Summer in stages: East or West, queer-tinged theater is the best. Our countrywide roundup of cool shows for hot weather. (arts & entertainment).Show: Adrift in Macao, book and lyrics by Christopher Durang Christopher Ferdinand Durang (born January 2, 1949) is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s. , music by Peter Melnick Space: New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College Vassar College (văs`ər), at Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; coeducational; chartered 1861 by Matthew Vassar, opened 1865 as Vassar Female College, renamed 1867. , Poughkeepsie, N.Y., July 10-20 Synopsis: Everyone comes to Rick's--Rick Shaw's Macao Surf and Turf surf and turf n. Seafood and beefsteak served as the main course of a meal, as in a restaurant. Nightclub Gambling Casino, that is. Out wit Durang's musical is a film noir spoof with all the usual suspects: exotic locales, blackmail, dangerous sexual liaisons, and, of course, romance. Star player: Alec Mapa, in a hilarious turn as Tempura Tempura - Language based on temporal logic. "Executing Temporal Logic Programs", B. Moszkowski, Camb U Press 1986. , the inscrutable manservant man·ser·vant n. pl. men·ser·vants A male servant, especially a valet. manservant Noun pl menservants a male servant, esp. a valet Noun 1. . Show: All Over and The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? both by Edward Albee Space: All Over: Gramercy Theater, New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , through September 1; Sylvia: John Golden Theater, New York City, open run Synopsis: The revival of All Over, the witty and moving 1971 chamber drama, is directed by Emily Mann and features delicious performances by Rosemary Harris and Michael Learned. Sylvia, with its clear allegorical message about forbidden desire and its gay teen character, just won the Tony for Best Play. Star player: Albee. His latest Tony--his first for Best Play since Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1963--is fueling already heated enthusiasm for the 74-year-old gay playwright's entire body of work. Show: The Boys From Syracuse, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, adapted book by Nicky Silver Space: American Airlines Theater, New York City. Previews begin July 24; opens August 18, runs through October 20 Synopsis: A revival of the musical based on Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, from out director Scott Ellis. Star player: Gay playwright Silver, who spiced up George Abbott's book with his own brand of mordant mordant (môr`dənt) [Fr.,=biting], substance used in dyeing to fix certain dyes (mordant dyes) in cloth. Either the mordant (if it is colloidal) or a colloid produced by the mordant adheres to the fiber, attracting and fixing the colloidal humor. Show: Dear World by Jerry Herman Space: Sundance Resort, Utah--Eccles Stage, through August 17 Synopsis: Recently revised with a new book by David Thompson, this musicalization of Jean Giraudoux's The Madwoman of Chaillot Madwoman of Chaillot delightfully pixilated old woman manages to exploit the Parisian exploiters. [Fr. Lit.: The Madwoman of Chaillot, Benét, 618] See : Eccentricity now features three new Jerry Herman songs and stars Maureen McGovern in the role that won Angela Lansbury a Tony Award in 1969. Star player: Herman. Living with HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. hasn't slowed down the composer of such beloved musicals as Mame, Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles; he has described the lesser-known score for Dear World as his strongest. Show: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune clair de lune n. 1. A pale, grayish-blue glaze applied to various kinds of Chinese porcelain. 2. The color of such a glaze. by Terrence McNally Space: Belasco Theater, New York City. Previews begin July 26; opens August 8, runs through December 29 Synopsis: Joe Mantello directs a revival of McNally's touching comedy about two unlikely lovers, played by Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci. Star players: The director-playwright team who gave us Love! Valour! Compassion! Show: Hairspray, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan Space: Neil Simon Theater, New York City. Previews begin July 18, opens August 15, open run Synopsis: A musical based on John Waters's hilarious movie celebrating 1960s Baltimore. Star players: Nearly everyone. The openly gay talents who have created this show include Waters, Shaiman, Wittman, O'Donnell, director Jack O'Brien, choreographer Jerry Mitchell, and costume designer William Ivey Long William Ivey Long is an American 5-time Tony Award-winning costume designer for mainly Broadway plays and musicals including his most notable work on The Producers, Hairspray, Nine, Crazy for You and his newest Tony-winning work on Grey Gardens. , not to mention Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad, the role created by Divine in the movie [see "Everything's Coming Up Hairspray," page 50]. Show: The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca Space: Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a small thrust stage with 745 seats at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Beckett and Associates. It has presented innovative plays since 1967. The world premiere of Angels In America was produced here. , Los Angeles, July 14-September 1 Synopsis: In rural Spain, the five cloistered daughters of a tyrannical matriarch struggle to find an outlet for their erotic desires and their longings for freedom. The stellar cast is headlined by Chita Rivera. Star players: Director Lisa Peterson and adapter Chay Yew will merge their 21st-century lesbian and gay sensibilities with that of the late gay Spanish poet. Show: Naked Boys Singing! Space: Bailiwick BAILIWICK. The district over which a sheriff has jurisdiction; it signifies also the same as county, the sheriff's bailiwick extending over the county. 