Sadly even though The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway didn’t get nominated for a single Tony Award, they are winners in our hearts. Check out this absolutely hilarious ad promoting the show parodying Melissa Leo’s own award campaign.

In case you were wondering, yes, that’s fake fur. (It says so in the caption.)

At SXSW 2011, Paul Reubens, dressed up as Pee-wee Herman to give sneak peek of his upcoming HBO special “The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway” followed by a Q&A with the audience and a meet and greet with fans where he dispensed ice cream from a truck out on the street.

“The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway” was shot at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York City in January 2011, immediately after its successful Broadway engagement. The 90 minute HBO special is filled with subversive humor and childlike wonder based on both Reubens’ original stage show “The Pee-wee Herman Show” and the Emmy-winning Saturday morning television show,”Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

The audience was absolutely delighted to see the quirky pop culture icon living in a post-modern Playhouse back on the screen. It premieres on HBO at 10PM on March 19th.

I really must make it to NYC to see “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” on Broadway. It looks like a very fun show and I know Fausto would love to see Nick Adams perform live on stage.

The response to the “It Gets Better” campaign is overwhelming as people everywhere post video after video detailing their past struggles in order to give courage to young queer people and let them know that they are not alone.

Chicago Gay Men's Chorus sings -It Gets Better- to the tune of Frere jacques. It gets better, as soon as this song is over. Kidding!

Today comedian Kristen Studard joins us to discuss the musical versions of “It Gets Better” and the celebrity breakdowns that are happening because of this incredible awareness campaign. And you don’t want to miss Kristen playing Lady Gaga at Lady Gaga’s Funeral at the Haunted Halsted Pub Crawl on Oct 24th.

Blogger Perez Hiton vows never again to bully anyone on the internet and will no longer post saucy pics of naked celebrities or out people.

But aren’t gay celebs like Neil Patrick Harris and Lance Bass better off because of his efforts? They both came out due the relentless pressure put on them by Perez.

Even Tranny Hitler Has His Own It Gets Better Video

Hitler’s video response to Perez Hilton’s meltdown.

Animal shelters temporarily block black cat adoptions, due to concerns over animal sacrifices during Halloween-time.

Sen. McCain declares war on gays in the military.

And Apple’s newly approved patent for anti-sexting software.

Featured Music:
It Gets Better – Todrick Hall: iTunes

RSS FEED | SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES
SUBSCRIBE ON: GOOGLE

Broadway stars rock out in a celebration of life, in the wake of LGBT suicides across the nation. Available October 19th on iTunes, with all download proceeds benefiting The Trevor Project.

If Murphy is picked, hell if any of them are picked, I think Glee has demonstrated that Lea Michele would be an amazing choice to take over the role of Elphaba the witch of the title adjective whose story the musical is.  She is not only a singer of emormous gifts, and a great actress, but a dead ringer for the now too old to pull off the role Idina Menzel who has been playing Lea’s mother on Glee.  I have no clue who could possibly fill the giant and yet tiny shoes of  Kristen Chenoweth in the role of the delightfully self absorbed good witch Glinda (Galinda), hell can we just let her pretend to be 18?

Wicked’s stage runs have generated over 2 billion (yes I said BILLION) in grosses worldwide so this was inevitable, and the success in the last decade of screen adaptations of Chicago, Hairspray, Dreamgirls and Mama Mia make the journey for Elphaba and Glinda to the big screen a fairly easy bet for studios  (reportedly Universal) and producers.

I can’t wait!

for more on the story visit: http://bit.ly/aPVpyc

That’s the tagline to a  controversial Newsweek article that seemed to fly under many people’s radar back in late April but has recently garnered alot of  attention after well known Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth left an important comment disagreeing with every word in the notorious article.

The article itself was written by Ramin Setoodeh and is ominously titled “Straight Jacket”. In the article Setoodeh discusses why he believes gay actors cannot perform straight roles convincingly. This drew fire from Miss Chenoweth in particular after he called out two openly gay actors she has worked with. He cited Sean Hayes’ (of Will & Grace fame)  performance in the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises wherein he plays a straight man alongside Kristin Chenoweth. Setoodeh wrote this about Hayes performance,

“But frankly, it’s weird seeing Hayes play straight. He comes off as wooden and insincere, like he’s trying to hide something, which of course he is. “

And Setoodeh also took aim at Chenoweth’s fellow Glee cast mate Jonathan Groff. He too is an out actor of whom  Setoodeh dissaproves of in his portrayal of a straight teenage boy.

With over 100 comments posted on the article currently, one that really sticks out is the comment written by Chenoweth herself.

