Boy Meets Boywith music and lyrics by Bill Solly and book by Bill Solly and Donald Ward was a gay musical comedy originally produced at the Actor’s Playhouse in NYC in 1975 and recorded in 1978.
The musical itself visits a world where 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 PLOT: Famous reporter, Casey O’Brien, covers the King Edward VIII abdication story. Soon, O’Brien learns about a preening groom, Clarence, who has been jilted at the altar by the mysterious ˜English Rose’. A big surprise awaits him as he searches for ‘this charming and well-looking English rose’. 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 theatrical phenom David Drake to put it up in Provincetown) “Boy Meets Boy” is an unexpected gem of a gay musical that has languished in obscurity for 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 “Boy Meets Boy” 1975 after the break.
Canceled? Postponed? No one knows at this point. Where the hell is Patti LuPone when you need her?
The Hollywood Reporter, has broken the news that this years Tony Awards will not be televised on June 11. The committee submitted a WGA waiver for the Tony Awards to air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on June 11, but it was denied.
“The two alternative courses of action apparently being weighed are: (a) stick with the date of June 11 and hold a non-televised presentation of the awards, perhaps in the form of an intimate dinner or press conference with nominees and media in attendance; or (b) postpone the ceremony until the strike comes to an end and the show can be televised.”
The management committee has set an emergency meeting for Monday morning to determine the best path forward..
Insiders say that representatives of the Broadway League support the first option, as many shows may not be able to survive without the imprimatur of a Tony on their marquees and promotional materials. While The American Theater Wing, however, is more open to a delay, as that organization is seen as the guardian of the Tony Awards brand, which would not be helped by a non-televised presentation.
The last WGA strike lasted for three months in 2007-08. The 2023 strike officially began on May 2, 2023, with main issues revolving around increased pay, better residuals from streaming media, AI “writing” regulation, and staffing minimum requirements
The awards are named after Antoinette “Tony” Perry, an actress, producer, and director who co-founded the American Theatre Wing in 1917. The first Tony Awards ceremony was held in 1947.
The idea for the Tony Awards came from a group of theatre professionals who wanted to create an awards ceremony that would celebrate the best of Broadway theatre. The American Theatre Wing, which was created to support and promote the theatre, took on the task of organizing the awards, along with the League of New York Theatres, which represents theatre owners and producers.
The first Tony Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The top award of the night, Best Play, went to Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” while Best Musical went to “Brigadoon.”
Over the years, the Tony Awards have grown in prestige and popularity, and they have become an important event in the entertainment industry. The awards recognize not only performers on Broadway, but also the directors, writers, designers, and producers who work behind the scenes to create the productions that are honored each year.
The Tony Awards is a celebration of the best of Broadway theatre and a tribute to the creativity, talent, and hard work of all those who contribute to the art form.
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics today announced it is expanding its mission to honor Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, across a variety of inaugural categories, beginning with the current 2022-2023 theater season..
One winner and two finalists will be selected per category. In the future, the wing may expand to a more traditional nominations/winners timeline.
The voting period this year is Monday, May 22, 2023 to Monday, May 29, 2023. Winners and finalists will be announced on June 1, 2023, in time for Pride Month.
Dorian Theater Awards inaugural categories:
Outstanding Broadway Musical Outstanding Broadway Play Outstanding Broadway Revival of a Musical Outstanding Broadway Revival of a Play Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Musical Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Play Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Musical Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Play Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production Outstanding Broadway Ensemble The Broadway Showstopper Award (To a standout production number or scene) LGBTQIA+ Theater Trailblazer Award Outstanding Off-Broadway Production Outstanding Off-Broadway Performance
GALECA’s Executive Director John Griffiths personally hand picked the Theater Wing’s 31 Members despite some questionable “parameters” of who could be chosen.
The voting period this year is Monday, May 22, 2023 to Monday, May 29, 2023. Winners and finalists will be announced on June 1, 2023, in time for Pride Month.
Due to the small size of the event the awards will not be broadcast or podcasted.
We’ll keep you updated on any changes and information as the event date comes closer.
