Tag Archives: Musical Theatre

Forgotten Gay Musicals: "Boy Meets Boy" ( 1975)

Forgotten Gay Musicals: “Boy Meets Boy” ( 1975) – READ Vito Russo’s Original Review

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Boy Meets Boy with music and lyrics by Bill Solly, and book by Bill Solly and Donald Ward. The gay musical comedy was originally produced at the Actor’s Playhouse in NYC in 1975, and recorded in 1978.

The musical itself visits a world of that in 1936, same-sex relationships are considered as normal as heterosexual ones. Set in London and Paris in 1936-1937, amid the controversy of King Edward’s abdication so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. The show is notable in that no where in it is homosexuality mentioned; the relationships
are simply taken for granted.

The PLOT: Famous reporter, Casey O’ Brien, covering the story of the abdication of King Edward VIII. Soon, O’Brien learns about a preening groom, Clarence, who has been jilted at the altar by the mysterious ˜English Rose’. He becomes obsessed with finding this charming and good looking ˜English Rose’ but ends up with a big surprise. In fact, the ˜English Rose’ is named Guy Rose “ a plain man with glasses. After a love triangle and various mistaken identities, Casey and Guy fall in love.

The original production at the Actor’s Playhouse in New York received admiring reviews.

In New York magazine, Alan Rich wrote that the play had “an uncommonly light and antic touch. The first of its kind that could happily play in an old ladies’ home in Dubuque…delightful”; while Robert Patrick said that “it rewrites the past and presents it just as entertainment, not in the Orwellian sense of trying to convince anyone the past was like that but saying that it ought to have been”. 

Rarely done today (No matter how much I beg and harass theatrical phenom David Drake to put it up in P’town) “Boy Meets Boy” is an unexpected gem of a gay musical that has languished in obscurity far too long.

Unfortunately no video clips are available of past productions. But you can listen to the entire score on YouTube below.

“Loves okay for a rainy day or to while away the blues. But when love gets serious. Fellas’s that’s bad news. There’s just too much to lose….”

You can read Vito Russo’s of “Boy Meets Boy” 1975 after the break,.

Continue reading Forgotten Gay Musicals: “Boy Meets Boy” ( 1975) – READ Vito Russo’s Original Review →
HAPPY NEW YEAR! - From The Vaults: Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews perform A Boy Like That" from West Side Story [VIDEO]

HAPPY NEW YEAR! – From The Vaults: Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews perform “A Boy Like That” from West Side Story [VIDEO]

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Let’s start the New Year off right with this lost clip from the Golden Age of Television.

In June of 1962 Julie Andrews, already a Broadway legend (The Boy Friend, My Fair Lady, Camelot), and Carol Burnett, fresh from Once Upon a Mattress (1959) and CBS’s The Garry Moore Show, met on the stage of Carnegie Hall in a hilarious revue by Mike Nichols, broadcast on CBS television. The high point of the evening was a ten-minute “History of Musical Comedy” incorporating snatches of 25 show tunes (including “Loverly”). Burnett won her second Emmy Award for the event. A reunion nine and a half years later (December 1971) was broadcast from Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center; on this occasion the climactic medley consisted of fragments of 46 songs, all popular in the interim since their Carnegie Hall partnership.

Masterworks

Below Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett sing the duet “A Boy Like That” from their June 1962 CBS special Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall and added extra audio soundbites.

Petition Started To Keep James Corden OUT of the Movie WICKED - FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY SIGN IT!

Petition Started To Keep James Corden OUT of the Movie WICKED – FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY SIGN IT!

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“Cats”, “Into The Woods, PROM. These are just three of the recent beloved musicals that has suffered the casting James Corden for no real reason.

Well enough is enough! A petition has been started on Change.org which reads “James Corden in no way shape or form should be in or near the production of Wicked the movie. that’s pretty much it.”

At the time of this posting the petition has garnered 38,049 signatures + 1 mine.

Please sign. For the love of all holy sacred musical theatre please sign.

Drunk Trump/Pence Fan In Chicago Ejected From Hamilton After Screaming “We Won! You Lost! Fuck You!”

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les-deplorables

Broadway World reports that one of Trump’s many middle america “deplorables” took umbrage (which is a word that he probably wouldn’t understand) at Mike Pence’s “treatment” on Friday at a Broadway performance of the hit musical Hamilton and stood up in the middle of the musical number “Dear Theodosia.” during the Chicago tour production and screamed “We won! You lost! Get over it! F*ck you!”

One Twitter user who attended the show alleges that the audience member also shouted profanities and had an altercation with security before being removed from the auditorium. One Facebook user wrote “At the end, the performers were crying… so was I. They didn’t break characters once. They still sang their hearts out.”

An audience member has exclusively confirmed to Broadway World that the initial disturbance began after the audience member was enraged by the line “immigrants, we get the job done.” The majority of the audience cheered that specific line.

Audience members exited the auditorium to retrieve venue staff to remove the disruptive audience member. Our source confirmed that the altercation lasted for at least two numbers and that there was a struggle with security but “he didn’t throw punches.” The audience member also informed us that venue staff later said the audience member had been intoxicated.

The Trump administration and its supporters, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to the rest of the world for their terrible behavior. The Theater must always be a safe and special place. The Trump supporter was very rude last night to a very good cast. Apologize!

 

david-dule-hamilton

Musical Monday Labor Day Special – The Pajama Game (1954) Score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross

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The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell and featuring  a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.  The story deals with labor troubles in the Sleeptite Pajama factory, where workers demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded.  In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the union grievance committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent.

The original Broadway production opened on May 13, 1954, and ran for 1,063 performances and was directed by  Jerome Robbins and featured choreography by Bob Fosse.  The original cast included John Raitt, Janis Paige, Eddie Foy, Jr., Carol Haney, and Stanley Prager.

The film version  which was released in 1957 and featured the original stage cast except for Janis Paige, who was replaced by Doris Day.  Rumors circulated that paige was replaced by Day because she was “too butch” for the big screen.

Doris Day and Company at the Union Meeting
 
John Raitt and the fabulous Carol Hainey at Hernando’s Hideaway
 
The Company Picnic

HAPPY LABOR DAY EVERYBODY!  “Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”