As a longtime fan of Newsweek and as the actress currently starring opposite the incredibly talented (and sexy!) Sean Hayes in the Broadway revival of ‘Promises, Promises,’ I was shocked on many levels to see Newsweek publishing Ramin Setoodeh’s horrendously homophobic ‘Straight Jacket,’ which argues that gay actors are simply unfit to play straight. From where I stand, on stage, with Hayes, every night — I’ve observed nothing “wooden” or “weird” in his performance, nor have I noticed the seemingly unwieldy presence of a ‘pink elephant’ in the Broadway Theater. (The Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Tony members must have also missed that large animal when nominating Hayes’ performance for its highest honors this year.)

I’d normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense. But the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it, is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes or Jonathan Groff (also singled out in the article as too ‘queeny’ to play ‘straight.’) This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian.

For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile. Setoodeh even goes so far as to justify his knee-jerk homophobic reaction to gay actors by accepting and endorsing that ‘as viewers, we are molded by a society obsessed with dissecting sexuality, starting with the locker room torture in junior high school.’ Really? We want to maintain and proliferate the same kind of bullying that makes children cry and in some recent cases have even taken their own lives? That’s so sad, Newsweek!

The examples he provides (what scientists call ‘selection bias’) to prove his ‘gays can’t play straight’ hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion. Come on now! Openly gay Groff is too ‘queeny’ to play Lea Michele’s boyfriend in Glee, but is a ‘heartthrob’ when he does it in Spring Awakening? Cynthia Nixon only ‘got away with it’ ‘cause she peaked before coming out? I don’t know if you’ve missed the giant Sex and the City movie posters, but it seems most of America is ‘buying it.’ I could go on, but I assume these will be taken care of in your ‘Corrections’ this week

Similarly, thousands of people have traveled from all over the world to enjoy Hayes’ performance and don’t seem to have one single issue with his sexuality! They have no problem buying him as a love-torn heterosexual man. Audiences aren’t giving a darn about who a person is sleeping with or his personal life. Give me a break! We’re actors first, whether we’re playing prostitutes, baseball players, or the Lion King. Audiences come to theater to go on a journey. It’s a character and it’s called acting, and I’d put Hayes and his brilliance up there with some of the greatest actors period. 


Lastly, as someone who’s been proudly advocating for equal rights and supporting GLBT causes for as long as I can remember, I know how much it means to young people struggling with their sexuality to see out & proud actors like Sean Hayes, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Cynthia Nixon succeeding in their work without having to keep their sexuality a secret. No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can’t be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams.

I am told on good authority that Mr. Setoodeh is a gay man himself and I would hope, as the author of this article, he would at least understand that. I encourage Newsweek to embrace stories which promote acceptance, love, unity and singing and dancing for all!

It’s really fantastic to see a Broadway Div sticking up for us gays!

Straight Jacket [Newsweek via Movieline]

During the closing week of “Gypsy” on Broadway, Patti LuPone was heading into the climax of her song “Rose’s Turn” when the Broadway diva realized “you either have it… or you’ve had it.” And boy did she have it.

Listen as Patti LuPone stops the production, turns up the house lights and has a unruly audience member ushered out for taking photos during the show. Pretty intense.

We saw Patti LuPone and her “Evita” co-star Mandy Patinkin represent here at the Cadillac Palace in Chicago, singing some of their favorite songs from Broadway in “An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.”

If you’re a fan of these two performers or musical theater in general, it’s really great opportunity to see two of the genre’s biggest stars tearing it up and trying to string a narrative out of some classic songs from musicals.

But the glaring omission was the lack of any songs from the musical “Evita.” Both starred in the 1978 rock opera loosely based on the Argentine political leader Eva Peron. “Evita” was a breakthrough moment in Patinkin’s carreer and cemented these performers as icons.

And for many drag queens (like me) Evita has always been one of our favorite musicals starring a bad-ass diva like Lupone. So you can imagine my dissapointment when “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” was listed in the program, but never made it into the hour and a half show. I even considered breaking out my own flash camera just to upset her and unleash the beast of talent that is Patti LuPone.

– Click here to buy tickets to see “An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.”

Many women would kill for the role of Grandmama in the all new The Addams Family musical, but Jackie Hoffman says she’s pissed because she doesn’t get to sing her own song and her stage time is being whittled down to next to nothing.

So while she’s in town, she’s doing double duty in her comedy cabaret show “Whining in the Windy City” which promises to skewer everything that is merry for the holidays with biting, fearless stand up comedy and original songs. Jackie’s going to spill the beans on working on Broadway and dish the dirt on her comedy peers from Chicago like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and the Sedaris siblings who, as she says, are now more famous than she is.

She’s hilarious and hateful, and she’s in the home studio. Look out!

Jackie doesn’t hold back her true feelings about the new Addams Family musical, her funniest moment on stage ever and why the holidays and children are so annoying to her.

Don’t miss“Whining in the Windy City” at the Royal George Cabaret, 1641 N. Halsted, Monday evenings, November 30 – December 21, at 7:30 p.m.