Every threate gay knows about Carrie :The Musical with a book by Lawrence D. Cohen, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and music by Michael Gore. Adapted from Stephen King‘s 1974 novel Carrie, opened on Broadway in 1988 and for many years was considered the biggest flop in Broadway history.
Despite a stellar cast including Barbara Cook in the UK and Betty Buckley on Broadway the show was over produced and bloated much in thanks to choreographer Debbie Allen and her greek chorus of scantily clad girl students and a disconnection between the book and music itself.
In October 2010, Carrie was confirmed to be produced Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre by MCC Theater. The director is Stafford Arima with the original creators working on revisions of the show. From May 25 through June 7, a developmental lab was held at MCC, directed by Arima and choreographed by Matt Williams] The initial cast for the revival was announced in May 2011.[ From the reading held in 2009, Marin Mazzie starred as Margaret White and Molly Ranson as Carrie. Additional cast was announced on November 21. The score and book were revised by original composers Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, and writer Lawrence D. Cohen. The songs “Dream On”, “It Hurts to Be Strong”, “Don’t Waste the Moon”, “Heaven”, “I’m Not Alone”, “Wotta Night” and “Out for Blood” were removed and replaced with new songs.
Below is an audience shot video very good in some places. Other’s are a bit messy. But it has been preserved for prosperityand it’s really not bad at all.
Somehow those crazy mixed up Trump/MAGA zombies have fallen for the propaganda that Drag Queen’s groom our kids to be LGBT. When in fact it is nothing more than a harmless performance art that goe back Centuries.
The origin of the term drag is uncertain But female impersonation can be traced back at least as far as ancient Greece. There was little to no gender equity then and women held a lower social status. This meant male actors would play female roles during theatrical performance. his tradition continued for centuries but began to be less prevalent as motion pictures became popular.
In the age of Shakespearean theatre, during the late 16th century. At the time, the church was heavily connected to the stage and only allowed men to perform, and so it was that any female roles were played by the men in the cast dressed as women.
During the era of vaudeville it was considered immodest for women to appear on stage. Due to that circumstance, some men became famous as “female impersonators”, the most notable being Julian Eltinge. At the peak of his career he was one of the most sought after and highest paid actors in the world. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Bothwell Browne was the top female impersonator of the West Coast. He performed at the Grand Opera House and Central Theater, among other venues, went on tour with United Vaudeville, and later appeared in the film Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919), produced by Mack Sennett.
In the early to mid-1900s, female impersonation had become tied to the LGBT community and thus criminality, so it had to change forms and locations.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Arthur Blake was one of the few female impersonators to be successful in both gay and mainstream entertainment, becoming famous for his impersonations of Bette Davis, Carmen Miranda, and Eleanor Roosevelt in night clubs.[ At the invitation of the Roosevelts, he performed his impersonation of Eleanor at the White House.](I guess he groomed the Roosevelts) He also impersonated Davis and Miranda in the 1952 film Diplomatic Courier.
Even today many male stars have dressed in drag in movies and theatre. Some Like It Hot, the 1959 Billy Wilder classic, remains a comedy favorite in part because of the hilarious pairing of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag!, John Travolta played voluptuous and bubbly Edna Turnblad in the 2007 musical remake of John Water’s cult film Hairspray. Even in the In 1999’s The Boondock Saints, Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) tries saving the day by showing up at a dangerous location dressed as a woman.
And there are so many more they are literally too many to list.
So did Travolta, Curtis, Lemmon and Dafoe groom anyone?
No. They acted. They are performers, thespians, and artists.
The winners for the 66th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced today.
In keeping with the Drama Desk’s mission, the nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway between July 2, 2021 and May 1, 2022 for this year’s Awards. Only live performances were eligible – if performances were also available for streaming, 21 or more unique live performances were required.
The Drama Desk Awards, which are presented annually, honor outstanding achievement by professional theater artists on Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway.
