruding rock base and nearly fell completely into the diorama, cocktail first.
The best parts of the new CalAcademy? The enclosed rainforest (although it did play havoc with a certain someone's hair)
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and the renovated aquarium. I miss the old one where the fish swam around you, but walking under this aquarium is very cool too.
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* Alternate caption: Stephen and Shilpa order their entrees from the menu.
Shilpa got us tickets to the planetarium show and we were pretty excited for that.
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Sadly, the woman giving the show was beyond terrible. So bad. It was a painful experience. I'm sure that she's smart and can contribute to the Academy of Sciences in other ways, but she should never be allowed to give another planetarium show. Awful, awful, awful.
All the way around though, it was a good opening Nightlife night. Followed by dinner and dancing the Castro, naturally.
And more mocking of Yarbrough's gleaming white smile.
Drama ensued. Except for lil' ole me who had to be up and alert early Friday morning for five hours of grueling meetings.
Happily followed by a mellow if soaking three-day weekend.
Mike Nelson, formerly of MST3K is defending bacon, and by association Alert Reader Paul Day, by pledging to eat nothing but bacon for 30 days.
I would allow for some other foods for fear of keeling over, but he's gone so far as to exclude condiments and even any drinks which might be construed as "healthy."
A few years ago I bundled up all of my childhood yearbooks, photo albums, scrapbooks, and journals-everything from kindergarten through college-- and shipped them out to myself.
They got lost in UPS.
I get physically ill when I think about it, which is why I rarely talk about it.
My dear friend Jessica heard about this from my mother sometime before Christmas. Jessica and I have been friends since we were six. She was my first date. My first kiss. All of that. (well, not all of that.)
How awesome is Jess? Upon hearing that I lost all of the tangible memories of my youth, she went through her boxes and sent copies of photos from high school dances we went to together.
I love Jessica.
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And I miss my hair.
I don't know where this one is from. I think it must be seventh grade Outdoor Education.
I think that is Laura Butler walking in front of me.
I can't remember why I went to the store, but I can remember what the back of Laura Butler's head looked like in the seventh grade. That's effed up.
I totally, like totally, forgot to mention how cousin Ashley's 40th birthday/80s party went. It may have been a swank BMCC affair, but the kids brought it to the game. The invitation itself was music an played Electric Avenue when opened.
You may recall Cousin Barry (Ashley's much younger sister) consulted me back in December about her Dynasty/Krystle costume. She came out looking like totally awesome. Photos were all over Facebook the next day. (Photos reposted here are from Carolyn Palmer Thoms and Jennifer Rose Frist. )
Ginger (also a blog regular) pulled the Preppy Handbook off the shelf and her best pink and pastels from the closet and was picture perfect. She even read from the book at dinner.
I was impressed with Jennifer's valley/madonna girl look, and quite so with Bill's interpretation of Magnum P.I...
But the best costume by far had to be Brother Mac Hardcastle, who went as Richard Simmons.
OMFG.
Carolyn Palmer Thombs and Mac Hardcastle
Gag me with a spoon.
And all night, he was in character. He later told me that in that ridiculous getup, he had to be. All night he was kicking and swishing and telling people to work it out ("Oh Honey never wear grey, you'll look like a battleship!").
Jennifer Frist, Mac Hardcastle, Elizabeth James
So freaking funny.
What's more funny is that Carolyn is an exceptional amateaur photographer and took loads of photos. Which she shared with the editor of the social magazine.
By now y'all should be familiar with Nfocus. The January issue was the bridal issue, and I was a contributing writer to a "new bride to be advice column" sort of feature (I'll post that coumn later). On the way to the airport to fly home from the Christmas holiday, we stopped at Mere Bulles for lunch, and I picked up a copy for the plane.
My brother, always tring to maintin his reputation, was slightly agast that his Richard Simmon's appearance made the first sentence of the first copy page in the magazine.
Heh heh heh. Awesome.
I've said it before. I'm the shy one in my family.
Saturday night I enjoyed an fun evening with Jimm with Two Ms (remember, it's the first that's silent). Jimm is one of the more interesting men I've met in a long while. Of course, I may be of that opinion because we share so many interests and perspectives. And we have a deep shared reference set (reminding me of and making me miss Ohio Ian and Seattle Bill). It was sort of uncanny. I might have a thought too esoteric to share, and he would voice it. Brilliant minds think alike and that sort of thing. It was almost like watching MST3k and getting all the jokes. Ironically, he had not heard of MST3k. Regardless of any romantic intention, Jimm's a keeper and I hope he becomes a recurring character at the least.
He had me at "How you durrin'?"
The Captain & Tenille references were just gravy.
For the entertainment portion of the evening, we took in James Judd's fringe favorite 7 Sins playing at The Exit theater.
I really can't say enough good things about this one-man show. Manic and hilarious. It's akin to getting quality time with the funniest guy at the cocktail party. It's only playing for two more weeks, so run don't walk to get tickets. The price is an exceptional entertainment value, and they announced at the show that a limited amount of discount tickets are also available via Goldstar.