In the news:
Robert Pattison goes on David Letterman and talks about how everyone wants him to take a bite out of them, even a 250 pound Mexican man.

Sarah Palin tells Oprah “You’re not the center of the world.”

and a father in Minnesota teaches his song Klingon by only speaking to him in the artificial language for the first three years of his life. Believe it or not, the father says he isn’t really a huge Star Trek.

Visit out our sponsors:

Steamworks Gym, Sauna and Baths.
Visit Steamwork’s website and register to get a discount
on your next visit. Enter “Feast of Fun” on the promo
code field to get the special discount.

Featured Music:
Jackie Hoffman – Jackie Hoffman At Joe’s Pub:

RSS FEED | SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES
SUBSCRIBE ON: GOOGLE

Step in time! Get in line! Broadway in Chicago and theater producer Cameron Mackintosh bring the fabulous Mary Poppins to the Cadillac Theater in Chicago.

This musical adaptation of the beloved Disney film (iTunes) and books by P.L Travers (Amazon) features over the top musical numbers and acrobatic dance sequences that will make Lionel Richie bite his fingernails in jealousy.

British actor Gavin Lee, who originated the role of Bert in London outshines Dick Van Dykes film portrayal from the 1964 film. He brings so much charm and magic to the role of narrator and quasi-romantic interest to Mary Poppins that you totally forget about Dick Van Dyke mugging for the camera with a bad cockney accent.

Mary was played by Ashley Brown who also played Belle in Beauty and the Beast. It’s hard to compete with a legend like Julie Andrews but Ashley Brown playfully embraces the quirky character with the right amount of propriety and willful arrogance.

Listen as we reflect on the joyful musical and it’s deliciously dark overtones, including some wonderfully bratty children and evil sinister nanny who get their comeuppance. With tickets starting at $25, you’ll have a supercalifragilisticexpealidoicously good time.

Michael’s on his way to Amsterdam, where he and his pals are renting a houseboat for the week. Join him for a listener meet up on April 18th at the Soho Cafe at 4pm.

Listen as Michael joins us to speak with Debra Taylor, the high school teacher from Granfield, Oklahoma who was forced to resign after her class on ethics was shut down by the superintendent of schools when he learned about a class project based on the Larramie Project.

The Laramie project is a play that deals with the public reaction to the real-life brutal murder of college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. Debra Taylor used the play to discuss hate crimes and tolerance in the class. The superintendent shut down the class after Debra held a mock funeral so the students could mourn the termination of the project.

Debra was later forced to resign and the school turned the class into a silent reading hour. She joins us on the phone from Oklahoma.

Martha Stewart’s dogs are taking a bite out of the internet with their own blog and twitter feed.

Sham Wow Guy Vince and a thousand dollar hooker from Florida were arrested for fighting to see how much blood a shamwow could soak up.

An article on Marketing to Marketers says that if you see any brand name in a viral video or blog meme that there is marketing agency behind its popularity. I know it can be like finding out there is no Santa Claus but even if you are sold a story, a good story is always a good stoery.

And turning the tables on a phone call from a sexy stalker from Portland, Oregon. Is he Polish, Persain or Prussian?

Check out today’s sponsor:

How Are You Healthy? Find out at Lifelube.org
A blog on sex, drugs, physical, mental and
emotional health, spirituality and more.

Featured Music:
Eric Lindell – Gulf Coast Highway: Amazon

RSS FEED | SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES
SUBSCRIBE ON: GOOGLE

Believe it or not, the streets of Manhattan are alive with the sound of music!

In the Heights
First of all, as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, “In the Heights” really is the #1 show to see. It’s still fresh, exciting and as vibrant as it was when it first opened. “In the Heights” is truly the mash-up musical of our time, mixing traditional Broadway ballads and choreography with hip hop beats and raps.

The show is about to approach its one year anniversary on Broadway (even though it’s been around in workshops and off-Broadway since 2002) and many of the same stars are still with the show. The main star and creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda,
still amazes after all of this time, but he is leaving in February, so now is the time to see him and the show. I’m sure his replacement will bring his own freshness to this show, but still catch Lin-Manuel while you can.

“In the Heights” also has a lottery for every performance for front row tickets for $26.50. You need to show up at the theater 2 1/2 hours before the show and the drawing is held 2 hours before the show (cash only).

Shrek the Musical
If you’ve got two days in Manhattan, “Shrek the Musical” proved to be more fun than I even imagined. I am not a fan of the movie but went to see the live musical version because of the dream cast of Brian D’arcy James, Sutton Foster, Christopher Sieber and Daniel Breaker.

This cast more than delivers! James is in fine voice in the title role even though I did miss his personal charisma behind that green face. Foster continues to build on her great resume of theater roles as Fiona and Breaker makes you forget Eddie Murphy as the Donkey.

