Esmeralda Anaya with her mother, Maria Castillo

For some, Mother’s Day is that day when you can’t avoid your mother’s phone call. In fact, you really have to call her or risk a lecture for the 364 other days of the year. You marvel at the marketing moms across the country have done because I mean, really, who knows when Father’s Day is?

In relation to other holidays Mother’s Day is actually relatively new, historically speaking, tracing its roots in the United States to 1908 when it was first created by Anna Jarvis, a woman who lost her own mother in 1905 and actually never became a mother herself. President Woodrow Wilson was the first president to sign a proclamation for Mother’s Day May 9, 1914.

What had begun as a holiday meant for families to honor their mothers quickly became commercialized around the giving of gifts, something that the holiday’s creator fought. Sadly, Anna Jarvis died penniless in a sanatorium and the holiday continued on as we know it.

Cory Huston with his stepmother, Cyndi Huston

In the LGBT community relationships with our parents can often be complicated, so we asked some of our readers to tell us what Mother’s Day means to them.

Kurt Cunningham shared a story of his loving mother, Lisa Cunningham, who was supportive and caring without condition.

“My mom really was my best friend,” Cunningham told San Diego LGBT Weekly. “My dad worked a lot when I was a kid so it was always me and my mom together all the time. Later in life the support she always gave me was beyond anything anyone could ever hope for. She would come to my drag shows, she was even on stage when I was crowned empress and I have a photo of that night in my drag album here. It has been less than a year since she died, but there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t think of her. I often have dreams that she is in, and I know that’s her way of coming to check on me.”

Coronation of Empress Summer Meadows (Kurt Cunningham) watched by his proud mother, Lisa, in the lavender dress

For some, Mother’s Day is more complicated. Acknowledging the great sacrifices of her mother, LGBT Weekly reader Esmeralda Anaya explained that her mother never accepted her orientation.

“My mother was a woman who sacrificed so much to ensure we were provided for and have a future she could only dream of,” said Anaya. “As immigrants, she said we must work twice as hard like we had something to prove. After coming out I felt I had to work twice as hard as my siblings for her love, to prove that my love was equal. As much as I tried to show her the similarities that exist in our struggles, we could never come to an understanding. It’s been almost two years since I’ve heard my mother’s voice and I fear I am almost forgetting what it sounds like. Nonetheless, I strive to make her proud and one day hope she acknowledges that love is love.”

Navy Veteran Cory Huston, dedicates Mother’s Day to his stepmother who raised him since he was 6 alongside her own biological children. Huston’s relationship with his biological mother was fraught with conflict and disapproval especially because of his sexual orientation.

Kurt Cunningham with his mom

“My stepmom raised me from the time I was 6 and I call her ‘Mom’ because she was the one I came home to everyday and she always tried ten times harder to make up for my biological mom’s bad motherhood,” Huston recalled.

Pride Card joint-owner and creator Bo Andras shared with LGBT Weekly that he always wondered what his life would have been like had he had more time with his mother. His mother, Beverly Guillot Andras, passed away of cancer when he was 8. He honors both his mother and his aunt, Linda Guillot, on Mother’s Day.

“I honor and remember my mom every day,” Andras shared with LGBT Weekly. “She passed away 35 years ago this upcoming December; a week before Christmas. I do treat and honor my aunt as my mother on Mother’s Day. She stepped in and raised me like her own and even though I never called her ‘Mom’ or even ‘Aunt Linda,’ I always called her by her first name because she was more than an aunt but never wanted to disrespect my mom by calling someone else ‘Mom.’”

For the LGBT community Mother’s Day is another day complicated by the relationships we have. But like any American, the day is about Mom, and for some that makes it either a really good day or a miserable one – but one that will likely touch us all in some way.

Kylend Hetherington and the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical

Billy Elliot the Musical opened on Broadway in November of 2008 and closed in January of 2012, but originally premiered in London in 2005 and is still running today.

The musical, based on the 2000 film of the same name, shares many of the same creative team that made the 2000 film such a big hit. Both the film and the musical were directed by Stephen Daldry (The Hours, The Reader), choreographed by Peter Darling and written by Lee Hall (War Horse). All three won Tony Awards in 2009 for their work. The only creative addition to the musical was pop icon and Tony Award winner Elton John (Lion King, Aida) who wrote the music.

This coming week the Broadway National Tour of Billy Elliot bursts into town for one week only. With all of its accolades and awards, it’s safe to say this show will probably sell out and that’s easy to understand given its moving story of a motherless 11-year-old boy who, after discovering his love of dancing, fights to do what he loves … dance.

Both his father and brother are out of work due to a union strike, and are at odds with riot police. The fact that Billy wants to dance is not something that is looked upon as acceptable by either of them, so he hides it, until his teacher recognizes his talents and sees how much he loves it.

The tour, like the Broadway show, has three boys playing the demanding role of Billy. Ben Cook, already a Broadway veteran, was also in the Broadway version and will be playing the part of Billy here in San Diego. His path to performing was somewhat similar to the part of Billy.

“My sisters (Emma and Kate) both drew me to performing,” Cook said. “They were both dancers and inspired me to take up dance. I started out with tap and didn’t really like it at first but when I moved into jazz, contemporary and ballet I ended up falling in love with it.”

Cook was already familiar with the movie thanks to his parents who felt it was an important film for him to see.

“I did see the film before I heard about the musical,” Cook admitted. “I watched it with my parents because they thought it would be a good movie for me to see as a boy dancer. I loved the movie then found out about the musical afterwards and I knew that show was something I really wanted to do.”

Cook’s acting experiences include being a part of the original cast of the award-winning musical Ragtime, and he was also seen on the Emmy-winning sitcom 30 Rock, playing the younger version of Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin’s character).

“I did Ragtime at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. before it went to Broadway,” Cook said. “It was just so much fun. The whole cast got along so well and we all ended up becoming a big family, it was definitely an experience I will never forget. It was great! [30 Rock] was very different from the theater-type of experience I’m used to, but it was so much fun! I got to see the studio, Tracey Morgan and how they set up the show; it was really cool.”

The role of Billy’s angry and volatile brother Tony is being played by, Cullen R. Titmas, who is a Broadway veteran as well. While he has enjoyed being a part of Broadway hits like Avenue Q and Billy Elliot and loves the theater, he also says he doesn’t know where that desire came from.

Ben Cook in Billy Elliot the Musical

“I have no idea where I got the passion to do what I do,” Titmas admits. “My parents have always been ultra supportive of me but neither knew a thing about the biz nor even being a biz parent. They have always however encouraged me to be who I want to be. My grandmother’s brothers were both multi-instrumentalists, but other than that, I’d say my dad is a pretty good whistler …”

Titmas has the distinction of being a key part of the process that brought Disney’s Finding Nemo to the stage at Disney Florida. It was a process Titmas enjoyed very much.

“The Disney gig was a wonderful experience,” Titmas said. “Creating the show from the first movement is an actor’s dream! The story lends itself to amazing relationships, so we were able to make some amazing moments happen with the puppets and our connection to them. The creative team was genius.”

Titmas, like Cook had also seen the film prior to playing the part of the brother Tony, but had only seen it a few times.

“I had seen the movie once or twice before,” Titmas confided. “It is a beautiful film. Tony is an angry and sometimes childish guy, but he really cares for his family and the outcome of their lives. His struggle is great to play on stage. I love being able to act more in this show, but my strength is singing. I love singing jazz and blues material, and sometimes I just wanna be in a choir somewhere. I miss it.”

Titmas also admits that while many of his past roles were closer to whom he is as a person, this part definitely has more of a darker side. “I suppose I’m really young at heart so those roles fit me very well,” Titmas said. “I’m pretty silly most of the time, although my current cast probably sees me as much darker. I’m getting older now, but I hope my childish nature will override crankiness!”

San Diego audiences may remember Titmas for his stint as Trekky Monster in the award-winning musical Avenue Q that played at the Spreckles Theatre downtown. Although that wasn’t his first time here.

“I love San Diego,” Titmas exclaimed. “I played the Spreckles with Avenue Q in ’07 for six weeks and I also went on a trip there in 7th grade with my best pal. He lives in PB now with his family. I’ve visited him there a few times, along with another friend who used to be in the biz and is now a doctor! So I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and enjoying that perfect weather.”

Craig Bennett (South Pacific, Miss Saigon) is a Broadway veteran as well and plays a few roles in the show, but covers and has performed the role of Billy’s father.

Bennett, a father himself, says being a father enhances his connection to the character of the father in the show.

“Having a son about Billy’s age can only enhance my connection to the dad character,” Bennett said. “The initial, unsupportive side of [the] dad is a challenge. I think these days most parents realize that being supportive of your kids, especially at a young age, is essential to their development. So, being convincingly unsupportive, without just being angry and yelling, is the task as an actor.”

Noah Parets and Rich Hebert in Billy Elliot the Musical

Bennett also feels pretty strongly about what it is about the show that audiences connect with.

“Everyone loves the underdog and Billy is the ultimate,” Bennett said. “He’s got so much going against him and yet still manages to pursue what makes him happy. The more difficult the path, the more we root for success.”

Billy Elliot the Musical runs from April 30- May 5, at Broadway San Diego located downtown at 1100 Third Street. For tickets call 619-564-3003, or purchase online at broadwaysd.com/billyelliot.php

In the age of ubiquity, where pathologies of every stripe, human or otherwise, have been hyper-indexed, a certain degree of detachment is required in recognizing the barbaric acts of others. We may not understand how (or, more importantly, why) a mob of people, with the full participation of its citizenry, may close in on a woman in a public square and stone her to death for adultery, but at least, we ultimately conclude, it is not us, the civilized world. And, yet, the barbarism continues, a kind of weakened immune system in the human condition that doesn’t quite make us unable to function but continues to rob us of our full potential.

Honor killings, as they are ironically known throughout much of the world, are just one sort of blot. They involve the execution of a family member (or a member of a social group) who has been judged to have brought dishonor upon others.

The ‘crimes’ usually, but by no means always, involve women who, in the majority of cases, have brought shame through some act that is either directly or obliquely tied to sexuality: an adulterous affair, a refusal to agree to an arranged marriage (and, thus, jeopardize the family’s lineage through reproduction) or dressing and/or behaving in a way that is deemed offensive by the standards of the community (read: sexually suggestive).

It should come as no surprise, then, that homosexual acts, seen by most of the Muslim world where many of these honor killings occur as an affront to masculinity, are roundly condemned and are digressions no less worthy of execution.

David McConnell

That honor killings are largely understood and accepted, encouraged even, by the wider groups, clans and tribes around them differentiates them by degrees in what author David McConnell has examined in his latest work, the non-fiction American Honor Killings: Desire and Rage Among Men.

McConnell, whose works of fiction include Firebrat (2003) and The Silver Hearted (2010), culls from the last fifteen-or-so years a series of brutal crimes that, while different in geography, psychopathology and methodology, all involve, in one shape or another, an affront to ‘honor,’ however tortured that definition may be, and all involve victims who were gay; dots that would eventually be connected in the national push for universal hate crimes legislation.

John Katehis, murderer of George Weber

That many of the perpetrators were themselves gay, bisexual or deeply closeted perhaps makes these honor killings uniquely American. I don’t know. But as McConnell explains in his forward, “In a sense the stor[ies] begin with the end of gay panic. The murders in this book don’t look much like that kind of crime. They’re far more complicated, atavistic. Hence, ‘honor killings.’ They involve honor, manhood, desire. When used in the phrase ‘honor killings,’ honor obviously has a negative connotation. We’re not talking about real honor.”

And yet, as each slaying attests to, some code, some manifest belief system dreamt up by the religious extremists (brothers Ben and Tyler Williams), neo-Nazi skinheads (Bradley Qualls and Darrell Madden – aka gay porn performer Billy Houston), gang members (Steven Hollis and Juan Flythe) and man-child murderers (John Katehis) that populate this affecting study in hate crimes, brings with it a construct that, however vile to the gay community, must be understood if we’re to get past the simplistic monikers. (Currently, only thirteen states have hate crimes legislation that includes both sexual orientation and gender identity.) We need to move forward and make the case that, yes, there are people out there – the people that populate American Honor Killings – whose inhumanity lies as much with the crimes they commit as with the thinking that allows them to commit them in the first place.

George Weber, murdered by John Katehis

After all, Oklahoman Steve Domer, whose entire body was duct-taped in his own car, physically and verbally assaulted and then strangulated by an untwined wire hanger before being dumped in a ravine to rot, may engender collective outrage. But failing to understand how Bradley Qualls and Darrell Madden, the two men who committed the act, worked through their thought processes and arrived at the conclusion that Domer’s life was worthless, are as important to the hate crimes legislation debate as they are to the thematic tapestry that weaves itself through McConnell’s book.

And while the author makes no mention anywhere that American Honor Killings is some grand call to arms in the current legal debate, the reader can’t help but think how much more urgent it feels after getting to know all the unsavory nooks and crannies that inform these killers’ worldviews.

Benjamin Matthew Williams, killer of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder

It also helps to understand and convey that crimes against gay men are more violent. “Like women [gay men are] often perceived to be weak. In the backwards logic of violence, weakness enhances its own destruction. Plus the cultural protections for gay men are still pretty flimsy,” observes McConnell. “But this is [truer] with gay-bashings and bullying than with the very different, more personal crimes I wrote about.”

And what about the victims – the Steve Domers, George Webers, Steven Parrishes, Winfield Mowders and Gary Matsons of the world – that too often and too quickly become abstractions in annual hate crimes reports? “I understand the desire to rescue and celebrate the memories of victims,” David adds. “But I don’t think it helps the public discourse very much unless it’s just to stoke outrage or move us to action. Yes, we have a ghoulish fascination with these killers, but the problem is that it’s not authentic curiosity. I guess I thought it was important for understanding to look the criminals in the eye, whether I liked it or not.”

Darrell Madden (aka gay porn performer Billy Houston), murderer of Steve Domer

And what he finds and then conveys in American Honor Killings reminds us that while they are not us, the civilized world, they are more than just ‘others’ for whom hate crimes legislation is just one small piece of a puzzle that McConnell fearlessly unearths, no matter how rotten what underneath lies.

American Honor Killings: Desire and Rage Among Men can be purchased on Amazon.com as well as numerous other sites.

Life Guard, digital painting by Joe Phillips

The intercom buzzed late one recent afternoon and I answered the door. Dillon gave me a hug and accepted a frosty-cold mug filled with an amber microbrew. Bright last-day-of-winter sunlight splashed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Thanks for coming over,” I said.

“You said you wanted to show me something ‘big, thick, meaty and lovely to behold’, so of course I hurried right over. Where is he?”

I laughed and asked him to sit down and relax on the brown leather sofa. Dillon is a close friend and a very talented artist, working primarily with oils and pastels. Several of his large canvases are displayed on the walls of my North Park condominium, and I get a commission if I sell any of his paintings.

I display and sell other local artists work, too, but from his vantage point, Dillon could see only his own paintings. I admire his control of brush stroke and his eye for composition and attention to detail and balance. I also value his keen insight, sharp intellect and sense of humor. Plus he’s good looking in a Paul Newman sort of way.

Dillon’s eyes opened wide in jaw-dropping surprise when I pulled it out and slapped it hard on the coffee table.

“Can I hold IT?”

“Be my guest.”

“IT” was an advance copy of the Best of Gay Erotic Art book, Capolavoro di Uomo: Masterpiece of Man that I had invited Dillon to help me review. I told him I wanted to establish a backstory for the article, and capture his thoughts as he perused the diverse collection.

The hardcover anthology is big (9” x 12”), thick (370+ pages), meaty (featuring the work of 46 artists from around the planet), richly illustrated and lovely to behold. A pantheon of whole joys inspired by the male figure. Dillon ran his finger over the embossed letters on the dust cover, and opened the book.

He thumbed his way through the dream team of artists. Many are well-trained in classic style and techniques with readily-identifiable influences. Other artists such as Ted Fusby of Tucson, Ariz., are self-taught and influenced solely by the contents of their heart. Still others, including San Diego resident Joe Phillips, are influenced by comic strips and graphic arts, using digital painting and Photoshop to create vivid fun-loving portrayals.

Two artists in particular caught Dillon’s eye. He admired Allen Todd Yeager’s use of cross-hatching to create layers and depth; he praised his technique and style, and said the work was “tactile.” He said Yeager’s control exhibited a “restrained exuberance.” Dillon said Andrew Potter’s work was his favorite. He loved Potter’s composition and use of color, and said the images were “timeless.”

Together, we gazed at the sensuous images and called out influences as the pages turned. Tony de Carlo evinced the spirit and vibrancy of Frida Kahlo; James Childs’ creations were inspired by Greco-roman frescos and sculptures, the same classic references re-interpreted in the dazzling vision of Manolo Yanes; Joseph Radoccia’s subject matter and palette reminded us of Paul Gauguin; Raphael Perez evoked the collages of Henri Matisse; Valerntin Bakardjiev reflected the brilliance of Gustav Klimt.

We both were especially drawn to the big-as-life canvasses of Delmas Howe, sun-drenched depictions of cowboys toiling under endless skies, their labors shaded with religious undertones.

We both agreed that anybody who is an art lover will absolutely love this book.

As we turned the last glossy page and closed the volume, I asked Dillon to sum up the stunning collection of homoerotic work in one word.

“Sexy,” he replied.

Whatever your taste, you’ll find something that satisfies. From puppy love to piggy sex. From moments of carefree whimsy to those of private intimacy. From sneakers and gym shorts to boots and leather restraints.

Capolavoro di Uomo: Masterpiece of Man is intended to be taken seriously and is more than just another pretty face. Art of the male nude and especially gay erotic works are often excluded or overlooked by an ‘enlightened’ art community, and Capolavoro Art unabashedly brings together the finest gay erotic artists to create a breathtaking book.

The highly collectable publication also includes brief insightful interviews, and artists in their own words share their motivations, philosophies and histories. Every artist was drawn to the male form for various reasons, but one recurring theme was best summarized by R. E. Roberts, who wrote:

“From an artistic perspective, the male figure is endlessly fascinating and compelling; the strong angles and planes, curves, stance, expression and fluidity of form present unique interpretive challenges.”

One response to the “unique interpretive challenges” is the comic-book inspired creations of Joe Phillips, an artist whose early influences include J. C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell.

One look at his work and you’ll sense Joe has a constant smile on his face. You’ve seen his colorful and playful style on Superman* and Silver Surfer** comic book covers, and on advertisements for Bud Light***. I asked him what did it mean to be included in the collection of homoerotic art, and what would he want viewers to take away from his work?

Joe said he thought his work “gives the collection a balance” and that his art is not “in your face or to make a point.” He said his work is about “inner acceptance,” that some people are probably attracted to the “cute boys in the pictures.” Joe said, “Ultimately, I want people to look at my work and be happier.”

I also spoke with James Kennedy, director of Sales and Marketing with Capolavoro Art and asked him why this book, and why now?

James told me it was “a travesty” to embrace certain artistic traditions, but to shun the basic beauty of “the male nude and depictions of gay love.” James said the world “suffers artistically and culturally when not exposed to the full breadth of society’s talents and ideas.” He said the purpose of the book was to “showcase the tremendous diversity” of gay erotic art from “the finest artists in the world” and to “stimulate the debate of male nudity and gay love.”

The preview copy was missing the forward by Hans Van der Kamp, co-founder World Museum of Erotic Art, Amsterdam, and the acknowledgments. I was surprised by the lack of Asia-based artists, especially with the popularity of the anime style. These, however, are minor distractions and I have every confidence the final product will be a handsome well-groomed compendium.

Capolavoro di Uomo: Masterpiece of Man is a big, thick, meaty and lovely – and sexy book that would find a welcome home on any self- respecting coffee table.

Best of Gay Erotic Art

Capolavoro di Uomo: Masterpiece of Man

© 2013 Capolavoro Publishing

370+ pages, 9×12 hardcover

Currently available for purchase at capolavoroart.com Warning: adult content

Mirror, Mirror, oil on canvas by Andrew Potter

San Diego LGBT Weekly readers receive the special pre-release sale price of $64.95 (regularly $89.95 + shipping). Hurry! Pre-sale offer ends April 15!