2. Arts Center, Chicago, through September 29; Actors' Playhouse, New York City, open run Synopsis: The cheeky phenomenon, now in its fourth year of local productions worldwide (and scheduled for Berlin and Amsterdam this fall!), continues to draw audiences with its wiggles wiggles - [scientific computation] In solving partial differential equations by finite difference and similar methods, wiggles are sawtooth (up-down-up-down) oscillations at the shortest wavelength representable on the grid. and its wit--its mostly first-rate songs are both smart and catchy. Star players: Naked boys. Singing. Show: New York International Fringe Festival The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, is a Fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It takes place over the course of two weeks every August, spread across several neighborhoods in downtown New York City, notably Space: Multiple locations throughout New York City, August 9-25 Synopsis: The sixth annual eclectic downtown event, which in the past has introduced the stage adaptation of Debbie Does Dallas and the current Broadway hit Urinetown. Star player: At least five new queer-related works: Chic and Sassy: The Higher the Hair, The Closer to God, the tale of two "fresh-faced Texas trailer-park drag queens" who enter a play-writing contest; a pairing of new one-act plays by Christopher Shinn (Sleepers) and David Greenspan (Five Frozen Embryos); Sticky Rice Queen, touted as addressing Asian identity crises in the gay world; and the irresistibly titled It's Not My Fault, It Was on Fire When I Got There, a comedy revolving round a Midwestern lesbian commitment ceremony. Show: Play Yourself by Harry Kondoleon Space: Century Center for the Performing Arts, New York City. Previews began June 19; opens July 10, runs through August 4 Synopsis: Marian Seldes plays an aging film star whose life in seclusion seclusion Forensic psychiatry A strategy for managing disturbed and violent Pts in psychiatric units, which consists of supervised confinement of a Pt to a room–ie, involuntary isolation, to protect others from harm with her daughter is disrupted by a visit from a fan. Directed by out playwright Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss). Star player: Kondoleon, a writer who has influenced two generations of gay playwrights and whose own prolific career was cut short by AIDS in 1994. Show: SEaMEN! The Sailor Musical by Hugh Hysell Space: Fez Fez: see Fès, Morocco. , New York City, through July 28; Crown and Anchor Crown and Anchor is a simple dice game, traditionally played for gambling purposes by sailors in the British Navy. It is still popular in the Channel Islands and Bermuda, but is strictly controlled and may only be played on certain days, such as the Channel Islands' three annual Cabaret, Provincetown, Mass., through September 7 Synopsis: A campy revue about gay love on the sea with well-known tunes and a well-worn plot. Star players: Men in uniform--or out of uniform. Show: Some Like It Hot, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, book by Peter Stone, based on the 1959 screenplay by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond Space: National tour opens in Dallas, July 15; San Francisco, September 30 Synopsis: The drag classic as musical. Star player: Tony Curtis. The film's star now plays billionaire Osgood Fielding, who utters the movie's gender-bending dosing line, "Well, nobody's perfect!" Show: Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg Space: Public Theater, New York City Previews begin August 23; opens September 5, runs through September 29 Synopsis: A star baseball player outs himself; directed by Joe Mantello. Star player: Greenberg. The author of Eastern Standard and Three Days of Rain speculates on a hot-button topic. Show: The Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch Space: The West Coast tour plays the Ahmanson Theater, Los Angeles, through August 11; the Curran Theater, San Francisco, August 13-September 8; also still open on Broadway Synopsis: The story of an upper west side New Yorker (Valerie Harper) whose life turns upside down has had audiences laughing for more than two years; Michele Lee and Tony Roberts costar. Star player: Busch. The drag diva and Oz inmate continues to enjoy this well-deserved mainstream triumph. Show: Thoroughly Modern Millie, book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, with Robert Kent; music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan Space: Marquis Theater, New York City; open run Synopsis: This adaptation of the 1967 movie about a Midwestern gal who discovers Jazz Age Manhattan picked up six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Star players: The all-star gay creative team includes director Michael Mayer, former Advocate contributor Scanlan, and Tony-winning choreographer Rob Ashford. Raymond is author of the lesbian and gay guidebook New York Scene. |
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