Sieber practically steals the show as Lord Farquaad, playing the entire role on his knees to bring himself to the character’s diminutive height. Other actors better take notice of Sieber because no matter the size the role, he usually makes any show his.

“Shrek” also has plenty of underlining double entendres that should appeal to adults in a seemingly kids show. Homage is paid to other Broadway shows in such a subtle way that they might sneak by even the more sophisticated theatergoer. Some of the adult and even gay overtures are easily noticeable, from the song “Freak Flag” to the tranny Big Bad Wolf. And since this is a hot ticket, you won’t always find them at the half-priced booth. If you pay full price, I will say the Broadway Theatre has the best box seats.

For discount tickets, you can try the show’s lottery. Sign up on the 3rd Floor of M&M World on the corner of 48th and Broadway each performance day for your chance to win $26.50 (plus fees).

The Marvelous Wonderettes
Mondays in New York usually offer few options as most shows are closed. But off-Broadway there’s a very cute, more concert style show “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” a tale of a high school singing quartet who bring their in-fighting to the stage for all to see while they sing popular 1950s and 1960s songs.

There’s a really cute bit in which the audience members have to vote for Prom Queen. Of course, our four would-be friends are all on the ballot and the back-stabbing takes front stage as the winner is announced. All four leads are wonderful and excel in different ways – Farah Alvin seems to have the stronger voice, Bets Malone has more a comical flare, Victoria Matlock is better at improv and Beth Malone is the queen of slapstick. And for an old-fashioned show, they have a great website with downloads, fun facts and links to their facebook and myspace pages – so please check out the
extremely fun website at marvelouswonderettes.com.

The American Plan
If musicals aren’t your thing, Richard Greenberg’s “The American Plan” is a well-layered tale of an over-bearing German mother and her over-privileged daughter, coming to emotional blows in their Catskills estate, while meeting a couple of potential ne’er-do-well. For the most part, the cast of five all bring their A game, even though Mercedes Ruehl’s German accent comes and goes.

Greenberg, writer of Tony winning “Take Me Out,” continues to amaze with his honest, organic dialog and the show’s sexy little plot twist. “The American Plan” is part of Manhattan Theater Club and you can actually get some good price on tickets through their website if you buy a passport for the season. Check it out at: mtc-nyc.org.

If you really have to see the show, you should definitely buy the tickets before you come to New York at full price and get the perfect seats you want. For discount tickets, besides the TKTS booths and different shows lotteries in New York, I think a good way to get Broadway show tickets is at www.theatermania.com. And while it’s not great for New York City, www.goldstar.com offers discounts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Boston, San Diego and Chicago.

And with all of the money you’re saving on discount tickets, you might also try “Avenue Q,” “August: Osage County” and “Alter Boyz.” These are must see shows that right now are incredibly cheap to see rivaling the price of a movie ticket.

In a recent trip to Los Angeles, I found a lot of great ways to have fun at the theatre. First of all, the Center Theatre Group has addressed tough times head on by offering hot tix to certain performances for $20. This collection of live theatres always have high-end touring Broadway shows or even some terrific Broadway-bound productions. If you act quickly (as it closes Dec. 21), you can catch “The Little Dog Laughed,” which won a Tony for its lead actress Julie White, who is in the LA production as well.

This is a gem of a show about a closeted movie star who gets caught with his hands in the cookie jar (or actually in the arms of a male hustler). But the story really shines with the acid-tongue, fast-talking, riotous White as his agent who is the one who really holds nothing back. White’s performance and the witty dialogue of Douglas Carter Beane are worth the price of admission.

The Center also has an original musical coming up early next year – “Minsky’s,” a fact-based telling of the famed burlesque club. Written by Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”), this will likely be a crowd pleaser, but we will certainly keep you posted. It opens January 21, 2009.

And as long as you’re in LA, you must catch “I Love My Wife,” closing Dec. 14 at the Brentwood Theatre. This is a seldom revived musical dealing with wife swapping and the 1970s, this clever show has a great ensemble cast with Jason Alexander, Patrick Cassidy, Lea Thompson and Vicki Lewis. It seems the cast is mostly made up of TV stars, which one might expect from an LA production. But many forget that before “Seinfeld,” Alexander won a Tony award for best actor in a MUSICAL and Cassidy also has done a lot of regional, touring and Broadway musicals.

The show is a nice flashback to the 1970s with the cast all in top form. Alexander, who also is the theatre group’s artistic director, makes you forget George from “Seinfeld” and Cassidy is in good voice as his more debonair friend. And, he looks a lot like his late father Jack Cassidy with his distinguished white hair. But his hot body, much on display at the end of the second act, makes him less distinguished and more just hot!