* Superman is a registered trademark of DC Comics

** Silver Surfer is a registered trademark of Marvel Comics

*** Bud Light is a registered trademark of Anheuser-Busch

For many, St. Patrick’s Day is that one day when the vast majority of people who can’t stand the color green are forced to pick out that one green shirt they own or be assaulted by friends, family and pretty or many, St. Patrick’s Day is that one day when the vast majority of people who can’t stand the color green are forced to pick out that one green shirt they own or be assaulted by friends, family and pretty much anyone with the ability to make a pincer with their thumb and pointer finger.

But in fact, St. Patrick’s Day is an ancient holiday that traces its roots back to ninth and tenth century Ireland. It is the celebration honoring the most commonly recognized patron saint of Ireland and for many it is a celebration of their own Irish heritage with a North American flair.

Americans first publicly celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in 1737, in the City of Boston, and since then the celebration has grown into a day that is celebrated with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer, particularly Guinness!

“Go Irish!” said Kevin Beiser, vice president of the San Diego Unified School District, proudly proclaiming his Irish heritage. “St. Patrick’s Day is a day to celebrate my heritage and honor my family. Diversity and a rich cultural heritage is what makes this country great.”

Others appreciate the more whimsical side or ‘kitschiness’ of the holiday that has become common in America.

“The music, the singing, the gatherings, the food and somewhat the kitschiness all add to the fun,” said Chris Ellis, a regional director for Fierté Canada Pride. “Just about everything about it is a cartoon in most of North America from “Kiss Me I’m Irish” buttons, to green beer, shamrock head knockers and made-up Irish songs; but it’s all in good fun.”

Chris proudly claims both his Irish and Atlantic Canadian heritage.

Some prefer the more traditional approach to the holiday, especially as more than a billion Catholics worldwide welcome the selection of a new Pope.

“For me it is a day of prayer and reflection on my proud Irish heritage and the struggle of the Irish, oppression and diaspora,” said Eric Hufford a local activist and charter member of San Diego Remembers. “And maybe some drinking,” he added.

The St. Patrick’s Day celebration was initially a source of Irish nationalistic pride. Often early themes of the celebration touted hatred of the British and had strong Catholic messaging.

In the modern day the holiday has become a part of American popular culture. The Irish folklore and imagery remains: shamrocks, clovers, copious usage of the color green with many Americans celebrating the holiday regardless of their heritage.

For some it has become another day to drink and party. Much of this has to do with the successful marketing of the Irish beer brand Guinness which has even lobbied in some countries to make St. Patrick’s Day a national holiday. Such was the case in Canada.

Due to the religious nature of the holiday some organizers of St. Patrick’s Day events have discriminated against participation by LGBT groups in their parades. Even in such progressive states as New York and Massachusetts St. Patrick’s Day organizers have routinely discriminated against the participation of LGBT groups, leading to protests and lawsuits.

In New York City, Christine Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council and candidate for mayor has been vocal in her criticism of the local organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The Ancient Order of Hibernians, which bills itself as the largest and oldest Irish-Catholic fraternal order, has never allowed LGBT participants in their parade.

The parade, which boasts nearly 150,000 marchers and attracts two million people to New York City’s Fifth Avenue is often the subject of protests by LGBT activists. Last year hundreds of Irish members of the LGBT community took to the streets to protest discrimination by the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

In Massachusetts, one state Senate candidate, Maureen Dahill, is making the fight against LGBT discrimination in her local St. Patrick’s Day festivities a major part of her campaign. Circulating a petition asking Rep. Stephen Lynch (D – IL) and other local leaders to act.

“I am proud to be from South Boston,” Dahill told Bay Windows. “I am proud of the deep roots and the amazing people who have ultimately shaped who I am today. South Boston is a vibrant community. It is a diverse community and it is a welcoming and inclusive community.”

In San Diego, it was outreach by San Diego LGBT Pride, then led by Ron deHarte, which led to the first LGBT contingent to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in San Diego’s history.

“San Diego Pride had a 30 foot float with a huge leprechaun and 25 people carrying rainbow flags.” Ron deHarte, now executive director of Palm Springs Pride, told San Diego LGBT Weekly. “The LGBT community had a great presence in the parade and we were able to share a message of equality to an audience from outside the gayborhood.”

Fresh from the defeat suffered by the LGBT community with the passage of Proposition 8, deHarte and other community leaders felt it necessary to do outreach outside of the “gayborhood.”

“After Prop. 8 it became even more important for us to participate in community events outside of Hillcrest to breakdown stereotypes and barriers that existed about the gay community,” said deHarte. “We wanted to be visible. We wanted to put a face on the gay community. We wanted people to see our LGBT family celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and understand we are just like them.”

Their participation was not without resistance. The Irish Congress of Southern California told the contingent they could not participate. deHarte and his team reached out to people associated with the parade and eventually received the green light.

“For the most part the San Diego Pride contingent was greeted with cheers along the parade route,” deHarte recalled. “There were a few areas along the route where the crowd remained silent; some people turned away and a few birds were flipped our way. But this was coming from a very small number of spectators. We received many cheers along the route and it was a great day to advance the mission of Pride.”

This year some of our readers had various things to say when we asked via social media what they were doing for St. Patrick’s Day:

LGBT Weekly readers Matthew J. Ceppi and Matt Corrales will be celebrating their birthdays.

One Army soldier and awesome son, M. Johnathan Lopes, took the chance to mention his mother’s birthday. “It’s my mother’s birthday,” said Lopes. “I’m a momma’s boy and I’m not ashamed.”

Meanwhile some will head to North Park and Hillcrest to celebrate.

“I am going to Redwing, I love me some corned beef,” said local activist Kurt Cunningham.

“It’s Sunday, so I will be at Babycakes,” said San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus executive director and LGBT Weekly reader Benny Cartwright. “After my SDGMC Chorus meeting,” he added.

Others kept it simple. When asked what St. Patrick’s Day meant to him. Marine veteran Denis Cote simply said “Guinness!”

Regardless of where you end up this St. Patrick’s Day; whether at the parade or at your usual haunt in Hillcrest, North Park or wherever there is one thing to keep in mind before leaving the house: for goodness sake, wear green!

Jason Stuart

Most comedians will tell you the material they use comes from everyday life happenings and things most of us actually read in the papers and see on the news. These days, comedians pull from whatever source they can to show the humor and absurdity of our everyday lives.

Comedian Jason Stuart, who will be bringing his evening of comedy to Martinis Above Fourth Feb. 28, is no different. Well, sort of.

Stuart was born in the Bronx but at a very young age was shuttled off to Los Angeles, giving him no time to really miss the East Coast or New York City. “I was born in the Bronx and raised in Los Angeles,” Stuart said. “I was a year old when I moved. I was very little and in a car and had no choice!”

Moving to L.A. did, however, afford him the opportunity to find a place where he felt he belonged. Stuart, an openly gay actor and comedian, is celebrating his twentieth year as an openly gay performer. In his early years, being involved in the business was something that he felt allowed him to be who he really was.

“Oh, I just wanted it [an entertainment career] so bad,” Stuart said. “I think it sort of saved me as a kid. I really do. It gave me a place to deal with my emotions [about being gay], and also I was funny so it made me … it gave me a place to share my feelings.”

The acting bug was something Stuart sought out all on his own with no help from his family.

“I did it [acting] on my own. My parents didn’t want me to be in show business,” Stuart confided. “I think it’s very difficult … it’s a difficult life if you don’t become Brad Pitt; but I love acting more now than when I was a kid. I have such a love for it.”

His work as a comedian came out of his work as an actor. Which, as of late, seems to be the other way around for most comedians. But according to Stuart, he has always been involved in all different types of mediums in the entertainment business. So it has, in some ways, been an easy transition for him from one medium to the other.

“I started out as an actor as a kid,” Stuart said. “I didn’t think I was good looking enough, or I didn’t think I fitted in. It’s really because I was gay, in a way, because there was no place for me in those days. When you’re a gay person in show business and you’re in front of the camera, especially in those days, your options were quite limited. If people thought you were gay then that was it, unless you were really good at hiding it. I think it has changed now, but it hasn’t changed enough.”

Stuart, co-chair of the National LGBT Actors Committee for SAG for the last seven years, says working on the committee is his life’s work and that it helps to make the entertainment world more accepting of gay actors.

“I mean [it has helped] everyone from Neil Patrick Harris to Jodi Foster, who recently came out on the Golden Globes,” Stuart explained. “Her coming out was … well the difference between her coming out and Ellen DeGeneres coming out was there was more of a progression. The way it’s being done now it’s not a big surprise or big shock, now it’s like OK, now we can just talk about this, we don’t have to worry about it.”

Stuart went on to say that someone like Foster has much more to be concerned about than just having it affect her acting career. She also has a business and employees to consider and how her coming out will affect them as well.

“Foster was the first movie star … there has never been a movie star to come out before, ever,” he said. “She was the first and I think it was pretty terrific. I mean you could see she was frightened. I mean I don’t know if you’ve ever spoken in front of everybody that has ever hired you all in one room, and you tell them something that you were told to never tell anybody. I can imagine her fear and trepidation. She was frightened.”

He is also honest and frank about actors coming out and how he thinks it has affected his career and other actors as well.

“I think everything affects your work,” Stuart confessed. I think it makes you a worse actor, at times, when you’re not out. I think it makes your artistic growth more difficult when you are in the closet. I believe that. That was a big change for me. The whole world opens up in an entirely different way. Ian McKellan came out years ago, Harvey Fierstein as well; Nathan Lane lied for a long time; Sean Hayes lied for a long time … they just didn’t answer questions. I think there’s a big difference between people saying ‘Oh, you’re gay’ and you just saying it. Saying it, you take the power. You take the power away from the people, to bully you or to tease you. That’s the difference.”

Stuart’s outspokenness politically and in his comedy oddly seems to compliment and parallel each other benefiting both careers quite well. On one hand he’s helping the LGBT acting community by sharing his experiences as a gay performer and on the other hand he’s able to seamlessly write and improvise in his comedy show.

When it comes to his show and who it was that inspired him to become a comedian he is very quick to answer.

“My mother definitely,” Stuart said. “My mother is so funny. She was a big star when I was a kid but she didn’t have a film! She has been married four times, two she buried two she killed. She calls me on the phone and she says ‘How are you?’ I say, ‘Mom I met this really great guy,’ and she says, ‘Is he gay?’ and I said ‘of course he’s gay! No, he’s a leprechaun!’ She says ‘Why are you yelling at me?’ And I said, ‘Because I have been out for 25 years,’ and she said, ‘I forgot!’ That’s my mother; she’s hysterically funny.”

Stuart keeps busy these days not just with his stand up appearances, but also with many film and television appearances, and his own radio show, Name-Dropping with Jason Stuart on RadioTitans.com, Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m.

Stuart’s Web site jasonstuart.com has all kinds of information about his upcoming appearances, press, videos and his CD. His upcoming show, I’m the Daddy and I Got Candy will be at Martinis Above Fourth, located at 3940 Fourth Ave., in San Diego Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. For reservations call 619-400-4500.

Argo

Officially it’s the Academy Award of Merit. But we all know it as “Oscar,” though the origin of that name has long been debated and disputed. One thing that can’t be argued is that we love Oscar! Maybe not everyone, but ditching the stereotypes, the truth is that a big segment of the LGBT community has an undying fascination with all things Oscar: the movie industry, its history, the glitz, the award process, stars, the show, everything. “Oscar time” is our hunting or football season. We just can’t get enough. But why this attraction, this captivation? Perhaps it’s two or three – or a combination of all – of the following.

The Oscar itself. By some estimation, it is the most recognized statuette in the world. People may not know the difference between Judi Dench and Helen Mirren, but they know the Oscar is a symbol of excellence and achievement. It owes its high regard in large part to its longevity of 85 years, a lifetime really.

It has a stunning simplicity – an art deco knight holding a crusader’s sword, standing on a reel of film above a black metal base. It’s gold-plated over an alloy of britannium, 13.5 inches high, weighing 8.5 pounds, and only 2,900 of them have ever been awarded, including multiple co-recipients for categories like Screenplay, Song or Producer. That makes it a rather exclusive club. Katharine Hepburn won four of them; three each for Walter Brennan, Ingrid Bergman, Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. Daniel Day-Lewis will likely join that group this year. They still pale to Walt Disney’s 22 (that’s right), costume designer Edith Head’s eight, and composer John Williams, who has won five.

Oscar’s sense of magic. How many of us have fantasized about walking the red carpet or up on stage to receive an Oscar? Or practiced an acceptance speech?

In 2006, at a Hollywood Oscar exhibition in the Hollywood and Highlands Center, home to the Dolby Theater that hosts the Academy Awards show, I actually got to hold an Oscar. A real “live” Oscar! And yes, it was tethered so no one would run off with it. I even went through the line twice. It was one of the big singular thrills of my life.

We also like success stories. It excites us when an actor nominated numerous times finally wins or a Slumdog Millionaire or Million Dollar Baby comes out of nowhere to win the top prize.

Life of Pi

Who would have predicted that in 2012 a silent black-and-white film, The Artist, would be named Best Picture? Or that an American Idol contestant like Jennifer Hudson would win an Oscar in her film debut?

Our love affair with the movies. Mine began at 13, after years of parental sheltering when we rarely went to the movies.

One night, a neighbor family invited me to go see a film that would change my life forever. It was West Side Story. I was mesmerized by the music, the dancing, the bittersweet love story (for some reason I was focused on Tony), the cinematography and other technical aspects. I was totally hooked. Unbeknownst to my parents, the next Saturday I walked two cold, wintry miles to the nearest mall, so I could buy the movie soundtrack, which I still have.

We all have our West Side Story, the movie that first touched us, drew us in and kept us transfixed to the screen. Then, or soon, we’re in love! Why? Movies provide a not unhealthy escape from reality and, at the same time, characters and situations to which we can relate. They make us laugh, cry, feel, emote.

My first movie “cry” was when Tony died in West Side Story. My most recent was at Les Misérables. I even admit to tears at the end of Sleepless in Seattle because I was so … happy. Seeing it four times, I still cried every time E.T died – even after I knew he would come back to life. Movies may scare or thrill us, make us angry, cause us to think or see the world and people in a different light. Or leave us wondering, “What in the heck was that all about?” Though we may feel we just wasted $11, we always come back.

The competition. We can deny it, but we love the “horse race” of who will be nominated and who will win. It’s our Kentucky Derby, our Wimbledon and our World Series.

Django Unchained

We join Oscar ‘pools,’ attend Oscar parties, or privately make our own predictions. And just as when our political candidate loses, we are devastated when our favorite’s name isn’t called. Think Brokeback Mountain. Or It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp beating out Travelin’ Thru by Dolly Parton for Best Song in 2006. We may even compensate with our own imaginary awards. And in a year like this with clear-cut favorites, some categories still hold stout competition.

For Best Picture it’s become a race between Argo and Lincoln. All five Supporting Actor nominees have won before, and Director, Film Editing, and Adapted Screenplay offer no sure-fire bets.

Our affection for the creative arts. We can appreciate that an action movie may draw millions and gross $300 million and more, but we also know what really stands out artistically.

In recent years, many of the big Oscar winners have not been huge financial successes. In fact, it is rare that the highest grossing film of the year wins the Best Picture Oscar. A Titanic is an exception, not the rule. This year, for a change, the most highly touted films – Lincoln, Life of Pi, Argo, and Les Misérables – have all done well at the box office. Still, they’re no Hunger Games.

Even if we don’t know a key grip from a dolly grip, we know that fine filmmaking doesn’t just happen. It’s writing, editing, directing, music, cinematography and more.

We know it can take years between the original concept for a film and the Oscar ceremony. We value the fine nuances that a Meryl Streep, Maggie Smith or Dustin Hoffman bring to a role. We idolize the James Deans (the only actor to ever receive two posthumous nominations) and Elizabeth Taylors, who were truly larger than life. And we take pride in the huge LGBT presence in the movie industry.

Silver Linings Playbook

Where Oscar was once the “only game in town” for film awards, there are now the Golden Globes, Guild Awards and scores of local critics’ awards from New York to San Diego. At this rate, Lakeside and Julian can’t be far behind.

The Golden Globes may be more fun, but for honor, glamour, history and prestige, it’s still that tall, slim gold guy standing atop a reel of film. No other award stands as tall.

So, mentally prepare your acceptance speech and pull out your Oscar ballot for the big night Sunday, Feb. 24. While glued to the Oscar telecast, know that there are good reasons to relish the evening and for your love affair with Oscar.

Best of all; know that you’re not alone.

Battling it out this year at Superbowl XLVII are the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 3 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The Superbowl is easily the most watched sporting event of the year. It attracts not only football fans, but even non fans due to the spectacular nature of the production. This is the day our nation’s companies unveil their most creative and dynamic advertisements; the nation’s biggest singers and bands play before and in between the game; families and friends get together to eat, drink and hang out … it’s basically an unsanctioned national party day.

So how does the Superbowl impact the gay and lesbian community? For that matter, what does the NFL and the players in the NFL say about their support or lack thereof of LGBT issues and concerns.

Football is without a doubt, the nation’s most macho sport. Its violence is undeniable. Grown men hit, tackle, shove and slam into each other in every play. The players themselves take pride in playing injured.

Given the amount of macho posturing by the players, it’s not a surprise that there aren’t any present football players who have come out as gay. Though there has been a largely progressive attitude in the country toward LGBT rights in recent years, one of the biggest public taboos remains a male pro athlete in one of the big three sports (MLB,NBA,NFL) coming out as gay during his playing days. It has never happened, but that’s not to say it can’t or won’t.

Though it would be easy to stereotype the players and league as homophobic, the truth is that attitudes toward gay players have softened in recent years.

For example, take Brendon Ayanbadejo, who is a current linebacker for NFL team the Baltimore Ravens. Since 2009, Ayanbadejo has been an outspoken advocate for same-sex marriage, though he is not gay.

In response to his vocal support, Ayanbajedo was targeted by Emmet Burns, a Maryland state delegate. In August 2012 Burns wrote to the owner of the Ravens asking him to “inhibit such expressions from your employee and that he cease and desist such injurious actions.” Basically, this letter called for the owner to infringe on his players First Amendment rights to free speech. The owner rightfully ignored the politician’s letter.

There was a brief firestorm of controversy over Emmet Burns’ letter to the Ravens. Insulted by Burns casual disregard of the First Amendment, current Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, wrote a response defending gay marriage, telling Burns that making gay marriage legal “won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster.”

Though there are no current NFL players who are “out,” Wade Davis, a former NFL cornerback, did recently come out. In an interview, he said he knew of three current NFL players who are gay, but not out, but who are known by their teammates to be gay. Davis explained that inside the clubhouse it’s not a problem because the players aren’t faced with the media asking them what they think of their out and proud teammate.

In Davis’ view it will take straight players to “start affirming the fact that they’re OK with playing with gay teammates. Because there are more straight players. If all of them create this voice; if Peyton Manning and all these other guys come out and say something people will say, maybe I need to listen or revisit my way of thinking now because these guys are OK with it.”

Jamie Kuntz, an 18-year-old former college football player, has a slightly different opinion on the acceptance of a gay player coming out in the NFL. Kuntz was let go by his college team after his relationship with a much older man was discovered. Though the story as to exactly why he was kicked off the team is in dispute, Kuntz is convinced it was because he is gay.

I asked Kuntz about this and his feelings about the NFL’s attitude toward the gay community. He said, “I think they are just waiting for another team to give a gay player a chance. Once a player comes out and performs well, it shouldn’t be an issue.” As for his own plans for Superbowl Sunday, Kuntz said he would “just sit around with some friends and watch the game!”