I've been making reference to it all week, and James Judd has some clips on YouTube. Here is one of the opening bits (although it seems it used to be the closing bit when he ran the show through SF last time). It's not a long narrative, but it's split into seven one- to two-minute clips. Play them in order and they'll make a complete scene, and give you an idea of the show. Although oddly this seems like the gayest bit.
Clip 1
By the way, at the mention of "the very semi-finals" Jimm and I both mentally went to Auntie Mame.
Afterward we both suggested Martuni's and wound down the night with cocktails and conversation, bouncing the ball between fantastic light fare and serious life fare.
A gaggle of girls celebrating a birthday ("How old are you?" "I'm 22! How old do I look?" "19." "Nuh Unh!! I look 17!" And on closer inspection possibly could have been.) asked us to take their picture, and after which took ours.
His drink of choice is also the Mandarin & Soda. Killing me.
Oh yeah, there was a transsexual convention in town.
Now, usually I'd just throw in the line that I loves me trannys, but there seems to be a bit of debate flaming about online about the perceived (or not) pejorative nature of the word tranny. Having spent enough time in SF an on Polk Street, I consider the word as I do "queer." The word as been pwnd by the marginalized and is not an insult to me.
Hot tranny messes notwithstanding.
But I digress.
There has been a steady rise in the tranny demographic at Martuni's. At first not that I'd notice (sort of like slowly boiling a frog I suppose). Saturday night was enough to turn my head. (On a side note, Shawn Ryan was in town and it was nice to share a moment with him before leaving.)
The banquette behind us was filled with one man his posse (what's the collective word for a crowd of trannys?). Another leaned over Jimm in order to talk to this group, and exhibited a rather loud potty mouth. She, delicate flower that she was, apologized in a voice ready for the radio adaptation of The Soprano's for her "toilet mouth."
I didn't hear exactly what she had just said, but merely demurred to her that it's okay to be a bit racy to add a little spice, as long as one doesn't drop to the level of Jersey.
"I am from New Jersey." "Time to cross a bridge."
But she was nice, if not—you know what... I'm sticking with "delicate flower."
One of us needed to be the gentleman.
Jimm turned for home just about midnight (something about pumpkins) and we bid good night. He's an early riser and I'm a night owl, so I stopped by The Lookout on the way home for the last half hour of Kevin Goebel's birthday party with Wil, Georg, and Michael.
It's a busy work week here at IJS but there's a little time tonight to recap the weekend past. Happily so as it was a cold but happy weekend.
Friday kicked it off with a diverse celebratory tour of the life and nightlife of SF.
Stop 1: Badlands Two-for-one happy hour to welcome Cristina's new baby gay into the Castro scene.
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The newbie wasn't much for mingling or meeting new people, but the happy hour regulars were perfectly happy reveling in their own, well I hate to use the term irregularity, so I'll just go with jocularity.
Awwwesome. I love SF and RMJ and that we can celebrate roller derby/mud wrestling action in a sophisticated manner. Okay, no so much with the sophistry but still. These girls, and the crowd, were so much fun.
Wilson Hardcastle and Lusty Malice
And I was amazed at the absence of attitude in this space. Everyone was just there for a silly good time.
Good crowd
Robert, "contextually flaming" as always, wore a pink glitter scarf in homage to Pinky Tuscadero, whom for some reason he linked with mud wrestling and/or roller derby. She was in a derby, but she was a driver in the demolition derby. I did not point this out as I did not want to spoil his fun.
Stop 4: The War Memorial and Opera House For the Wicked opening night cast party
In it's campaign for the new open-ended run of Wicked, San Francisco has cast itself as The Emerald City, with City Hall, the Civic Center buildings, Coit Tower, and the like have been cast in a green glow. The effect has been pretty fun.
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Robert, you may notice,
exchanged his pink glitter ascot for an emerald one.
Not that I am one to talk.
I wore ruby red slippers.
And that's me on the left.
The cocktails were pretty scary. I opted for the cleverly provided Pete's Wicked Ale.
Tonight at the De Young (currently featuring a Warhol show too), Romo and Shilpa and I will be taking in the YSL-a-Go-Go party tonight.
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Surviving an all around clusterfk, the show will go on tonight with a trio of great bands at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. The Presidents Week Twang Celebration (WTF, I know) will feature The Good Luck Trift Store Outlet starting at 9:00, followed by Mississipi Rider, and headliners 77 El Deora. I fear that 77 won't go on until 11:00, but I am looking forward to the show. It's always a good crowd at the Starrry Plough.
From Bootie SF and DJ Earworm: The United State of Pop 2008, a Mashup of Billboard's Top 25 songs of 2008.
And DJ Christopher B has a new album-long mix of workout and dance music called WORQSpace.
"I thought they would have recognized the BS for BS."
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I was impressed with Jennifer's valley/madonna girl look, and quite so with Bill's interpretation of Magnum P.I...
But the best costume by far had to be Brother Mac Hardcastle, who went as Richard Simmons.
Carolyn Palmer Thombs and Mac Hardcastle
Jennifer Frist, Mac Hardcastle, Elizabeth James
Heh heh heh. Awesome.
I've said it before. I'm the shy one in my family.
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