And let’s not forget the ladies. Both actresses are amiable TV stars that you expect to find pleasant but they actually bring more character and personality to their roles then you’d expect. Get your last minute tickets at www.reprise.org. Oh, and if you don’t know LA, you should ask everyone to help you find the theatre as the address is not on a GPS system! But it can be found in a tree lined country backroad behind the Veteran’s Administration building.

And for people who are in San Francisco, you can get camp and trannies for $20! See some of our popular drag queens, including my dear friend Heklina, in “The Golden Girls Christmas Episodes.” These campy reenactments of classic TV can make any grinch give back Christmas. Learn how to get tickets through Heklina’s website. But it plays Thursday, Friday and Saturdays through Dec. 27 (except Christmas).

And the New Conservatory Theatre Center always has great prices for shows! Closing Dec. 21 is another gem from Douglas Carter Beane – “As Bees in Honey Drowns.” But I can’t wait to get out there to see “Zanna Don’t!,” which plays through January 18. I saw the off-Broadway musical about a topsy-turvy world in which being gay was the norm and straight was the minority. It’s a cute and clever show and as I couldn’t get through Fausto and Mark’s heads, it is not a retelling of “Xanadu” – it just plays with the title. (The musical “Xanadu” just starting touring – so keep your eye for it – and it’s book is by Douglas Carter Beane, I guess he’s our savor for good theatre in this poor economy.)

And last but not least, regional theatre is getting more cutting edge – and regional is always less expensive. In the Bay Area, I have enjoyed many a show at the Willows Theatre. Starting next month is “Evil Dead – the Musical” – can’t wait to see that and I will tell you all about it. And then coming later in the season is “Pageant,” which did very well a few seasons back in San Francisco. Since the Willows is in the East Bay, I hope they maintain the drag queens play the parts of competing beauty queens instead of having women play the roles, God forbid. And the Willows will also present “Hats” (about red hat ladies) and “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” – you can get a better season than that!

Now that’s enough about theatre!

And to get the most out of San Francisco during the holidays and through the winter, the Hotel Mark Twain’s shopping package, through February, has hundreds of dollars in savings at stores, restaurants and other service providers – from Macys to Nordstrom to Go Car to free wine at First Crush to discounts at Fish & Farm to discounts at the factory outlet. Check out all the participants on the specials at Hotel Mark Twain. Oh, and if you notice, the hotel is also offering FREE valet parking with all deluxe rooms this winter for reservations made directly with the hotel. Book both of these great offers online or by calling directly at 415/673-2332.

And if your travels take you to New York City and you want a good hotel deal, I truly enjoy the hotels part of the Empire Hotel Group or there are often deals at the Hotel Edison or the Skyline Hotel which has an indoor pool!

As mentioned on the show, for those who want to win someone over for the holidays with cookies, Monster Cookies with Red and Green M&M’s would make anyone happy. There are several recipes for these cookies online but this is my favorite. Hints: to make nuttier I use peanut M&Ms and use a metal spoon to stir – a wooden one will break!

And once Christmas is over, New Year’s is right around the corner. Most hotels in metropolitan cities are at their premium on New Year’s Eve. But if you are going to be downtown San Francisco, ask for the FEAST rate at the Hotel Mark Twain and you’ll get $20 off your room for New Year’s Eve!

And if you’re looking for something in San Francisco to do downtown that’s fun and festive, Infusion Lounge, which technically opens in January, is having a special New Year’s Eve event. They are promoting themselves as “Nightlife Defined” and in my recent tour of the facility, they are absolutely right. Infusion Lounge features two posh rooms of Asian-inspired decor and a great VIP area. They have great packages for New Year’s Eve-whether you’re going solo as a couple or need a reserved table for a group.

On today’s show we have America’s lovable gay concierge Kevin Thomas, sharing his ideas on how to save money during this economic downturn and support the arts all at the same time.

Cheap great shows to see in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. In San Francsico it’s the all-drag queen live version of the Golden Girls, starring Heklina as Bea Arthur and in Chicago, Amy Armstrong’s Christmas Show is available now for free. Listen for details.

We talk with Kevin about his love for Barbara Streisand, her greatest hits, her biggest bombs and why the Way We Weren’t Wasn’t.

Plastic Surgery for Dead people, a real-life feline cat burglar, some wild holiday gift ideas for the wealthy and Kevin shares with us his saddest christmas memory ever. You won’t believe it.

The extra sparkle in your holiday magic- Feast of Fools.

Featured Music:
Phil Putnam – Casualties: iTunes

RSS FEED | SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES
SUBSCRIBE ON: GOOGLE

On today’s show our lovable on-air concierge Kevin Thomas comes back to report on what’s coming soon to Broadway. Which shows do you have to see? Check out Kevin’s blog entry for moredetails.

Listen as we talk about why gay men love to see famous Hollywood women in musicals, especially when they can’t sing.