I also wanted to know what members of the gay and lesbian community thought of the NFL and the Superbowl in particular. I talked to Charlie Spanza and Kenneth Wright, an openly gay couple from San Diego. I asked them what it will take for a gay player to come out, and they replied, “It’s just going to take one or two players to prove to everyone that just because someone has a different sexual preference than them that they are still equal. It’s like saying, ‘Oh, redheads can’t play football.’ Why? Just because the color of their hair? Well being gay is the same. It has no impact on how well a person can perform on the field.”

When I asked for Spanza’s thoughts on the Superbowl, he responded, “I’m not into football, nor is Kenneth. To be honest, we use the Superbowl as an excuse to gather some friends and family and watch the commercials over drinks and good food.”

For Spanza and Wright, Superbowl Sunday is all about drinks, food and funny commercials. “In my household,” said Spanza, “It’s quite different than the rest; we rarely set eyes on the actual game; we’d rather talk through it and carry on with some good laughs over the commercials.”

Sounds to me like a good way to spend the day!

In a still-expanding market of self-help books, many of which seem to overlap, Coming Out to Ourselves is a refreshing nugget. “Nugget” because it is short enough to devour in one sitting and yet leave the reader fulfilled. “Refreshing” because it focuses on succinct, relatable issues around which we can easily wrap our minds.

The book by local minister Rev. Jerry Troyer doesn’t preach as much as it enlightens and makes the reader think. It could be said to be a self-help book for those who don’t like or shy away from self-help books.

The premise of the book is that “coming out,” rather than a one-time-and-it’s-done event, is an ongoing, evolving process. Especially to ourselves.

How often do we only think of coming out as something directed at family, friends and acquaintances? After all, as Rev. Troyer points out, “There probably isn’t a date on the calendar that can be identified as the day we first knew.” Just when we think we may have completed coming out, there is something more to explore, something more to learn, or we are thrown some curveball, and most of it deals with our own internalized issues of things like shame and guilt. They existed before coming out, and they are the baggage we have carried along for the ride.

Troyer lays the groundwork by crisply telling his story in the first chapter. It is one to which most of us can connect: denial, exploration, discovery, fear, feeling isolated, the myriad challenges that a life change and adjustment bring. He realizes the worth in us all sharing our stories.

It becomes evident that he is qualified to address issues such as guilt, forgiveness, anger, regret, resentment, love and even joy, because he has lived them. And he strives to help us dig into the root causes He knows that only by understanding the source of these problems, can we truly face them and find healing and move forward.

Troyer looks at the many different life problems that can affect our coming out process such as drugs, alcohol, weight, overspending and self-esteem. He does not hesitate to address addictions such as drugs and sex.

Without seeming overly neat and tidy or as if he has “the answer” for everyone, the author lays out and addresses, chapter by chapter, factors such as shame which need attention. He offers research and quotes but as enhancements, not to dryly and just repetitively make a point. He does not dictate but encourages us each toward our own truths, and prompts us to feel validated and affirmed in owning those.

Rev. Jerry Troyer

In a relatively short distance, he covers a broad territory: reward and punishment, shame, being loved, truth, forgiveness, self-care, spirituality, joy and change. Troyer seems to understand that many readers have limited attention spans, so in each case, he delves to the heart of the topic quickly and adroitly.

Yet, the feel is not of being rushed or cheated but appreciated for our attention and time. Troyer sprinkles the book with a natural touch of humor, blending it in effectively. I am sure he won’t mind me repeating his feeling that “tolerance is something you do when you have a rock in your shoe.”

The author is not afraid to gently stretch our comfort zone, especially on topics such as shame and forgiveness. It’s a process he compares to “peeling the layers off an onion.” Each layer reveals something more, something deeper while getting us closer and closer to the onion itself.

Troyer is comfortable being our guide and chef. From his life experience, he knows this is the way to understanding and letting go. In fact, in one chapter, he compares our holding on to past negative feelings to a woman in a lake clutching a big rock. Afraid to let go of it, albeit feeling that “it’s mine,” she drowns. This is just one of many lessons he imparts to us.

The chapter on spirituality should bring no unease to those uncomfortable with religion. It comes from a “Higher Power,” inclusive, universalist perspective.

In fact, the focus in this and other chapters is much more about stimulating thought, giving perspectives, and sharing experiences to encourage readers to utilize what works for them and develop their own appropriate path. Troyer comes across not as authoritarian, but as one with some insight to share and a desire to help.

I would encourage readers, as I did, to freely mark passages that speak to them and then return to them. One that touched me was this: “But when we accept someone else’s truth as our own, without examining it to see if it is also really true for us, we run the risk of accepting that they know what they’re talking about.” Powerful stuff.

There is a smooth, easy flow and logical progression to the book. It wraps up with a path and process, hope and affirmation. I perceive it as a book to which one would be led to return for a refresher and reinforcement.

For those willing to both accept (or even consider) that we are not yet done coming out and explore what that means to our lives, this book will likely have an impact.

Coming Out to Ourselves is published by Balboa Press, a division of Hay House.

Rev. Troyer has scheduled a launch party Jan. 12, 7 p.m. at The Center, 3909 Centre Street in San Diego. All are welcome.

Rev. Jerry Troyer

It took Rev. Jerry Troyer two years of writing off and on to complete what he calls a “heart-centered book.” As Rev. Troyer prepares for the launch of Coming Out to Ourselves, (Jan. 12 at The Center) I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with him about his book and the journey that led him to write it.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: I found the book to be a smooth, easy in one sitting read. Was that intentional?

Rev. Jerry Troyer: Yes. My purpose was to get to people who had never thought about why their life doesn’t work … their relationships, issues of being clean and sober and so on… to do so and to explore the sources of their problems. I wanted something people could go through quickly or more slowly and feel it and digest it and then go through it again.

With so many self-help books, and an expanded number in recent years that are LGBT, why this one?

I didn’t find anything out there especially for our community for healing guilt, shame and regret. My experience in the recovery community brought home that these issues are a problem for us. Weight, substance abuse, relationships and debt are issues not only for those in our community but for everyone.

There is a great deal of personal honesty in your book. How easy was that for you?

Easy as a minister. Every Sunday I’m talking about my life and experiences to personalize things for the congregation and create empathy. Over time I’ve become less and less guarded, as I’ve continued to come out to myself.

Many LGBT people seem turned off by religion. Though not religious as such, there are definite spiritual themes in your book. Were you hesitant to do that?

I felt a need to do that. [The title] “Rev” is an invitation to people in our community, people who feel disconnected. It opens the door a little for people to connect to being beloved of God and to your truth.

Where did the seeds for this book come?

From remembering my experience of coming out to others … admitting, accepting and embracing my orientation … and seeing others deal with issues like substance abuse, including my partner’s experience. There’s no such thing as “those people.” We are all connected. We are working at healing our shame and guilt. I want the readers to look at their lives and see how they can treat themselves better than they do.

Was there a moment when you definitely knew, “Yes, I am going to do this?”

Before starting the book, a dear friend asked me, “What do you want to do with your life? How do you want to make an impact on the world?” I listened to that still small voice, and the seed was planted.

You liken the process of coming out to ourselves to “peeling away the layers of an onion.” What would you say to those for whom that might be a challenging or even painful process?

It will be. And you don’t have to complete it today. It is a process, not an event. Allow yourself to peel away the first layer. Then, to the next layer. Watch as your life changes and look at the choices you make. And how you love yourselves, period.

One of several things that touched me in your book is the idea that “life is lived from the inside out.” Could you briefly expound on that?

First, Jesus said it’s done unto you as you believe. We have a belief in our deservedness. Second, we all make choices such as the food we eat. Do we commit to healthy eating today or put it off to start tomorrow? It’s about what we feel about ourselves.

From your experience, first with writing this book and second, with getting it published, what have you learned?

That it’s OK to cry. And if not, you’re not feeling whatever fully. Many of us were brought up not to show emotion. This is part of the process. We have emotions to process and it’s OK. Amazing people love and support us when we give them the opportunity. I believe this book will change lives in a way that people have never thought about before. It’s always our story and our truth.

Rev. Jerry Troyer has studied New Thought and Religious Science since 1989 and has been the senior minister at the Joyful Living Church in Clairemont Mesa since 2005. In the community, he is a volunteer at The Center. For more information visit joyfullivingsandiego.org

MIchelle Obama and President Barack Obama

BY STAMPP CORBIN

Under normal circumstances a holiday party at the White House is a festive once in a lifetime party. You feel so honored to be invited that you are almost giddy with excitement. The party we attended was Dec. 14, the day of the Newtown, Conn. tragedy.

As we stood in line, most of the guests still took pictures to memorialize their trip to the White House, but many of the conversations took on a more serious tone. The Newtown tragedy was weighing heavy on many hearts.

At the party, many invitees had been surrogates for the president during the campaign. A surrogate helps the campaign by speaking to specific constituencies. For example, I am a nationally recognized figure in the LGBT community. Therefore I speak to audiences concerning the LGBT policies of President Obama or simply write about them on our Web site and in our publication.

There were also a host of celebrities, who acted as surrogates, in attendance; Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, Wilson Cruz, Kate Walsh, Angela Bassett, Aisha Tyler and Elisabeth Moss, to name a few.

Scott Bishop and Stampp Corbin

As people ate from the beautiful buffet and drank libations, you could overhear conversations about the tragedy and what should be done about guns in our society. Of course, somehow the fact that it was at an elementary school, made what was already unthinkable, worse.

Many people were checking their cell phones to follow the events as they unfolded and would share the information with others gathered near them.

It must be hard sometimes being the president and first lady. At 3:15 p.m., President Obama was being our mourner-in-chief: showing an unusual amount of emotion by shedding tears when he held a press conference about the Newtown tragedy.

By 5:15 p.m., Obama was addressing a crowd at a holiday party, many of whom had flown hundreds or thousands of miles to attend. With Michelle at his side, the president needed to set the appropriate tone given the events of the day. He did not disappoint.

While still maintaining an air of the holiday season for those gathered, President Obama also acknowledged the tragic events of the day. He asked us to hold our loved ones close, particularly the children in our lives, and to tell them we loved them. You could hear a pin drop in the room.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC), the “Bad Boys of Abridgement,” are famous for such monumental shows as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), The Complete History of America (abridged) and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged). And so it was with this company that the San Diego REPertory Theatre presented their first holiday play in seven years, The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged).

The show is billed as an irreverent but heartwarming trip through the winter holidays. The cast of three, Michael Faulkner, Dustin Sullivan and Mick Orfe are about to stage the “Multicultural Interfaith Holiday Variety Show and Christmas Pageant” and have a myriad of acts lined up to perform including a pantomime company from England to a Mid-West troupe’s presentation of how Santa saved Christmas.

But as the show opens our “Three Wise Guys” realize that due to the bad weather closing in none of the acts have showed up. The show unfolds as the trio decides to improvise, recreate and perform each of the acts themselves.

The Beatles with Rain

Now is the perfect time to take in a holiday show, or two, and plan for a new year of plays and musicals from some of San Diego’s most well respected theaters. From Shakespeare to Broadway’s finest, you certainly won’t be disappointed with this season’s theater offerings.

Heading north, New Village Arts in Carlsbad, Intrepid Shakespeare Company in Encinitas or North Coast Repertory in Solana Beach offer the following:

New Village Arts, 2787 State Street: Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings, Dec. 8-24, The Trip To Bountiful, Feb. 9-March 3, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, March 30-April 21 and Seascape, May 18-June 9.

Intrepid Shakespeare Company, 800 Santa Fe Drive: Hamlet, Jan. 26-Feb. 17. Oleanna, April 4-14.

North Coast Repertory, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive: Educating Rita, Jan. 9-Feb. 3, Time Stands Still, Feb. 20-March 17, The Odd Couple, April 10-May 5, Becoming Cuba, May 29-June 23, and Perfect Wedding, July 10-August 4.

All three of these theaters have a great line up and some of the best directors in town. Rosina Reynolds, Sean Cox, David Ellenstein, Kristianne Kurner, Glenn Paris are all slated to direct. Don’t miss out.

Closer to San Diego you’ll find The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Broadway San Diego, Cygnet Theatre, San Diego Repertory, Diversionary Theatre, Ion Theatre, Mo’ olelo Performing Arts Company, San Diego Music Theatre and the up and coming Circle Circle dot dot Theatre Company.

Broadway San Diego, 1100 Third Ave, is a touring house. This means that its featured shows are Broadway National Tours that are touring throughout the U.S. and usually run for only one week. Upcoming shows are:

The Beatles with Rain, Jan. 4-6, Billy Elliot, April 30- May 5, Green Day’s American Idiot, May 28-June 2 and Sister Act, July 30-Aug. 4.

The Old Globe and The La Jolla Playhouse occasionally have a few touring productions, but through the years have been responsible for many shows going straight to Broadway (The Full Monty, Peter and The Starcatchers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jersey Boys). Both are theaters that offer patrons the chance to see many Broadway-bound shows before they reach The Big Apple.

The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Nov. 17- Dec. 29, Pygmalion, Jan. 12- Feb. 17, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, March 8-April 14, A Doll’s House, March 23- April 21, Be a Good Little Widow, May 11- June 9 and Other Desert Cities, April 27- June 2.

La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive: The La Jolla Playhouse doesn’t have a Christmas offering and at the moment they list only two shows for the upcoming season with no dates attached.

Side Show, which was on Broadway in 1997, is being billed as a “Re-Imagined Musical” and Tribes, by Nina Raine. It was the Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Play of 2012.

Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs Street: A Christmas Carol-A Live Radio Play, Nov. 23- Dec. 30, Gem Of The Ocean, Jan. 24-Feb. 24, Assassins, March 14-28 and Shakespeare’s R&J May 22-June 16.

Scrooge in Rouge

San Diego Repertory, 79 Horton Plaza: The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged), Dec. 5-23, Clybourne Park, Jan. 12-Feb. 10, The Mountaintop, March 2-31, Federal Jazz Project, April 6- May 5.

Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Boulevard #101: Scrooge in Rouge, Dec. 14-30, Birds Of A Feather, Jan. 31-March 3 and The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabbler, March 28-April 28.

Ion Theatre Company, 3704 Sixth Ave.: Chicago: A Speakeasy Cabaret, Dec. 13-28, Punk Rock, Feb. 9-March 9, Grey Gardens, March 23-April 20, Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo, May 4-June 1 and In The Heat Of The Night, June 15-July 13.

Mo’ olelo Performing Arts Company, 930 10th Ave.: The Bluest Eye, Feb. 2-March 3, Extraordinary Chambers, June 6-30 and The Amish Project, Sept. 26-Oct.20

San Diego Musical Theatre, 2891 University Ave.: White Christmas, Dec. 13-23, Chicago, Feb.15-March 3, The Sound Of Music, May 10-26, and Ain’t Misbehavin, Sept. 27-Oct. 13.

Circle Circle dot dot, 930 10th Ave.: Street. Art. Prophets, Nov. 29-Dec 15, San Diego I Love You, Feb. 8-17, Derby Dolls (a working title), April 5-20, and Deconstruction of a Drag Queen, August 2013.

Newly appointed Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edlestein, will bring in San Diego favorite Kirsten Brandt to direct A Doll’s House, and former Co-Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak will also return to direct A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

The La Jolla Playhouse will bring in Academy Award-winner Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Chicago) to direct Side Show and Cygnet Theatre’s Sean Murray will direct most of the theater’s offerings with stellar actors like, Tom Stephenson, David McBean and Jason Connors.

San Diego Rep’s Clybourne Park, which won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play as well as the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, should tempt patrons as well.

Diversionary Theatre brings back critically-acclaimed director James Vasquez to direct Birds Of A Feather and Matt McGrath who starred in last seasons phenomenal Next Fall will direct The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabbler.

Ion Theatre will tempt audiences, as they always do, with their version of the musical Chicago called Chicago: A Speakeasy Cabaret. It will be directed by Linda Libby featuring the talents of San Diego favorites Karson St. John, Tom Andrew and Andy Collins.

Mo’ olelo, always pushing the envelope by bringing us superbly creative offerings, will have critically acclaimed directors Delicia Turner Sonnenburg and Seema Sueko at their respective helms.

San Diego Musical Theatre, now finally with a home at the North Park Theatre, will offer Broadway fare featuring the talents of Los Angeles directors Todd Nielsen and Ron Kellum and featuring actors from California to New York.

Rounding us out is the Circle Circle dot dot Theatre Company. They are one of the few companies in town giving San Diegans original works usually written by their own company members. Edgy, exciting and energetic, this is most definitely a theater company to keep your eye on.

Malashock Dance takes on bullying with the return of ‘RAW’

BY ANDREW PRINTER

October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. It’s also time for the return of Malashock/RAW the popular program brought to you by Malashock Dance. This time around Malashock/ RAW3 includes a work titled Bully choreographed by Associate Artistic Director Michael Mizerany. The inclusion of this piece was not entirely coincidental. All three dances in the RAW3 set seem to involve power struggles but the presentation of Bully continues the company’s awareness of issues relevant to the LGBT community.

The dance company is aware of a responsibility to open up the topic. After the Oct. 27 performance Malashock Dance hosts an audience talk back and panel discussion about bullying that includes dancers, dance educators and local experts on the topic. Featured panelists include Walter G. Meyer author of Rounding Third, a novel that deals with teens being bullied until one of them can’t take it any longer and attempts suicide. Audience members have an opportunity to join the discourse.

I had a conversation with Michael Mizerany about Malashock/RAW3, about his Bully and about bullying in general.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: Malashock/ RAW3 promises “beautiful, cutting-edge and provocative new works, poised to out-shock and out-delight audiences.” What can audiences expect with this third iteration in the RAW series?

Michael Mizerany: Malashock/RAW is our most daring, dynamic and bold production of the season. Audiences can expect to have both a visual and visceral experience. If I had to steal a quote from one of our hardcore patrons, it would have to be: “Raw is sweat, skin and non-stop, no-holds-barred energy. RAW is Rawsome!” During our third year, the new dance work will tackle many controversial themes; will include some nudity, physical danger as well as stellar performances by the Malashock Dance company members.

Your piece is titled Bully. Is it a theme that permeates all three works?

The theme of bullying applies only to my work. The other two works by John Malashock and Regina Klenjoski address other subject matters and themes. Though, having seen their dances, there are definitely elements which could be construed as bullying.

October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. What can dance bring to the conversation?

This issue has been on my radar for quite some time.

Much of the bullying I experienced was based on homophobia, machismo and antiquated ideas of male identity. I was searching for a way to not only address bullying in general, but what I felt were some of the causes.

Malashock/RAW provided me with the perfect opportunity. My approach to Bully will surprise many members of the audience, both in content and structure. It is atypical, satirical, violent and, when the two main characters finally come together, very poignant.

Is there an attempt to invite younger people to the performance, perhaps those involved in on-campus gay/straight alliances etc?

Yes, we are reaching out to gay/straight alliances, The Gay and Lesbian Center, and other artistic and education institutions. With the advent of social media sites, especially Facebook, schoolyard bullying has been taken into the cyberspace and is more extreme than ever.

Though, bullying doesn’t just happen in the schoolyard. It can occur in the work place and interpersonal relationships. That, I believe, is the ripple effect.

So, I don’t know if you really get past being bullied. I still have clear and distinct memories of being harassed. Those scars tend to run deep. Those experiences define how you react and interact with people in your adult life. It has a long-term effect. Sometimes, it is something you can live with but you don’t always recover completely. And tragically, many people, especially teens, find they can’t live with it at all.

What was your experience with bullying at school and how did that influence you as a choreographer?

I went to a Catholic School for 9 years. Most of those years were spent fending off bullies. I was harassed verbally and physically and it took a tremendous toll on my school work and self-esteem. In my sophomore year of high school, my parents enrolled me in public school. It saved my life. I was embraced by the theater and dance community and found a place where my differences were celebrated and embraced.

I don’t know if the “bully” psychology is relevant, but my work does tend to be dark. My RAW piece last year, Desperate Love, followed a young man as he searched for the ideal love. He sacrificed his friendships, morals, ethics and body only to end up alone. Once you have surrendered everything you are, how can you find love or be loved? I know, dark, right?

Malashock Dance will host a panel discussion after the performance. What do you hope to accomplish with this?