2022 DRAMA DESK AWARD WINNERS
**Winners are highlighted and starred
Outstanding Play
Cullud Wattah, by Erika Dickerson-Despenza, The Public Theater
English, by Sanaz Toossi, Atlantic Theater Company
**Prayer for the French Republic, by Joshua Harmon, Manhattan Theatre Club
Sanctuary City, by Martyna Majok, New York Theatre Workshop
Selling Kabul, by Sylvia Khoury, Playwrights Horizons
The Chinese Lady, by Lloyd Suh, The Public Theater
Outstanding Musical
Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
**Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Six
The Hang, HERE Arts Center
Outstanding Revival of a Play
for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
**How I Learned to Drive, Manhattan Theatre Club
Lackawanna Blues, Manhattan Theatre Club
Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Trouble in Mind, Roundabout Theatre Company
Twilight: Lost Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Baby, Out of the Box Theatrics
Caroline, or Change, Roundabout Theatre Company
**Company
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Brandon J. Dirden, Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out, Second Stage Theater
Jacob Ming-Trent, Merry Wives, The Public Theater (Free Shakespeare in the Park)
**Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues, Manhattan Theatre Club
John Douglas Thompson, The Merchant of Venice, Theatre for a New Audience
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Tala Ashe, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Ruth Negga, Macbeth
Andrea Patterson, Cullud Wattah, The Public Theater
**Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Shannon Tyo, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater
Michelle Wilson, Confederates, Signature Theatre
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night
Myles Frost, MJ
Rob McClure, Mrs. Doubtfire
**Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Chip Zien, Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo,Atlantic Theater Company
Sharon D. Clarke, Caroline, or Change, Roundabout Theatre Company
Jeanna de Waal, Diana
**Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Joshua Boone, Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind, Roundabout Theatre Company
Daniel K. Isaac, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater
Billy Eugene Jones, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
**Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s, Second Stage Theater
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
**Francis Benhamou, Prayer for the French Republic, Manhattan Theatre Club
Stephanie Berry, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Sonnie Brown, what you are now, Ensemble Studio Theatre
Page Leong, Out of Time, NAATCO and The Public Theater
Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
Kara Young, Clyde’s, Second Stage Theater
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Justin Austin, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo,Atlantic Theater Company
**Matt Doyle, Company
Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
Tavon Olds-Sample, MJ
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Judy Kuhn, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Tamika Lawrence, Black No More, The New Group
**Patti LuPone, Company
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Jennifer Simard, Company
Outstanding Director of a Play
Knud Adams, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Saheem Ali, Merry Wives, The Public Theater (Free Shakespeare in the Park)
**Rebecca Frecknall, Sanctuary City, New York Theatre Workshop
Taibi Magar, Twilight: Lost Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre
Whitney White, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Outstanding Director of a Musical
John Doyle, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
**Marianne Elliott, Company
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, Six
Bartlett Sher, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo,Atlantic Theater Company
Outstanding Choreography
Ayodele Casel (tap choreography), Funny Girl
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, Six
**Bill T. Jones, Garrett Coleman, and Jason Oremus (Irish + Hammerstep), Gelan Lambert and Chloe Davis (associates), Paradise Square
Liam Steel, Company
Christopher Wheeldon, Michael Balderrama (associate), Rich + Tone Taleuega (Michael Jackson movement), MJ
Outstanding Music
**Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six
Jason Howland, Paradise Square
Matt Ray, The Hang, HERE Arts Center
Carrie Rodriguez, ¡Americano!
Jeanine Tesori, Kimberly Akimbo,Atlantic Theater Company
Outstanding Lyrics
Amanda Green, Mr. Saturday Night
Taylor Mac, The Hang, HERE Arts Center
**Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six
David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo,Atlantic Theater Company
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Shaina Taub, Suffs, The Public Theater
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, Mr. Saturday Night
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
**Bruce Sussman, Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Limited tickets to the ceremony are available at: www.DramaDeskAwards.com and to purchase an ad in the virtual program, please email Dustin Fitzharris at dfitz.geo@yahoo.com.
The Ritzwritten by Terrence McNally and performed on Broadway in 1975 earned Rita Moreno a Tony Award for her portrayal of Googie Gomez, a third-rate Puerto Rican entertainer with visions of Broadway glory and rave reviews.
The following year the play was turned into a movie with Moreno reprising her role as Googey for which she received a Golden Globe nominations in the comedy category.