Tina Fey once again reprised her flawless imitation of Vice Presidential Dingbat Sarah Palin, but hopes the demand subsides after November 4. She really doesn’t want this woman in office and would rather sacrifice her comic work than put with four years of Palin.

It’s an easy gig for Fey since she doesn’t have to write much material as most of it is just ludicrous quotes from Palin herself.

Obama and McCain meet for their first ever U.S. presidential debate- polls show that swing voters favored Obama overall, even though McCain put out banner ads earlier in the day declaring himself the winner! Do you think he’s a little out of touch?

Diaper Fasion Shows are being held in Japan with hopes to reducing the stigma of diaper use for adults. Will Louis Vitton be putting out a new line of pampers?

Or better yet, will designing diapers become a challenge on Project Runway? We can see the judges proclaiming “You aren’t showing us anything new here” or “Honestly, white is so passe” or maybe host Heidi Klum saying “We ask you to come up with something to make shizer in, and this is what you give us?”

And our hats of to movie star Paul Newman, the actor best known for playing a closet gay football hero opposite Liz Taylor in the film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and his delicious line of salad dressings. He died over the weekend at the age of 83.

Come everybody and listen to the lullaby of the Feast of Fools.

Check out our sponsor:
Get a FREE audio book at Audible.com
Go ahead and get one- it’s free!
Follow the link at www.audiblepodcast.com/feastoffools
to get that free download.

Featured Music:
Liberace – 16 Biggest Hits: iTunes | Amazon
Liberace – Best of Liberace: iTunes | Amazon

RSS FEED | SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES
SUBSCRIBE ON: GOOGLE

Things have changed.

More and more shows are having pre-Broadway runs at theatres throughout the US, making it easier to see the Best of Broadway without the airfare and with high caliber talent.

One such musical, “9 to 5″ is Broadway bound and currently playing in Los Angeles. In the recent trend of adapting movies into theatrical musicals, “9 to 5″ is perhaps the most faithful to the source material. Surprisingly the show retains the fun dream sequence in which our three female leads plot the demise of their scoundrel boss. The show is still packed full of witty lines from the movie like “I killed the boss, you don’t think they’ll fire me for a thing like that” or “I’m going to change you from a rooster to a hen in one shot.” And, as a musical “9 to 5″ is actually enriched with its songs, adding depth and poignancy to the characters.

Allison Janney, of TV’s “West Wing,” is not a singer but does carry her tunes amicably and totally embodies the part of Violet Newstead, the real leader of the fictious Consolated Company in which she works hard in a sexist 1980s world for the money. Stephanie L. Block, so memorable as Liza Minnelli in Broadway’s “Boy from Oz,” does have the pipes to make any song a showstopper in the Jane Fonda role of Judy Bernly. Her character is a little bland (as in the movie) but she does have a few moments and knocks it out of the park with her big number “Get Out and Stay Out.” But the real treasure is Megan Hilty in the role of Doralee Rhodes, made famous by the show’s composer Dolly Parton in the original film. This role has more dimensions than even the movie. And while Hilty cannot outshine Parton, (who could?) you don’t miss her so much as Hilty offers depth and substances, which all comes out in her singing and quiet moments, with the song “Backwoods Barbie” perhaps being the highlight of all of the new songs.

Great support by Marc Kudisch as the sexiest, egotisitical, lying, hypocritical, bigoted boss and Kathy Fitzgerald about steals the show as his administrative assistant prove that you can get good theatre on the West Coast. When it hits Broadway in February, “9 to 5″ in many ways will be written off as piece of fluff. But in today’s world, not every musical or show needs to have an important message. Sometimes fluff is exactly what you need.

Another Broadway bound musical that played in the LA area is “Vanities,” directed by two-time Tony winning actress Judith Ivey. “Vanities” was first a play years ago and it seems to fare better as musical. For this show to succeed, it really needs a talented cast as it consists of just three characters. No one else. The good news is, our actresses – Lauren Kennedy, Sarah Stiles, Anneliese van der Pol – all deliver.

In a story of three Texas friends going from high school through adulthood is really a tale we’ve all heard before, dealing with betrayal, death and envy. But the staging of the show and the multiple use of the vanities as lockers, shelves, cabinets and walls really open up at the show. This combined with the interesting costume changes often done right on stage, add a little sparkle to the show. It’s funny to think that such a small thing can do a show wonders.

But most of the credit for this show succeeding is our three leads. They are totally believable as teens and then later as women in their 40s. Their voices, mannerisms and characterizations really seem to mature throughout the show. The one stand out of the cast is Stiles. Her delivery is very reminiscent of Megan Mullally on “Will & Grace” without the acid tongue or insulting barbs. And while you won’t remember many of the songs later, they were pleasant enough and helped the story move forward. You just won’t be downloading any of the tunes to your iPod. See the show’s progress at www.vanitiesthemusical.com but it is scheduled to open on Broadway in February.