I think there is tremendous power in sharing our mutual stories. It fosters meaningful solutions and allows others to understand your point of view. Will we solve the problem of bullying? Probably not. But we can pull strength and resilience from our universal experiences.

Malashock/RAW3 runs through Oct. 28, at the Malashock Dance Studio at Dance Place San Diego in Point Loma’s Liberty Station. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. After the San Diego run, Malashock/RAW3 moves to the Live Arts Theater, Los Angeles, Nov. 9 and 10.

The cast of Allegiance - A New American Musical

‘Allegiance’ has some kinks, but is still enjoyableOriginal shows don’t come along all that often these days. Sure, The Old Globe and La Jolla Playhouse have nurtured some fine award-winning musicals and plays through the years, but compared to the many revivals and shows surrounding known music on Broadway, an original musical is hard to come by.

It’s even tougher to find one that is good and one that leaves you wanting more.

Allegiance, a new American Musical, got its world premiere at The Old Globe last month. It tells the story of a Japanese family living in Salinas, Calif. and how they are forced to sell their home and move to an internment camp during the weeks and years following Pearl Harbor.

The story starts in the present day when an old man named Sam Kimura (George Takei) is visited by a woman who brings him news that his sister Kei (Lea Salonga) has passed away, a sister he hasn’t spoken to in more than sixty years. He is angry, embittered and dismissive and barely gives the few things Kei has left him a passing glance.

As he reluctantly sifts through the items she has left him her spirit appears beckoning him back to his childhood. Back to when he was known as Sammy (Telly Leung) and still in high school dreaming of a better life. The family dynamic is quickly established as we see how Sammy struggles to connect with his father (Paul Nakauchi) and how his sister dotes on him like the mother he never had. His grandfather, Ojii-san (Takei), is the quiet yet wise old man who only speaks his mind when necessary.

George Takei as Ojii-san in Allegiance - A New American Musical

As World War II breaks out, all Japanese Americans are forced to sell their homes and move to internment camps. Sam and his family are relocated to one in Wyoming. They go from living a comfortable life to living in shared quarters, something they are not used to.

It is in the camp that Sammy meets Hannah (Allie Trimm), a young American nurse and Kei meets Frankie (Michael K. Lee), a Japanese American also in the camp. Within time love blossoms for both couples, though Frankie and Sammy don’t see eye to eye.

Sammy does all he can to make himself useful to his family and to the camp. He offers to join Mike Masaoka (Paolo Montalban), the national secretary and field executive of the Japanese American Citizens League, to prove his loyalty to America by joining the military and fighting for his country. Frankie, on the other hand, completely disagrees with this and has no problem making that known.

The action deftly moves from internment camp, to the battlefield, and from the mess halls to the infirmary. Director Stafford Arima definitely keeps the action moving and the scenes move swiftly and effortlessly from one to the next.

Scenic design by Donyale Werle is fascinating and artistically gratifying, as is the lighting design by Howell Binkley.

(L-R) Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura, Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura, George Takei as Ojii-san and Paul Nakauchi as Tatsuo Kimura in Allegiance - A New American Musical

Jay Kuo’s music and lyrics hits many high notes, but also some clinkers in the two and a half hour show. For instance much of the mood in the first half of the show is somber and tense yet most of the written music during that time, while good, seemed out of place. The first song that really grabs you and doesn’t let go is “Ishi Kari Ishi” a simple but sweet song between Kei and her grandfather. It’s sweet, tender and full of heart and is really the first time we see or hear that in the show.

The number that follows is “Higher” and shows why Salonga won that Tony award for Miss Saigon. She has an amazing voice and she is a joy to watch.

There’s a great duet/trio in Act 1 when Sammy and Hannah join a big band singer (Brandon Joel Maier) in the number “With You.” Maier’s vocals mix quite well with both Leung and Trimm and it’s a pretty tune and arranged perfectly.

Lee gets to show his vocal chops in the song “Paradise” and while most of Leung’s songs are not the most memorable, his voice is.

The rest of the first act is great, actually. The music and lyrics fit perfectly with the mood of the show all the way up to the closing of Act 1 and that continues on through most of Act 2.

Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura and Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura in Allegiance - A New American Musical

The entire cast stands out vocally and the sound that emits when the full ensemble sings is breathtaking, thanks to Music Director Laura Berquist. Her work here, on Emma and previous touring productions shows both on stage and in the pit.

Andrew Pallermos’ choreography is fitting, athletic and inventive and his opening number movements are great.

Nakauchi’s Tatsuo is amazing to watch as is Takei’s Ojii-san. Both men are such grounded actors that you get lost in their characters whenever they speak.

Nakauchi is strict and forceful, but you can see why he is the way he is even when the dialogue isn’t there. And what can you say about Takei? His comedic timing never lets us down and when he has a tender moment to play, there isn’t a dry eye in the house.

Allegiance will most surely make its way to Broadway, and between now and then, as with most original shows, it will go through a series of changes and rewrites making it a better show. But see it now when you don’t have to spend the money on a flight and hotel in New York. The cast alone is worth the ticket price.

Keith Bunin

Most San Diegans wouldn’t expect to see, or hear, the names La Jolla Playhouse and Martinis Above Fourth in the same sentence, but they’d better get used to it.

Starting Sept. 24, at Martinis Above Fourth, The La Jolla Playhouse will present another Without Walls (WoW) presentation entitled Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir.

The Playhouse began presenting the WoW series intending to develop new works and to take risks, giving patrons and those involved a chance to take a step outside of their comfort zones. The first two pieces presented were Susurrus, which premiered in late 2011, and The Car Plays: San Diego that premiered in early 2012. Both ventures were received well enough that a third installment in the series was announced.

Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir is that installment. Written by Keith Bunin, the show takes place in 1958 in a Greenwich Village nightclub and is about a young gay cabaret singer who is looking for love in the wrong decade. Although the piece has the feeling of a cabaret, and will showcase the music of Kurt Weill, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter and the like, it is all tied together with a script penned by Bunin.

The idea, as Bunin admits, came from his desire to write about the gay lifestyle of the ‘50s in New York City.

“I wanted very much to write something about gay New York City life in the late 1950s,” Bunin said. “I’ve been fascinated by this period for a long time. There were a lot of gay men and women from all over the USA who found each other when they served in World War II, and after the war, they congregated to cities like New York and San Francisco. In 1958, when the play is set, New York was filled with gay artists of all kinds; poets like Allen Ginsberg and Frank O’Hara; painters like Robert Rauschenberg; composers like Aaron Copland and so many others. They all lived their lives in a kind of code; they were open about their sexuality in many ways, but in other ways they were deeply secretive.”

It was the secretive lifestyle of these artists that fueled Bunin’s desire to write this show.

“It always seemed to me like you could trace the beginnings of the contemporary gay liberation movement directly back to Greenwich Village in the late 1950s,” Bunin continued. “I love the music of that period too, so I wanted to do something that was very much music-centered. I got the idea to create a fictional character, a cabaret singer named Sam Bendrix, who could be privy to the nascent revolution that was taking place around him.”

Luke Macfarlane, best known for his work on the Sally Field/Calista Flockhart vehicle Brothers and Sisters plays Sam Bendrix. Macfarlane who played Scotty, the boyfriend of one of the “brothers” on the show has been with the show from the very beginning.

Luke Macfarlane in Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir | PHOTO COURTESY CITY THEATRE COMPANY

According to Bunin, the show came out of early conversations he’d had with the actor and director Mark Rucker.

“I met Luke when he appeared in a play of mine at Playwrights Horizons in 2006, and we’ve been good friends ever since,” Bunin explained. “So much of the piece came out of conversations we’ve had, and I wrote the part with Luke in mind. I met Mark at the Ojai Playwrights Conference in 2008 and I immediately wanted to find a way to work with him. I feel very lucky that Mark and Luke have been with me throughout the development of this piece – it’s very rare that you get to work with the same director and lead actor on a show over a period of three years and four cities!”

The show itself is something Bunin has been working on since 2008. Being a one-man show set in 1958, he felt that workshopping it and getting it on its feet was what brought it to life. As with most new works, much of the show has been whittled down since its inception and the honing process will continue here in San Diego with the help of both the director and leading man.

San Diego marks the fourth city the show has visited, and the second city where it will be presented as a full production, the first being at the City Theatre in Pittsburgh. Early workshops were done in L.A. in 2009 and then again with a full band and four public offerings at New York Stage and Film in the summer of 2010.

The music, which plays a big part in the show, came from a time period that was particularly amorous to Bunin.

“I love so many of the songs from this period, but part of the fun of writing this show was finding songs I’d never heard before,” Bunin said. “I wanted to try and make the act as authentic to the period as possible. There’s a book called Reading Lyrics, edited by Robert Kimball and Robert Gottlieb, which was incredibly helpful, as well as a history of cabaret by James Gavin called Intimate Nights. Both iTunes and YouTube were invaluable in tracking down some of the more obscure pieces. I tried to find the right mix of famous and obscure songs that Sam would use to tell his story.”

Bunin also listened to many recordings from that era giving the character of Sam a reason to address the audience. What he has created is a relationship between Sam and his audience; a relationship that grows deeper and more intimate as the show unfolds.

“[Bendrix’] act goes to places he didn’t expect it to go,” he said. “Because the play takes place during a time when most gay men and women spoke allusively and in code about their lives, I was very interested in examining what happens when those codes break down.”

Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir will run through Oct. 10. For more information visit either martinisabovefourth.com/sam-bendrix or lajollaplayhouse.org/sam-bendrix

“I’m not an activist. I’m just a kid from Iowa who happened to be in the right place at the right time to make the kind of argument that folks who are on the fence need to hear.”

— Zach Wahls

Zach Wahls, the author of My Two Moms, a former Eagle Scout and founder of Scouts for Equality, will speak at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Hillcrest Sunday. San Diego-based Advancing Compassion Project says that the organization has helped bring Wahls to San Diegans for far lower suggested donations than the $100-plus fundraisers often fetch for in-demand speakers, such as Wahls. The suggested donation for the event is $5 for students; $15 for adults at the door, and $10 advance-purchase adult tickets, available at advancingcompassion.org/shop/. There will also be a book signing event, with a suggested donation of $25 to support the launch of Scouts for Equality.

Wahls is the straight 21-year-old son of Iowa couple Terry Wahls and Jackie Reger. His impassioned, markedly concise and often-hailed as “very compelling” speech to the Iowa House of Representatives Judiciary Committee about growing up as the child of same-sex parents failed to persuade the Republican-dominated House to vote in favor of marriage equality. But it garnered 18 million views on YouTube – and made Wahls a household name.

Wahls took time out of his doubtlessly hectic schedule to answer a few questions from San Diego LGBT Weekly in advance of his Sunday appearance here in San Diego.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: When did you first experience discrimination based on your parents orientation; what happened and how did it feel?

Zach Wahls: It’s important to separate “discrimination” from “stigmatization” as they’re totally separate, but are often used interchangeably. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever experienced “discrimination,” per se, but the first time I ever felt negative stigma about having same-sex parents, I was in the fourth grade. I remember this girl asking me what my mom and dad did, and she did it in such a way that I instinctively knew that if I answered truthfully (i.e. that I didn’t have a “mom and dad”) that she would be, somehow, disappointed in me. And I didn’t want that. It didn’t feel good. And the weird thing is that it wasn’t her fault, really. It was really this internal thing where I wanted to fit in, and be alike, but – by definition – couldn’t.

Did you have a moment(s) when you wished you just had a mom and a dad raising you (or just one mom)?

Absolutely. The answer above is one example. There would be plenty more over the next five years. I didn’t really start settling in to my own until my freshman year of high school and I wasn’t really confident in who I was until my senior year of high school. That being said, I think it’s important to understand why I felt like that. I didn’t dislike or hate or loath my parents. I disliked the fact that I didn’t fit in. I disliked the fact that I was different. At that age (frankly, at any age) being different is dangerous, and it put a target on my back. That difference is true whether you live in San Francisco, California or Sioux City, Iowa. One of the biggest problems I see in the LGBT community today is an attempt by gay parents to deny the possibility that their kids might be bullied or negatively stigmatized because of who their parents are. It’s natural, I think, and no parent wants to think that they might be creating difficulty for their kids. We simply have to remember that it’s not their fault, not our fault – we can’t blame the victim. We simply have to make sure that we’re preparing kids to deal with that harassment and/or stigmatization when – not if – they experience it.

What happened to make you decide to become a voice for same-sex parented families (when was that)?

I’m not an activist. I had never been to a Pride until the video of my testimony before the Iowa legislature blew up online. I’m just a kid from Iowa who happened to be in the right place at the right time to make the kind of argument that folks who are on the fence need to hear. As I started to hear from people whose minds had been changed because of that video, I started to realize that there was a resonance to my family’s story that I hadn’t understood before. Given where this country is in its “evolution” on LGBT rights, taking some time off of school to advocate in a full-time capacity seemed like the right thing to do.

Would you tell our readers about your tenure as a Scout; and what happened to end it?

I joined as a Tiger Scout in 1997. I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2007, the highest rank the Boy Scouts have to offer. I wasn’t forced out or anything. I simply reached the maximum age and “graduated,” so to speak, from the program.

Are there reasons scouting should be a part of a child’s life (what are they)?

There are a multitude of reasons the Scouts should be a part of any young man’s life. They reaffirmed many, many of the values I learned from my moms. They gave me opportunities to learn new skills, to spend time outdoors and to make new friends. In fact, the Boy Scouts was one of the few places where I felt 100 percent comfortable about having lesbian parents. At the time, everybody knew, so I had nothing to hide, and even if I had, I wouldn’t have needed to, because they were all close friends who had zero interest in judging me. I continue to recommend the program in the strongest possible way to all, including those who are gay and to the sons of gay couples.

What message does the Boy Scouts of America send to young scouts by banning LGBT people?

It’s not just a message to young scouts. It’s a message to their parents, to the community at-large, to the rest of the country and, frankly, the world. It’s a message of internal disarray, an inconsistency with its own principles and their own inability to evolve, as the rest of us have and continue to do, in our understanding of humanity. And unfortunately, it’s drowning out all of the positive messages that the BSA has to share.

What message do you believe should replace that of discrimination in scouting?

I don’t think there’s a message that should replace it. I think it just needs to end. There are many other messages from the BSA about religious inclusivity, mutual respect, treating others how we want to be treated, self-determination, etc. that are already out there, but, because of this message, are being drowned out. The Scouts aren’t about discrimination. What we’re hearing and seeing isn’t about discrimination. I’m not even sure it should be described as a “message of discrimination,” because more than anything else, it’s a message of fear. That’s why it’s so disappointing: a Scout is supposed to be brave.

Why do you think it’s been harder for the Boy Scouts to overcome homophobia vs. the Girl Scouts?

It’s been harder for the BSA to get over this than the GSA for the same reason that men are less likely to support LGBTQ rights than women. A lot of homophobia – and I mean that literally, not in a “hateful” or “bigoted” sense – is rooted, fundamentally, in sexism. This is why gay men continue to be stigmatized in a way that’s worse, or at least less socially acceptable, than what gay women often experience, relative to straight women. It’s absurd to me that, in 2012, we’re still dealing with this stuff, but that’s, unfortunately, where we are.

What is the most surprising thing people find out about you and your life growing up as a child of a lesbian couple?

Frankly, the most surprising thing people often find is that I’m a masculine, straight guy who loves football, whiskey, girls, video games, buffalo wings and rap. Again, this is old news to most of us, but some people just can’t wrap their minds around the possibility that lesbian women – somehow – raised a straight, masculine man. And, to be clear, I’m not the pinnacle of masculinity. I enjoy cooking, don’t mind doing my laundry, and have been in more than one drag show, but, frankly, that’s kind of the point. I’m comfortable enough in my masculinity that “breaching” it occasionally doesn’t bother me at all.

What would you like to add?

If any of your readers are current or former Scouts or Scout Leaders, I’d encourage them to check out the organization I’ve co-founded – Scouts for Equality – at our Web site, scoutsforequality.com

Christer Strömholm, Les Amies de Place Blanche

We all love New York, right? Some of us visit for Broadway, the great white way of song and dance and musical theater. Others are drawn to the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and the Empire State Building. Some simply like East Coast anything: time-worn architecture, leafy green trees, hot dogs with mustard and attitude. I love all those things too but I go for the art, wherever it may be. I like being overwhelmed by monumental paintings stored in massive museums like MoMA or the Met and I like discovering odd ideas tucked into any one of the numerous boutique galleries littering Chelsea and the Lower East Side. Most of all I like art that just happens (aka: that thing called life): the people, the rhythm of the city, the sound and the smell of the street.

I spent a week in New York recently, and for the first time I didn’t have a list of urgent things to do. My only agenda was to experience whatever art I stumbled upon as I found it. Not just any art though, gay art in particular. Living in San Diego I get frustrated that there is so little happening that is queer and provocative, that speaks to my community, my experience, my history and my future. It’s not that that I need to live and breathe everything gay. But being gay is my culture and sometimes I would like to be spoken to directly, challenged, entertained and even outraged.

I walked to Chelsea on my first day. The art district seems to have migrated to the broad streets that stop at the old Chelsea Piers. Many spacious galleries can be found in old warehouses beneath the High Line, a wonderfully repurposed above ground train track that is now an inner city walkway full of flower beds. You should see it!

Screw You was an exhibition of “adult-themed” art, publications and other ephemera originating in the era of hippies and beatniks. I made the obligatory circle round the space but I was looking for less X-rated newsprint art and something more fabulous so I left pretty quickly for an exhibition called Summer Camp a short walk away. Summer Camp represented more than 40 years of work about and within ‘camp’ culture and aesthetic – an aesthetic, according to Susan Sontag’s Notes on Camp (1964), focused on artifice, frivolity, naïve middle-class pretentiousness and ‘shocking’ excess. The show included work by familiar names like Tom of Finland and John Waters but also the surprising and unknown, for example a carnal scene that unfolds in Ken Weaver’s obsessively drawn diorama of a busty queen.

Next up was B-Out at the Andre Edlin Gallery. If a busty drag queen threw up her sequins and pearls then this is what B-Out resembled. It was fabulous. The tiny gallery was crammed wall to wall and floor to ceiling with portraits and paintings, sparkle and glitter, humor and darkness by dozens of artists with dozens of aesthetics. Curated by Scott Hug, B-Out proclaimed to “Be outside the box, be outside the system, be out of order and be out of control.” The show certainly was! Can arts “Be out of control” in San Diego too I wondered.

Matthew Brandt’s Lakes and Reservoirs series

B-Out was hosted by a group called Dirty Looks which had just embarked on a month of queer interventions in New York spaces. Titled Dirty Looks On Location the series was going to be too much for me to manage. But the New York LGBT community was going to enjoy a smorgasbord of spectacle; anything and everything ranging from décor installation to splatter movies to talking medicine cabinets.

I saw the most memorable exhibition of my New York trip at the end of my first day. It wasn’t gay themed as it turned out. But the nature of the work had such a queer sensibility to it that it might as well have been! The Yossi Milo Gallery was presenting a mini retrospective of work by Matthew Brandt, a recent MFA graduate. Brandt actively employs nature in his photography. His Lakes and Reservoirs series features the eponymous bodies pictorially abstracted and almost painterly thanks to the fact that the huge prints have been plunged into their waters. Talk about psychedelic! His new series Honeybees involves a 19th century photographic process that uses actual dead bees to depict a monochromatic swarm of dead honeybees.

A couple of days later I returned to Chelsea and met Nelson and Ted the hardworking staff at Visual Aid, an agency whose mission is to encourage artists with life-threatening illnesses to continue their creative work. I have known about Visual Aid for quite some time but learned a lot more about their constant work and activity in both New York and around the country. If you are an artist affected by AIDS or whose work references that time then take a look at visualaid.org

I spent a day just wandering the city and decided to stop into the International Center of Photography. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but I discovered Christer Strömholm: Les Amies de Place Blanche a set of documentary photographs of transsexual “ladies of the night” in Paris back in the 1960s. Strömholm’s surprisingly intimate portraits and lush Brassaï-like night scenes were a magnificent, dark, and at times moving photo album, a vibrant tribute to his “girlfriends of Place Blanche.”