The movie today even as dated as it is , is a hilarious comedy set in a gay bathhouse in Manhattan (a comedic take on NYC’s Continental Baths), where unsuspecting heterosexual Cleveland businessman Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) has taken refuge from his homicidal mobster brother-in-law, Carmine Vespucci (Jerry Stiller). There Gaetano stumbles across an assortment of oddball characters, including a rabid chubby chaser, go-go boys, a squeaky-voiced detective (Treat Williams), and Googie Gomez, who mistakes him for a famous producer and whom he mistakes for a man in drag. To make matters worse Gaetano’s wife Vivian tracks him down and jumps to all the wrong conclusions about his sexual preferences.
If you ever get a chance to see it DO.
In the clip below Googie Gomez (Rita Moreno) sings “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” for the boys at The Ritz followed by the movies theatrical trailer.
In Our Words, whose goal is to positively transform lives and communities by sharing the words of real people will present “Adonis Memories”, an immersive play that shares stories from patrons of the famed Adonis gay porn movie theater that was a Midtown Manhattan landmark from the 70s-90s. The play is written and directed by Alan L. Bounville and takes place on Saturday, December 3 and 10 from 3-4:30 PM at Paddles NYC: 250 W. 26th St, Manhattan.
When asked about the project, playwright and director Alan L. Bounville said, “My goal was to collect stories from people who wanted to share memories from their visits to the Adonis and then weave those stories together into an immersive experience for our audience. I want the audience to feel what it was like to live in a time when communal sex was a force in New York City. Of course, the undercurrent of HIV is present in the work. But the ultimate goal is to celebrate the sex and intimacy that is often overshadowed when we look at this period of history.”
The audience will have the opportunity to hear the forgotten and overshadowed stories of Adonis Memories told in dark corners or out in the open. They can follow the actors around as they act out the stories. If they choose, they can even participate in different ways. The actors will not touch the audience. And no one will be asked to do anything they do not want to do.
The audience is not invited to engage in sex acts during the show. What they are invited to do is to experience these sex positive stories in a place built for communal sex. The setting itself acts as an authentic portal into feeling the energy that was part of what drew countless men to the Adonis in its day.
We met with Alan Bounville during a recent trip to new York and we cannot stress how important this piece of theater is for not only preserving a piece of gay history that is highly over looked and under-documented but also as a learning experience to look at a glimpse of a long forgotten world that was a major part of the gay lifestyle in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
And yes. My story is included.
Performances will take place December 3rd. and December 10th. at 3pm.
You can get more information and purchase your tickets by CLICKING HERE.
Back2Stonewall.com is giving away 2 pair of tickets to see actress, jazz musician. and America’s first the first openly lesbian comic the “famously controversial” Lea DeLaria in the new Off-Broadway show “Out of Iceland” on Tuesday, April 3rd
From Playbill
Caroline Miller (Crane), an established writer from New York, is at a loss for words when she falls off an Icelandic volcano and awakes on the couch of a complete stranger,” according to production notes. “Hal Tanker (Bakkensen) is the misplaced cowboy in charge of the grounds who nurses her back to health. Then there’s Thor (De Laria), Iceland’s flamboyant mythical creature who crawled out of the television one night to warn her about something — or did she imagine that? When their truck mysteriously disappears in the middle of ‘The Middle,’ Hal and Caroline must face their biggest fears in a long night in one of the most mystical places on earth. Out of Iceland is a modern day fairy tale set at the end of the earth.”
2 sets of winners will be picked randomly on Sunday evening.
Gangi þér vel! (Thats Good Luck In Icelandic)
**”Out of Iceland” is performed at Walkerspace, located at 46 Walker Street, between Broadway and Church Streets. Tickets for all seats for all other performances are $35 and may be purchased at www.outoficeland.com or by calling (866) 811-4111.
![Saturday Matinee: WATCH "Carrie: The Musical"- 2012 Off Broadway Revival [Full Show]](https://i0.wp.com/www.back2stonewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Off-Broadway-Carrie-e1678565689198.png?resize=400%2C227)
In Our Words, whose goal is to positively
Back2Stonewall.com is giving away 2 pair of tickets to see actress, jazz musician. and America’s first the first openly lesbian comic the “famously controversial” Lea DeLaria in the new Off-Broadway show “Out of Iceland” on Tuesday, April 3rd