And while not Broadway bound (it already had a run off-Broadway) Southern California still has yet another worthwhile show, “Memphis.” If this ever makes it to your town, it is a must see. This has everything that a Broadway musical should have – great and fun songs, a good story and a terrific lead actor. Chad Kimball has been playing the part of fictions DJ Heuy Calhoon who brings black music to white radio for several years. And like Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl” and Michael Crawford in “Phantom of the Opera,” Kimball must know this is the part of a life time and he has been with the show for over five years.

“Memphis” has tightened up a bit and gotten stronger over the years. There is a new solo, vibrant number for a supporting character, played by James Monroe Iglehart called “Big Love,” which gives someone else in the cast a chance to shine. To its discredit, “Memphis” does not have a website so we don’t know what’s next for it. Best way to keep up with the show is to search Wikipedia for “Memphis (musical).” But do seek it out.

I would also like to add that this review should be only of the show, but I did I am not impressed with the people involved in the production of the show or at the La Jolla Playhouse. I had tried to get in touch with people associated with the show weeks before the show and received very little or no response. I had written to composer David Bryan via his website. No reply. I couldn’t find out how to get in touch with Joe DiPietro (whom I am a fan of his thanks to “I Love You, You’re Perfect Now Change”) so I wrote to his manager. Nothing in return. I contacted everyone from the La Jolla Playhouse’s website and after four weeks, someone in PR finally wrote back. Apparently my credentials weren’t impressive enough as she never wrote again — even though I replied to her three more times. Fed up, I even wrote to the La Jolla artistic director and never heard from him. So if you go to a show at La Jolla and have any questions or concerns, don’t expect anyone to care.

And since this entry is about traveling Broadway style shows, I must mention the new touring version of “Spring Awakening.” With its eight Tony awards including Best Musical of 2007, you would think a big show wouldn’t need much more press but this is quite the exception because this story is not your typical mainstream fare and ticket sales on tour have been lackluster. For a show to succeed on Broadway or on tour, you need a safe story that doesn’t deal with controversial topics. You have to think: what musical would people from Iowa see. And a few years back, one wouldn’t picture them attending the Boy George bio-show “Taboo” due to all the drag queens and that’s really one reason why it failed.

Even though it is set in 1890, “Spring Awakening” is a great show with modern songs that deal with religion, sex education, homosexuality and promiscuity. People from middle America are not going to run to a show that has some nudity or that has a song called “Totally fucked.”

The story of “Spring Awakening” will stick with you for a long time. There’s even a scene about the consequences paid by someone whose mother sugar coats the story of the birds and the bees, leaving the teen not understanding the truth. So when “Spring Awakening” comes to your town, please seek it out.

And as long as you’re seeking good theatre….

If in San Francisco, there are two really fun shows.

“Insignificant Others” has an open-ended run at San Francisco’s Pier 39 Theatre. It is truly an “only in San Francisco” experience as five friends move to San Francisco to begin their lives, exploring the city and their lifestyles. Some of the characters are straight, some are gay, all are fun. Truly a reflection of the San Francisco culture, “Insignificantt” is another but. See www.isomusical.com.

And speaking of something well suited for San Francisco, time is running out on “Jungle Red,” the drag musical parody of “The Women.” The timing of the show is very fortunate as it opened the same week the movie remake was released. In talking to the producers, this happend by coincidence as the movie opening date changed and they scheduled the show around famed drag performer Verla Jean Merman. And while Verla Jean gets more than her share of laughs in the role of bitchy husband stealing Crystal, the wonderfulTrauma Flintstone is always a joy to behold in her multiple supporting roles.

This show has wit, charm and campy, catchy tunes by Mark Sargent. Not all of the cast can carry a tune, though, and that weights it down a bit. If the show perhaps continue ito off-Broadway, they should either cut out some of the songs or recast some of the supporting players who can’t sing. Markie de Sadie for example is hilarious as little Mary – that is until she sings. This is the first production by the Big Gay Frat House and they really have a gem on their hand, provided things are tightened a bit.

The furry, award-winning musical conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx is now playing in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theater until June 7.

Avenue Q the Musical pays a satirical homage to children’s television programs like Sesame Street and The Electric Company. It is a hilarious two-hour show featuring a tight ensemble of sassy people and puppets facing adult problems instead of those faced by pre-schoolers.

These guys are on the same wavelength as us, so you can imagine my delight when they won the Tony for “Best Musical.”

The razor sharp performances by Carla Renata as Gary Coleman and Robert McClure as Princeton & Rod, the closeted gay character based on Bert from Sesame Street were wonderfully funny.

It’s one thing to see the YouTube clips and another to see the full-color, fur-loving fun unfold before your very eyes. If you’re like me and grew up watching these children’s show, this intelligent, super-funny take on our collective struggle with sex, failure and purpose is something you won’t want to miss. Did I mention the starting price for seats is $25? It’s a giveaway.