On my last day in the city I saw two vastly different exhibitions. Tragic Glamour at Pop International Galleries was a colorful but rather expected series of large photos by photographer Christopher Logan and stylist Derek Warburton of queer underground celebrity Richi Rich and his boyfriend Ross Higgins. Then I took a long walk east to the Lisa Cooley Gallery to check out Longtime Companion, an exhibition by Josh Faught. I was thick in my own project about quilting and AIDS history at the time and was curious about Faught’s textile-based work that referenced PFLAG and panels from the NAMES Project quilt. Tragic Glamour was bubblegum, pretentious and pop. Longtime Companion was serious, tactile and warm. Both of them gay as can be. Could either happen here?

Ken Weaver, To the Stars Light, 2007, oil pastel on paper

San Diego isn’t New York. New York is bigger and a magnet for arty types from all over the world. But San Diego is a large city too, with its own attributes and quite a few arty types as well. I believe this city’s artists and creative curators and businesses could do more; not the same as New York City, but something all of our own, in our own way.

Most of our local non-profit agencies are funded by restrictive grants and/or conservative donors so they often avoid art that skirts too close to explicit sexuality, nudity and frankly adult themes of any kind. Other periodic, community-oriented exhibitions and performances can be safe and derivative and tend to revolve around the tried and true themes of coming out, pride and now the gestures and circumstances of family, marriage and settling down.

Don’t get me wrong; there is room for all this, but there should also be room for much more. There should be art that speaks to, that is by and about, all the homeless LGBT youth in the city. There should be art about bullying, art about gay men living in a post-AIDS reality, and art that includes bold transgender representations and more art by lesbians, too. Queer artists address these themes elsewhere in messy, organized ways via painting, performance and the moving image. But there isn’t too much of that here in sunny San Diego; nothing too critical, nothing too challenging to the status quo, nothing too controversial. There don’t seem to be many LGBT artists in San Diego interested in progressive themes, no curators or galleries open to organizing these possibilities.

Or are there? If so, please let me know!

George Takei stars as Sam Kimura and Ojii-san, Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura and Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura in the world premiere of Allegiance - A New American Musical

In 1942, their countrymen betrayed those who pledged it. Can a musical tell their story and prevent that from happening again?

An interview begins with the interviewer mispronouncing a genuine Hollywood legend’s name.

“It’s Tuh-kay,” said George Takei, most famous for his role as Lt. Sulu in the original, groundbreaking NBC television series, Star Trek, and several big-budget sci-fi feature films of the Star Trek franchise. “Tuh-kī would mean ‘expensive.’”

Takei adds, “Now that doesn’t mean (because it’s not pronounced “Tuh-kī”) that I’m cheap.”

“Takei means ‘warrior’s well,’” Takei explains, saying that his surname might indicate that he comes from a line of bartenders to the samurai class.

“I’ve been running lines with Brad all morning,” Takei says over the phone. “But this is perfect. I’m ready for a break; let’s do the interview now.”

In addition to being his rehearsal partner one recent morning, Brad Takei is George Takei’s husband. The couple married during that fleeting period of marriage equality in California before the passage of Proposition 8.

As a very young child living in Los Angeles in the weeks immediately following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor during the holiday season of 1941, Takei experienced the terrifying events portrayed in his new musical, Allegiance, playing Sept. 7 – Oct. 21.

At first, it might seem hard to imagine why the story of the internment of a Japanese-American family would make for a good musical. But, at second thought, what better way to communicate the writhing emotions embroiled in the experience of betrayal by ones’ own countrymen than through song; through music; and yes, even through dance?

The warrior’s well of memories that is one family’s legacy – that of the real-life Takeis’ as shared with San Diego LGBT Weekly by its most famous member helps fuel the on-stage story of the Kimuras. Lending George Takei a hand in portraying his character, “Sam,” in his earlier life when he was more apt to be called “Sammy” is Glee’s Telly Leung.

“Telly and (director) Stafford Arima, and (writers) Lorenzo Thione and Marc Acito, Kuo and Lorenzo Thione, as well as lyricist, Jay Kuo are amazingly talented artists,” says Takei about why he thinks Allegiance is a musical that could become a phenomenon. “And The Old Globe has a history of, and is great at producing hits, both commercially and critically.”

“Then too,” says Takei. “… this is my legacy project.”

That legacy began when George Takei’s tiny five-year-old’s hands, which would one day grow into the steady helmsman’s hands of the USS Enterprise, were no match against the bayonet-brandishing U.S. soldiers who invaded his family’s Wilshire District home in 1942.

“My remembrance is that of an innocent child from five to eight,” says Takei. “Of course when the soldiers came, it was a terrifying morning. My brother was four; my baby sister was a year old.”

The involuntary internment of American citizens who thought they were Americans without any asterisks, but who, because they were simply of Japanese descent remains one of the darkest blots upon the conscience of the American psyche. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, filled so-called “War Relocation Camps,” with more than 110,000 innocent Americans.

“I grew up in L.A.,” Takei said. “I was as American as anyone else. Yet I and my entire family were picked up and taken to what they called an ‘assembly center’ at Santa Anita (horse-racing track in Pasadena).”

From Santa Anita, where the Takeis lived in a horse stable for a while, the U.S. government sent the family to a camp in Arkansas called “Rohwer.”

Because he was so young and, as Takei puts it, seeing things through the eyes of wonder that only children know, fear was soon replaced by excitement.

“You have to remember, we were from Los Angeles; I was born in East L.A. We moved, of course, and grew up near … the famous Bullocks Wilshire department store. I had never seen snow. When we got to Rohwer, the entire place was white with snow. I had never seen such a sight. It was – well; it was beautiful!”

Then, when summer came, there were the creeks.

“And we caught frogs and there were polliwogs.”

By the time Takei and his parents and siblings were freed, Takei was eight.

“It must have been so hard for my mom and my dad,” he recalls. “We didn’t go right back to the Wilshire District. You see, they took everything away from you. We had nothing. At first, we lived in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.”

Takei says those first days back in L.A. were unbearable.

Rohwer war relocation camp, Arkansas

“The stench of urine was everywhere. There were people; scary, ugly people, falling on you as you walked down the street. My baby sister said to my mother, referring to the camp, ‘Mama, let’s go home.’”

The Takeis were of the Nisei generation, a Japanese term meaning second generation members of an immigrant family, the first to be born on the soil of their new country. Their children, including George, were Sansei, or third-generation Americans. Yet, despite their mistreatment by their own government, both Nisei and Sansei Takeis still believed in the America promised in history books and the documents of its founding. By the time George Takei was a teenager, he began engaging his father in deep discussions on the topic of equality and civil rights. Takei’s father was an engaging and philosophical conversationalist. But there was one talk he regrets.

…

Continued from San Diego LGBT Weekly newsmagazine …

“Daddy,” Takei recounts. “You led us like lambs to the slaughter.”

“I regret saying that.  I realize I hurt him. I wanted to apologize, but he said, ‘maybe you’re right.’  I will forever carry that with me. He closed the door and I thought I would apologize the next day; but that never happened.”

As the Takeis lives in Los Angeles began to return to a semblance of normalcy, George landed a part in Fly Blackbird Fly, a play about college students demonstrating.

“It played at the Metro Theatre on Washington Boulevard,” Takei said. “Then it went to New York, off-Broadway at the Billy Rhoades Theater.”

He studied drama at UCLA. Acting work came quickly for the hardworking, driven and focused Takei. One role led to another, including a big break when he played a Chinese cannery worker opposite Richard Burton, who also played a cannery worker, in Ice Palace.

“Richard Burton’s character worked his way up through the cannery business and ends up opening his own cannery,” Takei explained. “He hires my character, Wang. I become his majordomo, which is like a butler.”

In that role, Takei, a newcomer in his first important role in a big-budget Hollywood film found himself working directly with the legendary Welsh actor throughout the production.

“We aged through the story,” Takei said.  ”Makeup for old age back then was painful, very painful.”

Ice Palace presented Takei with a rare opportunity, one he knew that many actors with many more years of paying their dues would have done almost anything to have. Takei felt fortunate and took the opportunity to prove his dedication and talent.

“Warner Bros liked me,” he recalls. “I got parts on Hawaiian Eye” (a private investigator ABC television series, which aired 1959-63).

“I was the envy of all my classmates,” he said. “But UCLA was very supportive; my professors were very indulgent; and I did go on to get my bachelor’s and masters degrees from the Theater Department.”

And the rest is history and history continuing to be made by Takei as his career continues to take unexpected and adventurous turns.

The title for the new musical playing this month at The Old Globe was inspired by something that had been at the root of Japanese American internment – something that was suspect.

“Allegiance,” Takei explained. “Our allegiance to our country was suspected; it was a summary roundup on the West Coast. It was the most irrational thing, because there were lots of Japanese Americans in Hawaii, the place where the attack on Pearl Harbor actually occurred, but they were not sent to camps.”

Takei went on to explain an epidemic of “West Coast war hysteria” that made the entire Pacific coast ripe for scapegoating.

“There were no charges, no trials,” Takei said. “We have a system called due process that was completely ignored. They even raided orphanages!”

But, according to Takei, there was something else happening that was even more sinister than the war fever that led to American citizens, who just happened too be of Japanese descent, being imprisoned, including women, the elderly, children and infants, without ever being charged with a crime or being given the due process guaranteed them as U.S. citizens by the United States Constitution.

“A lot of farmers wanted the land Japanese immigrants owned. Immigrants couldn’t actually buy land, so you see, but people like my grandfather were smart and bought and developed the land in their children’s or grandchildren’s name”

Takei’s grandfather developed land in the Sacramento Delta, and area then called Florin.

“Some of the (non-Japanese American) farmers used the paranoia to take our  property and our land,” Takei said. “You know, they would say, ‘those inscrutable Japanese.’ The destruction of the Japanese American community is our singular point during World War II. Yet, Japanese Americans rushed to enlist after Pearl Harbor.”

But when they went to recruitment offices, they found something less than marching orders awaited them.

“We were labeled ‘enemy non-aliens;’ citizen in the negative,” he said. “Suddenly they rounded us up. But after some time, as they realized they need as many soldiers as they could get, they opened up military service to Japanese Americans.”

But any would be  Johnny-get-your-gun with Japanese ancestry first had to prove his loyalty.

“There were loyalty tests.” Takei said. ”Question 27 asked everyone over the age of 17, male or female regardless of age, ”are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?”

Meanwhile, the more insidious Question 28 created anxiety in the interned Japanese American community. It read (but was later revised for Issei), “Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any and all attacks by foreign and domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese Emperor, or any other foreign government, power, or organization?

For Issei (immigrants), saying ‘yes’ to question 28 would mean they would not have a country to call their own. Meanwhile, their native-born American children, Nisei  were fearful of answering “yes” to Question 28 because that could be construed to mean they had previously held loyalty to the emperor of Japan.

“But what was the worst thing to happen was for those young men who said when asked if they would serve the United States in the war: ‘I’m an American. I will serve, but not as an internee. I will go to my hometown draft board. They were rewarded with being taken from the camps to prison.”

Takei believes the strength and weakness of our democracy is that it’s a people’s government.

“That’s why the story of ‘Allegiance’ is important to me and I think it will also be to the American public,” he said. “The story takes place sixty years after the internment, which happens to be 2001. I see what has happened to Arab Americans, Muslims in our country – even Sikhs, who have been murdered because someone thought they were Muslim.”

Takei recalls the story of an Arab American chemist working in a university laboratory who was whisked away by the FBI shortly after 9/11.

“He said, ‘I’m an American; I’m an American,’” Takei said. “His wife was frantic and his family were terrified, but he wasn’t given due process before he was apprehended. We know that what happened to us World War II can happen today, because it has happened in the last few years to certain groups.”

Eventually, says Takei, the chemist was released. The government filed no charges.

Takei also sees a corollary message in ‘Allegicance’ for LGBT Americans and our community’s struggle for basic civil rights.

“I’ve been doing a lot of talks on that topic,” he said. “May is Asian American heritage month; June is Pride month. I’ve been tying the internment to the inequality of the LGBT community. We were confined by real barbed wire back then. Now we as LGBT people are slowly cutting down these legal barbed wire fences that are the irrational depravation of equality from people just because they are different.  All these legalistic barbed wire fences have to go. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell  is gone, but marriage equality remains a challenge.”

The nightlife venue that formerly housed Eden and Universal re-opened last Friday under an undisclosed name. Billed as a soft opening that also seconded as a renaming party, the event saw a large crowd who donned every look from street clothes and mohawks to “dress to impress” little black dresses and bow ties. Many are wondering what will make this club different from Eden and Universal and what will the new owners do differently. Or, will it become the third in a row to fail at this location. San Diego LGBT Weekly caught up with Urbano Pelicon, one of the new owners, to get his take on all of this, and to find out what we can expect to see from this new club.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: Urbano, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. When will we know the name of the club?

Urbano Pelicon: After Labor Day weekend.

Who are the new owners?

Urbano Pelicon, Kevin Sanders, Jay Taylor, Rob Lane, David Schiffman and Vania Raitano.

What made you guys want to open a club in this location?

For the past several years we looked at the place and saw how underutilized it was. By reformatting the floor plan, space will be cohesive and inviting. Once plans are approved by the City of San Diego, the construction will begin later this year.

Were any of you nervous or doubtful about opening up a club in a location that has had such a high failure rate?

No. We have developed many locations that once failed, and are now successful.

What makes this venture different from Eden and Universal?

We will make it more open, less stuffy and tailored to the community. Also it will be owned and operated by members of the community.

Do any of the owners own other nightlife venues?

Yes. We own a few nightclubs in downtown San Diego.

In your opinion what do you believe Eden and Universal did that caused their doors to close?

The layout and the flow of the space. The marketing outreach was not well received. Both tried too hard to prove themselves as luxury brands which ultimately alienated people.

What is your plan to ensure this does not happen to your club?

First and foremost we want to be known as the friendliest venue in the community. The Range Restaurant will be the backbone of the business.

I know people are thinking it; are any of the new owners business partners of the prior owners?

No.

Will it cater to the LGBT community?

That is our core demographic.

Will there be a dress code and door cost?

No dress code. There will be a cover charge on the weekends and for special events.

Will you have a full menu and if so what is a must-try item?

Yes. The Range Burger and Ahi Salad.

What will the average drink cost be?

$8.

What kind of special events will you put on?

We are planning to host theme parties, charitable events and partner up with the community on a variety of events.

What about the ladies? Do you guys plan on catering to women and lesbians?

Yes. We will cater to the entire community.

Any well-known Hillcrest favorites slinging drinks and keeping us shaking our asses?

We are in the process of hiring, right now.

What makes you guys the new Hillcrest hot spot?

We will keep the atmosphere fun, the staff will be friendly and high-energy and we will be here 7 days a week.

Both the previous owners seemed to sink a lot of time and money into the interior and exterior of the club and not enough into the community; what are you guys going to do different?

We will be involved with the community in fundraising aspects, sponsorship and in-kind donations.

In three words why is this club where it is at?

In business location is everything: location, location, location.

What should the community know about this new Hillcrest hot spot?

Do not park in Ralphs parking lot. You will be towed.

Thank you again, Urbano, for taking the time to speak with us and we wish you and the new club the best of luck!

Steve Solomon

Most people might wonder how Steve Solomon, the author and Broadway star of “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m STILL in Therapy!” could have gotten where he is today without any familial inspiration, but it’s true, well sort of.

Solomon will be bringing his Broadway show to San Diego Repertory Theatre this month and will be there through Sept. 9.

This show is a sequel to “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m in Therapy!” also written by Solomon, which premiered in San Diego last year.

Both of these shows have toured the country and were inspired by Solomon’s own family, so perhaps familial inspiration or a family member in the business wasn’t completely necessary.

Born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn Solomon cultivated many of his accents and dialects just by listening to his ‘diverse and multi ethnic’ neighbors on the street. “That’s where I learned to do all the characters in my shows,” Solomon explained.

In this particular show Solomon takes the audience back to his childhood and what it was like growing up with his family, which he lovingly describes as “One part lasagna, one part kreplach and two parts Prozac.” He also talks about his sister “The Smoker” and also delves into dieting, mixed marriages and even ex-wives.

In fact, when asked what a typical dinner was like in the Solomon household, he definitely doesn’t hold back. “[There was] lot’s of food, chaos, laughing and yelling,” Solomon said.

Most would think that Solomon went to school for performing, but he didn’t. He actually went to school for a degree in secondary education and taught for many years; he remarks how his teaching affected his students in a positive way.

“I taught physics and was an assistant superintendent of schools,” Solomon said. “[Many of] my former students find me after shows and tell me how they loved my comic approach to teaching.”

His start in show business wasn’t like most. In fact he was writing jokes long before he actually performed them himself.

“I started writing jokes and stories in the early seventies,” Solomon said. “[And] I started getting paid for them around 1985.” Coincidentally, that was around the same time Solomon decided to get out of teaching and become a full-time comedian. It was then that he returned to his roots and began writing shows that have played to sold-out crowds for two years in New York.

As of today, Solomon has written four full-length shows; three of those shows are currently touring. “All three shows are touring internationally,” Solomon said. Solomon also mentioned that he works with three other actors who do these shows on a yearly basis as well. “We do 300-500 productions a year,” Solomon added.

This particular show was actually on Broadway last season and it was his shows producer, Phillip Roger Roy, who brought this show to the Rep after a successful run of his original show that, as mentioned prior, premiered at the Rep last year.

Like most comedians, Solomon credits some pretty major heavyweights in the comedy business for inspiring what it is that he does today. Some of his favorite comedians, past and present, are Jonathan Winters, George Carlin and Dave Chappel.

Much like these comedians, Solomon confessed that a certain amount of improvisation does creep in to his live shows.

“Although the show is scripted, it is theater,” Solomon said. “I wander off script occasionally … every night!”

And while Solomon isn’t necessarily open to discussing what he has working for the future he did say, “An announcement will be forthcoming.”

One of the things that resonate strongly about Solomon and what he brings to his shows and gives to the audiences is his desire to make people laugh; plain and simple.

“Audiences identify with the characters in all my shows,” Solomon commented. “There’s no message, nothing poignant … just belly laughs and an evening of fun. You don’t have to be Jewish or Italian to love this show. All you need is to know what it feels like to leave a family dinner with heartburn and a headache.”

“My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m STILL in Therapy!” is playing at The San Diego Repertory Theatre located at the Lyceum Theatre downtown San Diego. For tickets and further information you can contact the theater at 619-544-1000.

For more information on Steve Solomon visit stevesolomoncomedy.com or catch him live on stage at The Rep until Sept. 9.

Charming Hollywood actor Seth Peterson talked to San Diego LGBT Weekly about his role opposite Sharon Gless and Jeffrey Donovan on USA’s hit spy series Burn Notice, his multiple award-winning feature film Hate Crime and Sedona the movie, which will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and digital download Aug. 22.

The brilliantly engulfing New Age flick Sedona intertwines the story lines of two executives who initially experience a profound sense of loss in the magical essence of the location they wind up in. Have you ever been caught in a vortex? Haplessly ripped out of their fast-paced lives, the main characters portrayed by Frances Fisher, Seth Peterson and his on-screen partner Matt Williamson eventually surrender and gain focus on what really matters in life.

A self-proclaimed Twitter junkie, the hunky star is quite possibly the only celebrity who actually tries to personally interact with every single one of his fans in the realms of social media. Seth Peterson keeps his followers invigorated with a seemingly inexhaustible repertoire of quirky pleasantries, poetry, music, parody, zombie haikus and snapshots straight from the set. Check him out @sethpetersonla

Horace Schaefer: From what I gather, Twitter, to you, is a relatively new communication platform on which you interact with viewers of your screen work.

Seth Peterson: I’m embarrassed to say I have 17,000 Tweets since I got into it a few months ago and I tried in vain the other day to wipe all my Tweets so I can start fresh with a new app. I got rid of 4,000, but it looks like I’m going to be in the million Tweets soon.

Your fans have formed groups, Twitter-bombed networks to see more of you, and you still manage to keep in touch with everyone. How do you keep up? Do you set any boundaries?

Yes, I have a “No Tweet Sundays” rule and I’ll say, “Oh, I’m running out, please don’t ask me any questions when I’m gone.” I have my famous family time when it’s time to put away the phone and give the kids all my attention. So there are definitely boundaries. But I also found that at the very least I could reach out and basically respond to everyone at least once a day.

Some of your Burn Notice fans on Twitter expressed discomfort with seeing you in a “gay scene” when Hate Crime had come up and you handled it so delicately, reminding people of what’s really important, not who kisses whom. Now we see your followers share pics of their Hate Crime DVD just fetched from the mailbox. You seem to lack any sense of stigma attached to being portrayed as gay. Do you care to comment?

I grew up in Hollywood. It’s a really mixed bag here. When you grow up in that kind of environment there is nothing unusual about anybody you meet. And the fact that other people don’t see it that way is kind of odd to me. I don’t get it, that whole other viewpoint. There is no “us and them,” we’re all together. I’ve always felt that way. In my mind Hate Crime was a really important message and it wasn’t about homosexuality as much as it was about what’s right and wrong and when one group makes those decisions without taking into account a specific instance that happened, they lose sight of the bigger picture, which is, “Hey, we all have rights, we need to be protected.”

This Burn Notice business has been off the hook. For six seasons you’ve been part of a show that’s garnered fandom around the world. You play Nate Westen, the son of Sharon Gless’ character Madeline and the protagonist Michael’s brother. What is your most memorable experience?

I’d have to say the work I’ve been able to do with Jeffrey Donovan and Sharon Gless. In all the scenes we worked together in, there is a hugely entertaining family dynamic. I find it especially fascinating when the three of us are sitting at the dinner table and we all have different agendas. We sit there quietly and somehow, overtly, get our agendas all out. The series is so much bigger than a family show, there is so much more going on. So when you get those little breaks and you see Michael Westen at home and why he is so shut off, it’s the biggest fun.

Who is your favorite villain on Burn Notice?

Jay Karnes. When I worked on The Shield I did all my scenes with Jay Karnes. It’s an incredible show, by the way. Coincidentally he ended up being that bad guy on Burn Notice who shot me. We got to know each other and we follow each other on Twitter.

Wasn’t he sitting next to you on the Burn Notice panel at Comic Con?

Yes! That’s why I was so bored. Just kidding, Jay. I love you!

Your latest feature, Sedona the movie, gets its full release this month. What drew you to the project other than Tommy Stovall, the fabulous filmmaker you had worked with on Hate Crime?

One of the things about the movie I really loved is that Tommy wrote the last movie [Hate Crime], which is a really topic-heavy film. The subject matter is really intense. He likes to write about what he knows and he knows his characters really well. I’m pretty sure both of these lead characters he wrote are created out of his personal experience. It just so happens that the lead in Sedona is an accountant [as is Tommy’s partner Marc], and it is not his life story, naturally, but he speaks through him when he writes. And I kind of get how he thinks and how he talks.

He created this movie about this gay couple that has two kids and the journey they go through. And at no point in time do you ever really put any stock into the fact that they’re gay. You know what I mean? It’s really not even referenced to. Nobody at all says anything about it in the whole film. There is no reference put into it.

That’s in a big sense one step ahead; it’s juxtaposed with the typical gay plot line.

Exactly. The guy they hired, Matt Williamson, who played my character’s partner Eddie, is as far away from the character as you can possibly get. And we had so much fun. That scene that we did up on the top the mountains is one of my favorites. We just riffed off each other, had a blast. It was really fun to be part of.

Has that story line caused you personally to change views on how much you use technology vs. having family time?

No [laughs], I wish it would have. It actually got much worse. When I started that movie I didn’t actually have a smart phone. So the smart phone obsession began. I’m a method actor, not to the extreme, but that’s my basis of training. So, I started doing the smart phone stuff at the beginning of the show, and by the end of the movie I had bought my iPhone. And ever since I’ve been a ghost. That’s why I have to literally scream “Family time!” and leave the phone in a separate room.

How ironic! In closing, some of your fans wonder about your workout routine. What do you do to maintain your lean, muscular physique?

[Laughs] I don’t have one of those exercise or workout routines. I once did an article for Nelson Aspen, and I was actually the “anti-fitness guy.” My idea of staying in shape is doing cardiovascular work and staying thin, eating lots of chicken – Poquito Mas, El Pollo Loco, Carl’s Jr., and In N’ Out Burger… [laughs]

Seth Peterson’s upcoming projects include a role in the feature film Untold, which tells the true story of a lesbian entrepreneur who explores traumatic events that took place in her childhood, and We’re Alive, a 50s style zombie radio show that follows the characters and drama involved in surviving the zombie apocalypse.

If you don’t know the show La Cage aux Folles, don’t tell anyone. Your gay card may be revoked and you’ll be exiled to Santee.

Here’s the 411. The show is endearingly known as La Cage. In 1973, Jean Poiret’s play La Cage aux Folles opened in Paris and ran for 1,800 performances. The play was then made into a hit French film in 1978. Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein hatched the musical version in 1983 which won six Tonys and ran for more than four years. Jerry Herman’s score included “I Am What I Am” which became an ubiquitous gay-pride anthem.

Director Terry Johnson’s reimagining of La Cage opened in 2008 at London’s fringe Menier Chocolate Factory. The company excels in breaking with tradition. Menier originates musical revivals in its 180-seat space that often transfer to the West End and Broadway. La Cage opened in the 2010 Broadway season, then went on to win the 2011 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Director and Best Actor in a Musical.

Rather than the chic St. Tropez nightclub-world setting for the film and original Broadway production, Johnson’s vogue aims lower. Think of wilting boas in a drag show at the Chi Chi Club where the design motif is cigarette burns in the upholstery.

Broadway San Diego’s feathered doyenne grew up gay in a town the likes of Lake Wobegon, where students drove tractors to high school; an unlikely starting point for a Broadway triple-threat. Then again, it might be the ideal circumstance. Christopher Sieber, 43, makes his grand entrance to town as Albin, the irrepressible drag queen Za Za.

Off-Broadway, Mr. Sieber played Dan in The Kid, based on the internationally syndicated relationship and sex columnist Dan Savage’s autobiographical account of a male couple’s adoption experience. New York Times’ Ben Brantley wrote of Mr. Sieber’s performance.

“Mr. Sieber – who delivered exaggerated, Tony-nominated comic performances in Broadway musicals – is equally at home with the low-key style demanded here … he develops a charming, self-deprecating rapport with the audience early on. And he never oversells Dan’s stand-up-style comic lines.”

What a shiny new McCormick Reaper is to a Minnesota farmer, the Times review is to Mr. Sieber. A-list theater directors have found Mr. Sieber good company including: Michael Mayer, Scott Elliott, James Lapine, Walter Bobbie, Casey Nicholaw and Mike Nichols.

Tony nominations for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his work as Sir Dennis Galahad in Spamalot and the down-on-his knees shorty, Lord Farquaad in Shrek Broadway has primed him for the next big show; projects await, mums the word.

In a recent telephone interview the San Diego LGBT Weekly learned that the more than two decades in Gotham’s highly competitive theater industry have not diminished Mr. Seiber’s earthy candor. Just as interesting, one senses a subtle suggestion Christopher Sieber is a person of faith.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: Does Garrison Keillor get the Minnesota thing right?

Christopher Sieber: That’s absolutely right. I saw his radio show in New York a couple of times.

Was going to high school tough in the rural Midwest?

Being a gay kid, that was rough. I didn’t know any other – I did know other gay kids but we didn’t recognize each other. I was bullied, but I used humor (to protect myself). There were some assholes in school. I was told early on don’t worry about that stuff.

When was the moment you discovered you wanted to be an actor?

I was in third grade and was in a gifted program (for children) called Omnibus. They shipped us off to the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis to do workshops and little plays. I found out I was pretty good at it, it wasn’t an effort to learn that (acting), it came naturally. In high school I had a couple of teachers who were so good at telling me that I probably should leave, (in Minnesotan) ‘You should leave Minnesota because there is nothing here for you.’ I did. I got on a plane all by myself at 18 years old Oct. 3, 1988 to go to school and I’ve been a resident of New York ever since.

How did you choose the American Musical and Dramatic Academy?

It had everything: the dancing, singing and acting that I knew nothing about. I learned a lot. I still don’t know what I’m doing.

What was it like learning the ropes In New York?

It was strange coming from a small town. Some people say, ‘I come from a small town of 10,000.’ I came from a small town of 642 people – in Minnesota. Imagine being a gay kid in (a town of) 642 people. People drove tractors to school. (There was) no real outlet for me. I moved to the largest city in the world. I was overwhelmed for two or three months. Then it became really easy. I was learning how to do this. It kind of all happened.

How did you get your first agent?

I got my first agent from a showcase at school. She didn’t really do anything for me. But I had an agent. Then I started getting little shows here and there. Now I’m with Abrams for 15-16 years.

You originated two roles in Monty Python’s Spamalot. How did rehearsals start off and ramp up to full throttle Python?

The weird part of that was all of us are funny improv actors. We loved it when things went wrong. It was so much fun. We actually created a lot of the transitions. The rehearsal process wasn’t even work. It was sheer fun every day.

You’ve replaced actors in major roles on Broadway. What is that process like? How much room is there for adding your take on a role?

At the beginning you just let them tell you what to do. As the character grows you know how to put yourself in there and find your way.

Coming out in showbusiness is a major decision. When did you decide to take the step?

It was so weird. I guess I came out when we were doing a show. How weird is that? I don’t want to sound like a fuckin’ hypocrite or a moron. I’ll do it. I’ll tell the world. It’s no big deal. If you make a big deal about it will be a big deal. But if you don’t, it won’t.

If you’re good at what you do, it doesn’t matter if you’re straight or gay. It doesn’t matter. I was on the cover of the Advocate. It hasn’t hurt me at all. I plug away.

You met your partner, actor and chef Kevin Burrows, when the two of you performed in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Was there any irony or comfort in those circumstances?

How gay is that ! (laughs) Yeah, do it at Disneyland. He was a Townsperson and I was playing Gascon. I thought, ‘He’s an arrogant asshole, but he’s hot.’ Then we started talking, and before you know we’re really good friends. And before you know it we’re kind of a little (hot) for each other. And then he gave me a kiss one time for my birthday, we were still friends. But this kiss for some reason went on for a second longer than a friendly kiss. And it changed my life.

Who asked whom to marry?

I asked him to marry me. But that was years ago. (laughs) I was on tour still and I said, ‘I’m coming home for Thanksgiving, why don’t we get married?’ He said, ‘That sounds like fun. Let’s do it.’ We did it (married) in our living room. Our friend Adam married us.

You’ve played a partnered gay male in The Kid navigating the adoption process.

I played Dan Savage.

Yes.

Yeah.

Are you and Kevin considering adopting a child?

Oh, no. No. No, dear. No, Thom. I can barely feed myself. The child would starve.

I don’t have that parent thing in me. I know I’m not that guy and neither is Kevin. We have an African Grey parrot. She’s lovely. She’s our little girl. There is nothing about children that I like. (laughs) My friends have children and they’re so much fun to be with.

On Broadway you unexpectedly replaced Jeffery Tambor as Georges, playing opposite Harvey Fierstein’s Albin. Now you’ve dropped your pants and stepped into sequin gowns playing opposite George Hamilton. That is extraordinary versatility.

Why thank you. It was funny, they asked me to do the tour. Harvey (Fierstein) and I were a possibility about going on tour. But Harvey has his show Kinky Boots coming up. The (producers) said, ‘I think you should play Za Za. And we think we have George Hamilton to play Georges.’ I said, ‘You know what, let’s do that.’ The good part about doing Georges first was, George Hamilton wasn’t very quick on picking-up lines, he doesn’t remember things. He’s a movie actor. He doesn’t have that memory muscle that theater actors have. It took him six months to be fine (with lines). But I was always feeding his lines. So, the good thing is, I knew his part and I was there for him. Harvey wrote it so you see the interpretation the author wanted. That was really helpful.

Is there an alpha queen back stage?

(Laughs) We’re actually all pretty – pretty good. There are hissy fits that happen every now and then when you’re on tour. It (the company) becomes a microcosm – it’s your life, it’s your home, it’s your fake life. People get a little frustrated. We’re actually a good happy group of actors. That’s a good thing because you don’t want to get stuck on the road with a diva. It’s horrible.

The show is a work-out. What is your daily regimen on the road?

Wake-up, thankfully, have coffee and yogurt and fruit, (get to) the gym then go see stuff around the country.

What advice can give to young actors and aspiring drag queens?

The young actors (need to) keep going and believe in yourself, enjoy the ride and pay attention to everything. The world is crazy. You can be a better actor by doing people’s essences. As far as young drag queens, keep it funny. Don’t get all ‘drama.’ It’s much better when you’re funny. If you can, sing live. It’s much better.

Let’s get to the James Lipson-esque questions. Who is your favorite author?

Judy

What is your favorite dessert?

I don’t really have a sweet tooth, but it would be chocolate cookies.

What was your most memorable on-stage disaster?

I was in a show called Shrek, where I play Lord Farquaad. I’m 6’ 2” and my character is four-and-a-half feet tall. I did the entire thing on my knees. I had little puppet legs. It was a fun illusion. Right before the curtain rose for the big number where Lord Farquaad is revealed my little puppet leg broke. There was no way I could do the number. I called the stage manager and said, ‘Stop the show I broke my leg!’ All hell broke loose. They stopped the show. Everybody is freaking out. The crew were freaking ‘cause they really like me. The conductor came out from the pit and said, ‘He broke his leg! My God, he broke his leg!’ My little puppet leg is dangling and they said, ‘Oh my God, you didn’t break your leg.’ And I said, ‘I did break my leg, it’s this leg.’ So, they stopped the show for five minutes, then started and everything was alright.

What is your favorite flop?

I don’t know if people remember this, a show called Ain’t Broadway Grand. It was written by two brothers that own a construction company and (they) financed the show by themselves. I think they directed it by themselves at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. My friend Tim Albrecht, God bless his soul, said, ‘You gotta come see this show! It’s not going to be here tomorrow. I have hundreds of free tickets! Please, come see my show.’ It was just terrible. They had this song they kept playing over and over and over again. It was just terrible – it stuck in my head (sings) daa-da-da-da-da-da – da Ain’t Broadway grand!’

Who is the person you’d love to dine with?

Oh, one of these, huh. Wouldn’t it be fun to go back and talk with Jesus? What did you really mean by this?

Well, uh …

How about Jerry Falwell? That would be fun.

You’d end up throwing food at each other.

Yeah, that would be a hoot. How about Liberace?

What has been the most defining moment of your career to date?

My first Tony nomination. It was more about the nomination than anything else. Because there is a tangible feeling of the respect of your peers that is so overwhelming. You realize that people really do enjoy what you do and they noticed you. I’ve never been noticed (like that) before. They singled me out twice. Twice.

OK, last question: at the end of the day?

I need a glass of Chardonnay.

‘A votre santé.’

La Cage Aux Folles plays the Civic Theatre Aug. 7 through 12.

Having never seen (nor read, I’m ashamed to say) William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and it being my first time at The Old Globe theatre, I was a double virgin coming into the experience.

I was captivated by both aspects of a recent midsummer’s eve spent in the bosom of San Diego’s cultural hearth, Balboa Park.

Imagine being lifted out of the hustle and bustle of early 21st century life and being convincingly dropped into the woodlands of early renaissance France (or a forest outside Warwickshire, England according to some Shakespearean historians). Ignoring the 1930s costumes, that was how I perceived the experience as the quintessential comedy of mistaken identities unfolded all around me and my guests.

Having by most accounts successfully played William, the Duke of Cambridge in “William and Catherine, a Royal Romance,” a 2011 Hallmark Channel production, Dan Amboyer is equally compelling as the disenfranchised heir, Orlando.

Orlando (and Amboyer in just about any role) is irresistible. His energy is intoxicating and exhausting. He is everywhere on the stage.

Ralph Funicello’s set, expertly erected in towering scale out of the tininess of set potentialities inside the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, is fully exploited by Amboyer’s fleet feet and those of his equally deft castmates.

From the barest of beginnings of wooden chairs and tables the set grows with the precision-choreographed kinetics of cast and crew. Both during the intermission and between acts the sets evolve to include a gleaming white carpet of Arden Forest snow that rolls outward magically to introduce one act, during which romance is made magic.

Orlando’s (Amboyer) love interest is a comely youth named Ganymede. At least in the Shakespearian lexis, if not also in modern language, a “youth” nearly always means a cute young guy. OK, the truth is, Orlando is not knowingly in love with a boy named Ganymede. He is, however, in love with Rosalind (Dana Green), the girl behind the boy. As it happens or, perhaps, as you like it, Rosalind has indeed had to take on the alias Ganymede as she has embarked upon her new life-in-the-raw amid the trees with her angered lord of owed-allegiance’s daughter, cousin Celia (Vivia Font) and the great Duke Fredrick’s (Happy Anderson) own jester and courtier- extraordinaire, the affable and always witty Touchstone (Joseph Marcell).

The romp through the woods that unfolds is one of unlikely kismet, unwanted crushes (farmed and cultivated in an instant), undying loyalties and unrelenting resentments. The duke hates his brother. The brother loves his brother’s enemies; love is in love with dolling out unviable romances, while forgiveness and reconciliation is in the air.

Just being at the venue is almost enough enchantment to have made the outing worth the while. I’ll never have my “first time” at The Old Globe again. But I can tell you that getting a cozy, warm throw for a $2 rental fee and curling up to watch truly world class actors perform Shakespeare at your fingertips is a thrill in itself.

Ultimately, the moment of truths and reconciliations are brought about by an unlikely ruse performed by the impossibly athletic Ganymede (Green), in which he reveals his true feminine identity to the horror of a young wench who has taken to fancying the faux youth, and to the delight, of course, of the ever-impassioned Orlando. Other revelations soon follow and the Arden Forest becomes a momentary utopia for lovers and forgivers.

The fact that As You Like is said to be one of Shakespeare’s more questionable plays in terms of quality seems silly when you see it performed by this company of professionals. Anderson, Amboyer, Font, Green and Jay Whitaker (as Orlando’s angry brother, Oliver) are consummately professional, giving their all to every scene. They could do this stuff in their sleep and still not put an audience to sleep. Before I wanted it to be, the show was over. And I was no longer a virgin to The Old Globe.

(Left to right) Jeffrey Scott Parsons, Sarah Errington, Luke Jacobs, Spencer Rowe, Roxane Carrasco and Natalie Storrs in Dames At Sea

An all-tapping, all-singing, all-Hollywood USA show has audiences jumping to their feet at the North Coast Rep. Just in time for the summer holidays, Dames at Sea, originally subtitled, The New 1930s Musical, sports a hard-working cast of hoofers who boast brass pipes and a three-piece band that shakes the rafters.

The six-person show originated as a cabaret act at Cafe Cino (birthplace of America’s gay theatre movement) in 1966 as Dames at Sea, or Golddiggers Afloat. In 1968 the show set sail to Off-Broadway with a new title and an 18 year-old Bernadette Peters as Ruby, the wide-eyed ingénue from Utah ready to take on Broadway. The kid and the show made whoopee for 575 performances.

Hollywood’s musicals were salve for Americans during the devastating Great Depression. They spilled into splendiferous, at times surreal, musical sequences armed to the teeth in sequins. Even if unwitting, so was Dames to the Vietnam War era.

When Busby Berkeley musicals frequently ran in late-night “festivals” during the 1960s, more than a few of us queens smoked a joint, got the munchies and zoned out with an 11:30 p.m. movie. The films were cut from the typical 90 minutes to 50 minutes with 20 minutes of commercials. Little wonder that Dames runs like the 20th Century Limited on full throttle.