Click here to get your tickets for Avenue Q in Chicago.

On today’s show Curtis Jensen, pictured here at the Halsted Street Market Days comes to talk about the up and coming IML Weekend and the parties taking place at Steamworks.

During our conversation on taboos, sex, and fetishes, we learned that Curtis once had sex with a “sex-machine,” which is a device that is a box with a phallic member attached to it. Turn on the power, and the phallus moves back and forth.

I could never see myself having sex with R2D2, but I could see myself getting frisky with a sexbot that looked like Jude Law in AI.

What would it take for you to have sex with a machine or a robot?

We were sitting in a Vietnamese restaurant last night and like many Asian restaurants, they have a Big ScreenTV set playing in the background, when the commercial for Poop Freeze came up.

Why anyone would want to freeze their doggy’s business is beyond me, but you have to admire their slogan: “Just frost and toss!”

David Archuleta (whom we declared the winner months ago) was runner up in last night’s big contest on American Idol. Sorry David but I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of you. And I have to ask, was there a straight man on that American Idol stage?

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan Ltd has created a solar bra that could feasibly generate enough energy to power an iPod. The bra is really just for show and not for go because other than Madonna, what woman wears a bra outside in the hot noonday sun?

We are excited about the new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie. I’ve been a big fan of crystal skull mythology for years. I even had a crystal skull puppet that acted as my sidekick before Marc came along. Mu Mu A’ Chu, the crystal skull, was created by aliens to save the human race. He crash landed on Earth and the impact cracked his skull leaving him a little off kilter. He had the personality of an old man and his favorite sex act was, of course, skull f***ing!

A Flintsone chewable of fabulousness- Feast of Fools.

Check out today’s sponsor:
HRC-Chicago’s Annual Gala “Summer Chic”
Saturday, July 19th at the Hyatt Regency
with special celebrity guests actress and comedian Jane Lynch
and hunky performers from Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity.
Get your tickets here

Featured Music:
Avenue Q – Original Broadway Cast Album: iTunes | Site

RSS FEED | SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES
SUBSCRIBE ON: GOOGLE

As Coco Chanel, self-assured film legend Katherine Hepburn swans her way through the finale of Broadway’s “Coco,” then reveals a singing voice every bit as distinct as that of Lauren Bacall. The intricate set is by Cecil Beaton, and the gowns are a selection of Chanel designs from 1918-1959. Thank you, TimNyTx!

Similarly: Bette Davis does a groovy-granny routine to promote “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” on the Andy Williams Show.

“That’s right, Evita—stamp your feet and clap your hands…. She simply seduced a country!” Starring Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.

Act II: SCTV’s spoof, “Indira,” starring Andrea Martin, now appearing on Broadway in “Young Frankenstein.”

“Honey, hands come up soft / just like roses / try Vel and you’ll see!”

And get a load of this!: Carol Channing and the cast of “Hogan’s Heros” for Jell-O, the light dessert with fresh-fruit taste.

On today’s show we’re talking to Josh Walker, musical director, actor and composer. Josh wrote the 50th anniversary anthem for Little People of America, the world’s largest organization for people of small stature and Josh is openly gay.

Sorry fellas, Josh is taken. In fact, he met his boyfriend David Andora in a Disney chatroom online. How gay is that?

If you think being gay makes you feel alone in the world, imagine what it’s like being gay and a little person. There’s just not a lot of openly gay little people out there. So, please listen to today’s show as we talk to Josh about what it’s like being a minority within a minority.

Because Josh is gay and a little person and in musical theater, he deeply understands the issues about being an outsider. One of the challenges Little People share is that many average sized folks don’t see them as equals, they see them as inferiors, children or even worse- monsters.

Now, Josh works full-time for four months of the year as a elf and as a teddy bear in drag in the world famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Josh loves this job and we chat about what happens when the elves meet the Rockettes behind the scenes?

What steps do Little People take to make the world a better place for everyone? What’s up with the terms “little people,” “midgets” and “dwarfs?”

And because you were thinking about it, we chat about the behind the scenes of one of the gayest movies ever- “The Wizard of Oz.” Did they have Munchkin orgies? Did this really happen and how hot were they or was it just bad publicity? Which is the best musical- Wicked, The Wiz, or The Wizard of Oz? Weigh in folks on your opinion!

We went out for drinks and karaoke after the taping of the show!!! We had lots of fun! Thanks Josh.

The big podcast that fits inside your little iPod- Feast of Fools.

Featured Music:
Ari Gold – Transport Systems: iTunes | Amazon | Site

RSS FEED | SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES
SUBSCRIBE ON: GOOGLE | PODZINGER
CONTACT US DIRECTLY