Arriving at a theater directly from the port authority, Ruby literally taps her way through a stage door and into a musical dress rehearsal of flop-prone producer, Hennesy. She meets a sailor named Dick who happens to be an aspiring songwriter and they fall for each other in eight bars of “It’s You.” OK, make that four bars.

With book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise, this jewel box of a show has the musical charm and clever rhyming that keeps apace with Cole Porter.

(Left to right) Jeffrey Scott Parsons, Roxane Carrasco and Luke Jacobs in Dames At Sea

As “the Lady Macbeth of 42nd Street” who’s seen better days, Roxane Carrasco’s Mona is an over-the-top drag queen’s performance (she’s a real girl). Ms. Carrasco’s vocal prowess ranges from switched-on belt to faux operetta. Here’s a gal who can simultaneously sing, turn and spin atop a miniature piano.

True to the genre, each sock the plot aims at Ruby turns into good fortune in this delightfully predictable story. As Ruby, Sarah Errington never errs. She, thankfully, comes the closest to approaching a style that serves the creator’s fondness for pastiche. Her song styling of “Raining in My Heart” and “The Sailor of My Dreams” (a nod to “(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You”) brings pure heartfelt sweetness to the show.

Numerous knowing references in Dames add extra fun for 1930s musical aficionados; Ruby mirrors Ruby Keeler, Dick shadows Dick Powell and Joan is a saucy facsimile of Joan Blondell. Side-kick Lucky, that models Jules Munshin, is a playful nudnik that relentlessly slings slang.

Dick (saccharine Jeffrey Scott Parsons) and Lucky (a forced Luke Jacobs) are the two footloose sailors on liberty chaisin’ sweet patootie. These two handsome Joes play well together but never ignite with the gals.

To classify the musical as camp would short-change its artistic value, yet there is a camp element to Dames. Camp is not solely a technical skill as this production mistakenly supposes. Camp surfaces as vainglorious tragedy as characters stalk their objects of desire fueled with fathomless emotions to comic effect.

The absurdity of emulating lavish production numbers with a handful of performers was born from the Greenwich Village’s mother of invention: The combination of passion for the genre and a tiny budget brought about Dames’s style that requires a precise balance in delicacy and nuance and counterbalanced with charm.

Bernadette Peters who originated the role of Ruby and cover of the original first production (1968) program

Helmer Rick Simas’s production dips deep into hackneyed sarcasm and tired schtick. Strung together luke-warm comic bits with tough tapping doesn’t inspire Dames’ loving ridiculousness. Choreographer Lisa Hopkins’s tap dances are rigorous but mostly miss the invention of applying over-blown ‘30s musicals’ panache to a small cast. While the actors let us know they’re working hard dancing, a sense of dance giving them genuine physical pleasure would prove more engaging.

Renetta Lloyd’s costume designs catch the period especially in “The Echo Waltz,” a vest-pocket follie. Set designer Marty Burnett turns in his usual flatly painted department store window set and the shadowy lighting design is by Matt Novotny.

If you are in the mood for a musical cruise, Dames at Sea, despite its faulty aesthetic compass, should still prove smooth sailing.

Extended through Aug. 5.

An oversaturation of backyard DJs in Southern California has left the music scene dead to some, and played out to others. Spend a Friday night club-hopping around San Diego, and you’ll run the gamut from average to mediocre club bangers being spun by your local DJ.

However, you won’t get that when you go to see DJ Luis Perez; a big player in the San Diego music scene who has left those who have seen and heard him star-struck and wanting more. With the privilege of playing alongside some of the biggest names in the scene, Perez has hit the San Diego club scene harder than anyone else around. Fresh off the plane from New York City, he’s aiming to make a big dent in San Diego’s club scene, and to secure a reputation as a DJ to be reckoned with.

Perez made a name for himself fairly early in his career with his creativity and inventive DJ’ing. It didn’t take him long to break out of the local scene, and soon he was headlining countless events and venues all over the world. He has played to large audiences at the gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in Australia, and recently rocked the crowd in Shanghai and the Chinese capital, Beijing. His worldwide appeal is such that he has built a passionate fan base that is demanding him to play at major circuit parties and clubs worldwide.

Perez, sought after more than the average DJ for his combination of star power and edge, sets his crowds on fire with the energy he brings to each performance. Powered by his style and ability to blast through the clubs speakers, Perez has made his loyal followers, cult-like if I may say so, go wild; falling in love with the music and floating into the frequency of his deep house thump throughout their bodies. “I will literally stalk his Facebook to find out where he will be next,” says Adrian Ortiz, a huge fan of the San Diego nightlife scene. “His music and mixes are some of the best that I’ve ever witnessed,” Ortiz said as he pointed out Perez’ Facebook page on his phone.

For those wanting to witness history in the making, you can catch DJ Luis at Spin Nightclub for The Pride Ball Friday, July 20. The Pride Ball will be hitting San Diego hard from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. in the three-level 10,000 square feet entertainment complex. This is an opportunity that one will regret missing if you’re a true fan of the hardcore club scene. I recently had the opportunity to sit with Perez to discuss his career. We covered a lot of ground. His opinions on other DJs, his feelings about the future of club music, and how he has taken his game to the next level with creativity, ingenuity and fortitude.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: When and how did you start DJ’ing?

Luis Perez: I started DJ’ing about 5 years ago, but I have been involved in music for over 15 years now. I’ve always had that notion of knowing what people wanted to hear and knowing what’s going to make them move.

What sets you apart from all the other DJs in San Diego?

My ability to play all types of events. I can play lounge music to an afternoon tea-dance or late night after-hours.

What are some of your music predictions? Such as up-and-coming styles and such.

What’s pretty hot right now is the EDM dance music that producers like David Guetta, Calvin Harris and others are putting out there. It’s good, because it has made dance music very mainstream; but in the same way its making it hard for DJs to play new music because everyone wants to hear what they hear on the radio. I’m sure with time, dance music will come back to what it was and not be so commercial.

I’m sure you, like everyone else who does this for a living, have opinions on what’s good and what’s not so good about the San Diego club scene. Tell me one thing you would change about the current local music scene?

If I could change anything it would be for people to come out and support more events here in San Diego. Get off the computer and come out to the clubs and meet people and lose yourself in the music. San Diego has many great gay clubs many cities would be envious of, but people need to come out and support them so they can stay alive. Spin, where I will be playing this coming Friday night, is one of my favorite clubs that still have that dance nightclub feeling from back in the day, and that’s why I love it there.

How do you decide what you’re going to play every night?

The crowd is who decides what I am going to play every night. I show up with my music and see the crowds’ reactions to different tracks I play and I go from there. I do prepare special edits of songs that are currently big dance floors fillers and try and play mixes people haven’t heard yet or aren’t played by other DJs.

How is the music scene in San Diego? Are you a fan of other DJs?

The music scene in my eyes is great in San Diego. There are many great DJs here with different sounds and styles – something for everyone. People just need to come out with an open mind and support the DJs and the events promoters bring to them.

Out of all the tracks, which one never falls to get the crowd going?

There are a lot of tracks out there that you can always count on to get the crowd going. The one that stands out most in my mind right now is “Release Me” by Zoe Badwi.

Tell me about your first big gig. The one that really stood out to you.

My first gig was a pool party for a friend in Laguna Beach. It was an exciting moment, because I was finally going to be able to play and have people listen to the music I think they’ll get some sort of reaction to. It was a great learning experience for me.

What’s your next stop for your music and your career?

Well, in the last couple of months I have relocated to New York City and I’m looking to get into production. I hope to start putting my own tracks out there and having other DJs play them.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming DJs in the community?

This is hard to say, because I still consider myself one of those up-and-coming DJs. But I would say never give up, don’t take yourself too seriously and have fun.

Vinyl or digital? And tell us about your collection …

Digital. Vinyl is dead. You have to move with the times or get left behind and then complain because things aren’t the way they used to be. Digital is the way to go now. It makes it a lot easier to travel with. Who wants to go around carrying heavy crates of vinyl?

Out of all the songs in your collection, which one fits you the best?

I would have to say “Let the Music Play” by Shannon, because I love that song and it never gets old to me.

Where might one find you if they’re looking to see you DJ?

You can find me at The Pride Ball Friday, July 20 at Spin Nightclub where I’ll be kicking off the weekend at one of my favorite clubs in San Diego. This is guaranteed to be the best Friday night party this San Diego Pride weekend.

DJ Danny Verde

San Diego Pride is here, and there is no shortage of rallies, parties and events for everyone to take part in.

One of the parties is Circuit Daze Saturday, July 21. Beginning at 10 p.m. and finishing at 6 a.m. it is the only all-night event in the city. Circuit Daze takes place at 4th & B, 345 B Street in San Diego, and features Italian DJ Danny Verde, who has the distinction of being one of Lady Gaga’s official remixers.

Verde has made prior stops this year in both Los Angeles, at My House, and in San Francisco, at the famed Ruby Skye. He will be making his San Diego debut at 4th & B, and is looking forward to rounding out his California experience with this event.

His manager, George Dellinger, is responsible for his involvement in this year’s San Diego Pride because of his association with party producer Bill Hardt.

“Shortly after Pride last year, Bill called George and asked him if he had someone ‘new and fresh’ to change up Pride for 2012,” Verde said. “George told Bill all about me; what I was working on production-wise [and] sent Bill some of my podcasts, and all my most recent productions. I guess Bill loved what he heard. So really, I owe it to George and his great long relationship with Bill. Now I have to prove to him that he made the right choice!”

Verde was born and raised in Italy and has loved music from as early on as he can remember.

“I’ve always had a fascination for the history of music – rock and roll, music from the ‘60s and ‘70s – even though I was born much later in 1977,” he said. “I studied piano and singing, and in my teens I wanted to produce music. So I saved up my money, and started producing music at a rented studio in Milan. Eventually, I saved up enough working several different jobs [so] that I could afford to build my own home-studio. Long before I was spinning music, I was producing it for Italian dance labels.”

Verde admits that he loves seeing a huge response from his crowd and it’s what he strives for. “That response,” he said, “lets me know I’m doing a good job.”

He often plays mash-ups that he creates in his studio along with his own productions, giving the audience something he knows they have never heard before.

“If the crowd goes wild,” Verde said, “they’re doing it to material that is new to them. That’s what I love, an audience that is not afraid to express themselves at hearing new stuff. An audience that’s willing to go to an unfamiliar level and really love it. That is success.”

DJ Danny Verde

One of the things Verde never does is pick a playlist in advance. Everything he does is “on-the-spot”, and while he admits that he will think forever about what he will be opening with, at the last second he will always change his mind and do something unexpected. “It never fails,” Verde confessed, “I never open with what I’ve been thinking to open with.”

While Verde loves to DJ everywhere, he is very enthusiastic about one place in particular.

“Brazil, Brazil,” he said. “The crowd there is very sophisticated and progressive when it comes to music. They let their hair down and go wild. And the audience is often mixed – gay/straight – which I love. It makes for a wonderful vibe when everyone mixes together like that. Brazilians know how to party. Hello … carnival, samba!”

Verde’s plate is pretty full right now, and while he’s not too forthcoming about what projects he is working next he will admit that two of them are amazing artists and about as different from each other as one can get.

It also seems that Verde likes a challenge, and tries to not peg himself in any one particular hole by producing artists that have a wide range of musical styles. Much like Cyndi Lauper’s “Sex is in the Heels” and The Wanted’s “Chasing the Sun,” which are both big summer hits.

“Cyndi’s song came out in June,” Verde added. “Just in time for Pride, and seems to be really favored by the crowds. My manager, George, told me that he heard it played several times at Toronto Pride only one week after I played it at New York’s Alegria.”

While music is Verde’s life, he feels if he weren’t a musician he’d be a stand-up comic. He freely admits to being a cut-up and he loves to laugh and joke around; he’s not shy in the least.

“You know the image of a little angel on one shoulder, and devil on the other. I think that’s me.”

When asked what he’d like his audiences to take away with them Verde isn’t joking around, he speaks from his heart.

“I want them to feel that they are experiencing something for the first time,” he said. “I want them to leave joyful, and to feel that they’ve discovered something new and to look forward to our next time together. It’s wonderful making new friends with the crowd. That lasts forever, and it’s a gift that I don’t take for granted. Every time I play is an entirely different experience for me; that, I’m grateful for.”

Think of everything you know about your typical men’s clothing line; such as the standard colors and designs we see on the shelves of our favorite department stores; now forget about it. Forget about the standard solid plain underwear and active wear that you’re used to and introduce yourself to Freedom Reigns; not your typical tighty whitties kind of brand.

The creation of Curtis Stallard, who was born in San Diego, as well as his partner Sam Castro, originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, has taken inspiration from flags of leading nations and incorporated them into their line. They’ve done this so they can develop some killer eye-catching color combinations that set themselves apart from the competition.

Freedom Reigns started as a company producing graphic T-shirts, and grew into a collaboration that also included making underwear to coordinate with the T-shirts. That combination turned Freedom Reigns into a high-end sportswear company that produces briefs, T-shirts, tanks, jockstraps and even long-johns.

When speaking with these fashion nuts, it was clear that profit was not their top priority; instead, they feel as if they should help the country be stronger by providing the strongest, most positive phrase on their garments: “Made in the USA.” They also provide their clients with nothing more than the best of the best and have built a brand out of their name that exemplifies American quality fashion.

Fashion freaks that enjoy comfort and quality from a local designer can purchase Freedom Reigns clothing at Mankind, 3425 Fifth Ave. in San Diego.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: How do you see Freedom Reigns place in the market, design wise?

Curtis Stallard: I see our designs as men’s athletic, trend setting underwear and activewear. We like to use the construction of each piece to emphasis and enhance the body. Our lines most distinctive features would have to be the exposed construction and its asymmetry.

Besides the pride and domestic benefits of being made in the USA, what else is a benefit on keeping production local?

Having the ability to see each stage of the manufacturing up close and in our factory, is a huge plus. You can be sure that one of us checks on the production every day; this couldn’t be done if our product was produced overseas. Of course, it is much harder to have your own factory and it is hugely more expensive in everything from labor and factory costs to actual material costs, but in the long run it makes a difference in our products and it is worth it. We both want to always be proud of who we are as people and the products we produce.

What drew you to fashion and to start your own fashion line?

We’ve both always been interested in fashion and, while traveling throughout Europe a few years ago, we first designed graphic T-shirts, which were mildly successful. Then, we started designing underwear to coordinate with the graphics on the T-shirts. These were not very popular and we almost discontinued underwear all together. However, we decided to take a new angle for the company, one based on our heritage as a company. As all our products are proudly made in the USA, and both my partner and I are very athletic, we took the company to a more athletic American sportswear feel. This goes for all our products whether they are briefs, T-shirts, tanks, jockstraps or even long-johns.

Where do you get your design inspiration?

Everywhere! If you’re in the fashion business you should never shut your eyes, except to sleep. Whether you are in the street, at the airport, on the beach, in the city or the country, you never stop seeing and feeling what is going on around you. Fashion is not for people who wear blinders throughout life.

What is the best perk of being a designer?

Simple; traveling the world for “inspiration.” It’s awesome!

What do you wish people would understand about working in the fashion industry?

It’s extremely fast-paced. You finish a season and then you have to start on the next season immediately. It makes your life go by hyper-fast.

What trends do you see emerging that you believe will be the next big thing?

I think the trend of asymmetry that we started last year is catching on with other designers and should prove to be popular next season. Anything that is not Goth. I think the last nail is in the coffin for the gothic/tattoo printed T-shirts, à la Ed Hardy and Affliction. For us, Dry-fit and Olympic sport stripes are something that we will be using a lot of next season, both in underwear and activewear.

What do you wish you had known before entering the fashion industry?

Not to stock items until you have sold the buyers on the samples; if not, you end up with hundreds of items that you might love but that buyers aren’t going to order.

Besides your own designs, what brands/styles might one see in your closet?

Both of us have mostly Italian designer’s: D&G, Prada, Gucci with some ES Collection from Spain and Dsquared from Canada. I would have more American designers if they weren’t mostly made in China or Malaysia.

Where might we find you shopping for hot new styles?

The streets of West Hollywood in L.A. are always a show. Sometimes you see someone and you think, “What were they thinking when they put their outfit together.” But, then you look it over again and it strikes something in you and you go, “Hmmm, great idea.” Sometimes, it’s the color combination and other times it will be the combination of items or both. Also, the Pan Pacific Park by the Grove is good for seeing athletes in action on the basketball courts and the football and soccer fields.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to start a career in fashion?

Try and find a mentor in the business, who can help be a soundboard for your creativity with tips for business. Fashion is artistry, but it is also industry and business. To succeed you need both the creative and business aspects together, not something most designers have a sense of. Except of course, the Ralph Lauren’s of the world.

Comedian Lisa Lampanelli is not afraid to tell people exactly what she thinks. Known as “Comedy’s Lovable Queen of Mean,” Lampanelli’s raunchy, yet honest, stand-up act has entertained audiences for more than 20 years.

She began her comedic career in New York, but received her big break in 2002 when she was selected as the only female comedian to roast Chevy Chase on Comedy Central. She’s since gone on to roast Pamela Anderson, Jeff Foxworthy and David Hasselhoff.

Earlier this year, Lampanelli finished in fourth place on the Celebrity Apprentice, winning $130,000 for her charity, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

Lampanelli performs at Humphrey’s Friday, July 13, at 8 p.m.

San Diego LGBT Weekly: What are a few of the highlights of your comedic career?

Lisa Lampanelli: There are three biggies. The first was making it through the Celebrity Apprentice without murdering someone.

Then taking down the Westboro Baptist Church; I don’t know if you read about them, but they are the most hateful group of douche bags on the planet. When I was in Kansas, they said they were going to protest my show because I had supported LGBT rights, so I said for every protester that showed up, I would donate $1,000 to the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (the oldest HIV/AIDS prevention group). They would have to live with the fact that all their evil was turned to good for the people that they hate. That, I was very proud of. That was a big deal to me personally.

The third thing that I’m proud of is that I’ve made the C-word a very acceptable part of the vernacular in today’s society, because it is the best word on the planet.

Where do you get the inspiration for your comedy?

I think a lot of it is just going through everyday life and taking notes in your head of all the silly things that happen around you, and all the people that annoy you. That’s usually enough anger to fuel a comedy set.

How has your comedy act changed over the years?

I think no one really starts out where they end up. You don’t start out and say, “Hey, I’m going to be an insult comic,” and just start flinging things out at people. It takes warming up and getting a little skill under your belt. First, I started doing regular old comedy and then I started doing a lot of crowd work and people really liked it and I liked it and no one would get mad and I wouldn’t have any walk-outs. It’s fun for everybody, including me, so I thought let’s just do it. It developed; and then the roasts kicked in and I thought, this is the direction that I’d like to go. It developed into me talking more about myself and my family and my relationships, and it evolved into an insult comedy act, but also about myself too.

What’s the best reaction you’ve received from a crowd?

A standing ovation before you even start. That’s awesome when you can walk out and they stand up; that’s a big deal. And obviously, when they stand up when you’re done, that’s awesome. But the recognition when they just jump up because they’re happy; that starts everything off on a great note.

Have you ever had anyone get really offended?

In the 23 years of my act, I can count maybe 10 instances. I used to do eight sets a night in New York, and I can only remember a small handful of people getting mad. It wasn’t even really their fault. They were drunk, they just didn’t get it and if you don’t get it, that’s OK. There are plenty of comics out there that are different and who you can go see. So if they get mad, you just think, “That’s OK. That person doesn’t belong here. That’s fine. I’m sure their taste is different and they can go see someone else.”

What can you tell me about your new one-woman Broadway show?

Hopefully it’ll be out in 2013. I got really bored with comedy and I’m not really into doing TV so I thought, “Should I just retire?” I’ve got nothing more that I really want to say. Then the writer of Billy Crystal’s one-person show approached me about doing a show about me and my struggle with men. So we developed a show, and it attracted great producers and a Tony-winning director. It’s really exciting and it has made me get less bored with comedy now. I feel like, now, comedy is funny again too. Each one feeds the other.

How long will the show run for?

With Broadway, what you usually do is announce a limited run and extend it if people buy tickets. I would stay on Broadway for 3 years, trust me, if those tickets sold. I never want to leave my house again. I love being home in New York. As you probably know, you travel a lot as a comic and it gets a little rough. However long they’ll keep me, whether it’s 3 weeks or 3 years, I’ll stay.

You perform in San Diego later this month; have you been to San Diego before?

Yes, I’ve played in San Diego a few times. I think this Humphrey’s joint is supposed to be cool. I hear great things about it so it should be fun.

Anything new or special about the show?

My stand-up is different every night. For stand-up, I just go with it. I play with the audience a lot. This will also be the first time in San Diego that I talk about Celebrity Apprentice, because it was so traumatic and crazy and I have such great stories from it. I’ll give all the inside scoop that I’m not really supposed to tell; but at this point what is NBC going to do to me. I’m not scared.

What were some of the big moments from Celebrity Apprentice?

My big thing was winning $130,000 for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and that’s a lot of dough. Also, I was happy that I showed emotion on the show and not just anger. I allowed myself to cry and let people see that I have a softer side. If someone hurt my feelings, I showed it. We all have feelings, and I think it’s a good thing that people know about comics that we’re not just tools.

How did you get involved with Celebrity Apprentice?

Trump, apparently, has a great sense of humor about himself, because I roasted him for Comedy Central and about a month after, I got a call saying that they want me to do Apprentice. I love that show. It’s my favorite show. My husband and I would watch it every Sunday night for the past three years. I immediately said, “Absolutely.” Trump had a great sense of humor about himself and liked that I made fun of him, which I would have never guessed but I’m glad it was true.

How did you select the charity?

I had the history with them from when the Westboro Baptist Church thing happened and I donated all the money to them. I really liked the vibe of the charity too. When I would go to the headquarters, it was a very warm and inviting place for people. I started serving meals down there when I was in town. It was a no-brainer. They were clearly going to be the charity that I would work with on Apprentice.

I’m about to make one of the biggest understatements I’ve made in a long time; I love writing about fashion, and as a photographer I love shooting hot new styles even more. However, these “hot new styles” typically come at ridiculously high marked-up prices. They also come with some uncaring faux bohemian in the store trying to tell you why the clothes are so hip. It’s like an alternate hipster version of that famous scene with Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman, when she’s shopping at a high-end boutique and is bullied by the salespeople.

For those of you that hate that type of thing, and need more space and freedom when shopping, I have a solution that will please not only you, but also those fashion gurus that don’t mind being a bit adventurous. The solution: Buffalo Exchange and Flashbacks, two very different styles of second-hand stores in Hillcrest that cater to the free-spirited in fashion.

Both stores buy and sell second-hand clothing; each store also has a different edge in the fashion world. Buffalo Exchange has a little of everything in relation to current styles and trends. However, Flashbacks tends to focus more on crazy unique styles from the past.

Hillcrest, is one of those areas in San Diego that inspire people of creativity to be at their most bold. It is there that you will not only see new fashion trends by people walking on University Avenue, but also see the trends on a rack before they even hit the streets. Just walk through the doors of the Buffalo Exchange, and you will encounter something similar to a luggage screening at Lindbergh Field. Customers, with suitcases full of clothes, pack the store in Hillcrest eager to sell their unwanted clothing. “We buy all styles of clothing and try to accommodate all shapes and sizes,” Kristen Vehrs, manager of Buffalo Exchange explained. “We offer cash for clothes as well as credit for in-store purchases.” It is clear that those waiting in line were mostly looking for store credit, so they could get some new styles in their closets. That alone is testament to the unique vision of this long beloved store.

Walk around the shop, and pick through the racks of carefully organized clothing, and you would have to take a second or two to confirm that you were actually in a second-hand store. Sneakers, with clean white soles and shirts that don’t look a single day old are just a few of the many things you will find here. “I love shopping here because the quality is amazing for clothes that are used,” Michelle Nguyen said as her girlfriend picked through a rack of vintage-looking shirts, trying to discover her next crazy outfit.

Those who have never been here before, would be amazed at the deals to be found. For example, your every day pair of Levi jeans that are selling for $9.50 at Buffalo Exchange, easily sell for $50 in a department store. If you think that’s value, they also had BCBG sandals for only $19.50, and they did not have a speck of dirt on them.

Buffalo Exchange is truly one of those places in which you will see the same brands you would see in a high-priced department store, for a fraction of the cost. “I used to just dream about having the money to look like I was on the cover of a magazine; I never imagined any thrift store carrying these brands,” Michelle Nguyen commented while she showed me a designer T-shirt, which was selling for just under $10.

“We get a wide range of people that come here,” Andrew Ryan said. “Many even come on their lunch breaks looking for some deals.” It was clear that the store’s clientele ranged from teenage hipsters to local nurses or doctors.

Impressed by the prices and quality at Buffalo Exchange, I headed across the street to see what Flashbacks was all about. I’ve seen these guys on TV, while the Real World San Diego was filming, and I couldn’t wait to check out what they had to offer. I grabbed my model, Brittany Saenz, to see what madness was in store for us, as we embarked on the creation of another hot trendy look.

When in Flashbacks, you will feel as if you were in an episode of That ’70s Show, and that Jackie and Kelso are going to pop out at anytime. Eclectic, retro and funky are just a few words that come to mind when considering the multitude of fashion choices which are contained in this store. “Flashbacks is very unique; there is a lot of funk and edge to the clothes here,” Ariana Marie, a local fashion stylist, said as she held on to an arm full of clothing. With the help of my newly befriended fashion stylist, as well as Jessica Estevez, who is the manager of Flashbacks, we began to dig through bright unique-style colored shirts, jackets, pants, body suits, etc to see what we would find.

Now, though there are some big name brands in Flashbacks, this is truly a store where you can forget about “who you’re wearing” and start focusing instead on “what you’re wearing.” The combinations and possibilities of mixing and matching in this store are endless and truly mind-boggling. Whether you’re shopping for a hot new look to go to the club in, or just want to be a bit more adventurous with your style, Flashbacks has you covered from head to toe.

Francisco Medavog, owner and well-established designer of Medavog Couture Studio, whose vintage designer couture collection has spanned more than 20 years, has also acquired pieces at second-hand clothing stores such as these two. Many of his works have been exhibited at Saks and other high-end venues. “I love the idea to reconstruct old fun pieces and making them modern,” says Medavog, “I love it when I find old fitted-blazers by famous Parisian designers and add embroideries and make them rock n’ roll!” Medavog, and others that I’ve spoken to in the clothing industry, all agree that women, now more than ever, are looking “unique” and more “fashion forward thinking” than ever.

There’s an art to shopping second-hand; you can’t be afraid to mix and match different styles to create a one-of-a-kind outfit. Be a bit daring on your next shopping adventure, and check out the Buffalo Exchange and Flashbacks, both located on the 3800 block of Fifth and University. Second-hand clothing can be glamorous and fun, but it may just take some creativity and a bit of imagination to get the best out of what you got. Francisco Medavog’s Medavog Couture Studio can also be visited at 4015 Park Blvd., suite 209.

Tom Zohar as Julian and Jacob Caltrider as Heath in Harmony, Kansas

Harmony, Kansas now playing at the Diversionary Theatre is the brainchild of Bill Nelson and Anna K. Jacobs. It’s getting its world premiere here in San Diego, after a few out-of-town workshops.

Harmony tells the story of seven Kansas farmers who are gay but not publicly. They secretly form a men’s harmony group under the guise of a weekly poker game.

The show sprouted in New York after Nelson and Jacobs graduated from NYU and it has been in the growing since the summer of 2008. While they have collaborated on school projects, this is the first large-scale piece they have worked on together.

“Anna and I collaborated on small school projects during our time at NYU; nothing big,” Nelson said. “But during our time there we fell in love with each other’s work, and became good friends as well.”

The idea for the show does mirror a little bit of Nelson’s life as he used to sing chorally with a group of gay men in Missouri.

“I sang with the Heartland Men’s Chorus (Kansas City, Miss. gay men’s chorus) for nine years before I moved to New York. When I sang with the cosmopolitan, 100-man Kansas City chorus I’d see men there singing who I never saw at the gay bars or anywhere else.”

Nelson explained that most of these men weren’t into the gay scene at all, but they came to sing with the chorus and the fact that these men lived in rural communities and lived as farmers fascinated him.

That started the proverbial ball rolling, and he said he knew from the beginning that he wanted the show to be about the importance of community.

“While at NYU I mentioned [to Jacob’s] that a musical about a gay men’s chorus is something that hasn’t been done,” Nelson added. “When we graduated, Anna approached me about writing it.”

Nelson knew that Jacob’s had choral experience and was a singer and a composer as well, and thought she’d be a great fit for the project. According to Nelson it was in fact her idea to set the piece in a rural setting.

Cast of Harmony, Kansas. John Whitley, Anthony Methvin, Tom Zohar, Tony Houck, Bill Nolte, Jacob Caltrider and Dylan Hoffinger

The show itself has been through two readings and has undergone a lot of changes, even more since it’s premiere at Diversionary.

Director James Vasquez has been with the show since its second out-of-town reading and, like Nelson, agrees that the show has developed nicely over the course of the last year.

“The script has changed immensely since I came on board,” Vasquez said. “Over the course of the year, the script has gotten much tighter and clearer. We spent two weeks work shopping the show at Goodspeed Opera House. That was invaluable to be able to hear the story out loud by voices other than ours. The bulk of the changes have come really as a result of that experience. In the last few weeks here at Diversionary, scenes and storylines have been tweaked and clarified, songs have been added and rewritten and given to different actors.”

Vasquez, a much sought-after director these days, commented on how much he enjoys working on original pieces like this and what drew him to the piece to begin with.

“New pieces are a blast,” he said. “I love that my job is telling stories – so to be in on the ground floor of helping create how that story is told is really exciting. I [also] love the underdog. I like seeing the underdog rise up and succeed. At the heart of it, Harmony, Kansas is about seven underdogs who come together, form their own little community, and make a place for themselves in this world. I love the message of self-acceptance and the willingness to take risks in life.”

Jacob Caltrider, who plays Heath, also weighed in on working with a new piece; how things have changed and what went into creating the character of Heath.

“I have worked on a few early versions of shows in the past, most of them through Diversionary actually,” he said. “As for Harmony, Kansas, and Heath … Heath goes through a hell of a journey in the show, and I feel like I’ve gone through a journey of my own while working on it. From the initial reading to where we are now, I feel like I take on the task of creating a character differently than I have before – and definitely with more confidence in who I am and how I approach the work.”

While Harmony, Kansas is the main thing on the minds of these three men, all of them do have other projects waiting in the wings after they are done here.

Vasquez will be directing both Pippin and Birds of a Feather at Diversionary this season and he will be returning to direct the 15th anniversary of The Grinch at The Old Globe. He also has a film production company called Daisy 3 Pictures and is working on a new script he hopes to be filming in the summer of 2013.

Nelson admits his main focus is definitely Harmony, Kansas, but that he is working on a new musical with one of his favorite collaborators, Will Aronson.

Adam Wachter (Orchestrations and Music Director), James Vasquez (Director), Bill Nelson(Book and Lyrics) and Anna K. Jacobs (Music)

And lastly, Caltrider will be headed to Carlsbad for his next job working with New Village Arts in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next To Normal.

The sense of community and individual strength is what seems to resonate with all three of these men, in regard to the show. That, and as Nelson puts it “the transformative power of music.”

“That’s something Anna and I strongly believe in,” Nelson added. “I guess what I’d like people to take away is that being yourself and living an authentic life is vital and worth the risks involved. And, as a former loner, I’m happy that the show illustrates the power of community.”

Harmony, Kansas runs Thursdays through Sundays and closes July 22. For more information call 619-220-0097, or visit diversionary.org

The cast of Rent

Rent, the musical that made so many performers household names; shot its composer/lyricist Jonathan Larson through the roof; spawned runs on Broadway, the U.K. and Ireland; and hit the big screen; will be presented by San Diego Musical Theatre (SDMT) in their new home at The Birch North Park Theatre on University Avenue. The show opens June 23 and will run until July 8.

Producer/Executive Director Erin Lewis said the reason Rent was chosen was because SDMT wants to bring classic and contemporary musical theater to San Diego audiences. “Rent is considered a contemporary piece and the story is the story of a generation,” Lewis said. “However, you can change the time and place and it is still relevant … especially with the current economy. People still have their dreams, but are having a tough time trying to make it happen.”

SDMT has brought in two Broadway heavyweights for their production of Rent starting with director, Ron Kellum.

Kellum is no stranger to SDMT having directed four other productions in the past. One of those productions, Dreamgirls, took home the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle award for Outstanding Resident Musical.

Kellum, who started directing only seven years ago, got his start theatrically as a performer first.

“My theater career started at 12 years old and I’ve been going ever since,” Kellum said. “[But] after working with amazing directors like George C. Wolfe, Ann Reinking, Des Macnuff, I knew that once my performing career was over I wanted to become a director. I’ve been extremely blessed to work in an industry I absolutely love and I’m extremely passionate about. I love it!”

The second Broadway heavyweight is Gwen Stewart, who was in the original Broadway cast of Rent. Although Kellum and Stewart have never worked together before Kellum is familiar with her work and very excited to have the chance to work with her.

“This will be my first time working with Gwen; however, we’ve known each other for several years. I saw her in Big River at the Mark Tapper in L.A. and was blown away by her incredible voice. I’m thrilled to have her part of this production.”

Stewart, like Kellum, has worked here before, but her first time in San Diego was some time ago.

Ron Kellum

“I have worked in San Diego twice,” Stewart said. “Many, many moons ago I did the national tour of Big River and we had a stop in San Diego. That was in 1989 so I don’t remember what theater we were in. I do remember however, being young and adventurous. I went to Mexico by myself. I enjoyed the day but didn’t know mass transit well enough to make good judgments about time. Long story short, I was stuck in traffic and ended up missing my half-hour [call]. That meant I could not do the show that night. As fate would have it the director decided to check on the condition of the show that night. How scared was I! There were no cell phones, so no one knew where I was. I sat in the audience with the director watching the show. He sensed my nervousness while we watched my understudy. He leaned over and said ‘Don’t worry; I don’t plan to replace you. You better always be on time!’ I have been at least 30 minutes early for my shows ever since!”

Stewart also made her Broadway debut that same year in the little known musical called Starmites, in the role of Canibelle.

“Wow, you and Marty McFly went back in time for that one! Starmites was a show done on Broadway back in 1989 that I had the pleasure of performing in. It was very short-lived (three months I believe), but a fun show.”

As for her feelings on Rent, Stewart loves the truth, honesty and the raw nature of the show and how it speaks about subjects that people don’t want to think about.

“We see homelessness, drug addiction, infectious disease,” Stewart said. “It talks about all these issues with hope for a better life. I love shows that can push buttons without me realizing it or making me feel guilty.

She finds Rent to be biblical, and loved the way composer/lyricist Larson wrote the piece. “Jonathan put it all together in a way that educated, entertained, enlightened and changed the hearts and minds of millions around the globe. Rent continues to do so today. That is what I love about this show.”

The rest of the cast of Rent is from all over, according to Kellum. “We have an amazing cast,” Kellum said. “Several [are] from right here in San Diego, a few from L.A., a couple from New York and our Mark joins us from New Orleans.”

Lewis weighed in saying that those who came to audition were from all over.

“We had 400 people sign up for Rent. What is interesting is that about 75 percent of those who auditioned were from L.A. or other areas. We would love to cast more actors from San Diego, but we have a lot of great theater in our community and many times we are doing shows on top of each other, so that sort of makes the local talent pool a little smaller”.

Gwen Stewart

Rent will be the second to last show in the SDMT 2012 season, and will be followed by Footloose and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, all being presented at their new home, The Birch North Park Theatre.

“We are very happy to be calling the Birch North Park Theatre our home and hope to have a very long relationship there,” Lewis said. “After Rent we finish up our 2012 season with Footloose in October and White Christmas in December. Our 2013 season begins with Chicago in February, The Sound of Music in May and a yet-to-be-named show in October. We are hoping we will be doing White Christmas in 2013, as well, making it a San Diego tradition.”

Lewis also pointed out that they have changed the times for their Thursday evening performances to 7:30 p. m. For more information visit the SDMT Web site at sdmt.org.

What do you say when a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of your Tony decorated show asks for a commission for a new musical? Such is the case with Doug Wright (I Am my Own Wife) and the La Jolla Playhouse’s Hands on a Hardbody (based on the documentary of the same title).

The body of the titillating title is a 2,800-pound Nissan hardbody truck, the object of the inescapably strong desire of ten Longview, Texas contestants. Such publicity stunts date back to 1920s flag-pole sitting. In this endurance competition, the last person standing with hands planted on the truck drives away as a thoroughbred Texan.

Mr. Wright’s libretto maps out a lightly engaging trip through the static competition. The story’s outcome doesn’t hold much mystery. Amanda Green’s (lyrics and music) and Trey Anastazio’s (music) score takes an excursion through Country Western ballads, Country Western waltz, Country Western honky tonk, Country Western R&B, Country Western tear jerk, Country Western swing, Country Western anthem and the inevitable gospel number (twice).

It seems we can’t go to a new musical that hasn’t appropriated African American music forms to assure a punched-up act (Rent’s Act 2 opening). Christopher Ashley’s Broadway production Leap of Faith is a recent example. The first sure-fire occurrence in Hardbody is Jacob Ming Trent’s (Ronald) American Idol oversell in Act 1.

A more profitable example is the ecstatic Bible-thumping Keala Settle (Norma) who puts the pedal to the metal with Joy of the Lord which stops the show. Amusement personified, Ms. Settle emerges as a private chuckle; Ms. Settle winds her way to petite snicker, laugh, guffaw and belly laugh enriched with convulsive giggles and silence in a magnetic performance that inspires the company to primal drum beats. With truck as percussive instrument we are beat into believing. By show’s end Norma’s crisis of faith poignantly brings us into her fold.

Hunter Foster (Benny) plays the devious returning winner with cocksure vocal power. Bigoted Benny unexpectedly befriends a fellow middle-aged man, J.D. (Keith Carradine). J.D. is a disillusioned married man whose remnants of his flaccid passion is driving off to a fishing weekend with the boys. Mr. Carradine turns in a tempered subtle performance. He blends into the ensemble and rises appropriately when called. His singing has a pleasant oboe-like quality that proves moving in his attempt to rekindle a semblance of worth in his heart.

The truck as character, set-piece, metaphor, symbol, weapon, fetish and dubious prize turns out to be handled with dexterity and aplomb by choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s (Black Swan) musical staging.

Director Neil Pepe periodically surprises with silent moments he’s beautifully solicited from his actors. The nonverbal impact of the psychosis that overcomes the few remaining contestants jolts us into the emotional story as strongly as does the score.

The Broadway tourist industry has a target market for Hardbody. The “suits” have been south to see it and picked it up for a 2012-2013 opening. With Broadway Across America as a lead producer, the show has wheels. So catch it now, as this is the last weekend to see it before it pulls away from San Diego.

THEATER REVIEW
Hands on a Hardbody
Book by Doug Wright
Music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green
Lyrics by Amanda Green
Through June 17
Mandell Weiss Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse
lajollaplayhouse.org

It’s time to pull the white shoes out of the closet, clean off the barbecue and plan your outdoor soirée. I love this time of the year. About now is when Skecthalina Jones, Nikki Fierce and I get together on my private outdoor patio overlooking the Hillcrest strip once a month for lunch and cocktails (and a lot of gossip).

I love creating new themes for our little tête-à-têtes. (That means “head-to-heads” in French. Yes, this humble girl from Texas can speak a petite bit (un peu) de Francais.) I believe that a fabulous hostess always makes her guests feel like queens, especially if they’re the kinds of queens I know. If you want to do likewise, serve any kind of food you want. But what makes the party memorable is the atmosphere you create for your guests.

When I was growing up in Tackysburgh, my momma would throw Sunday afternoon teas once a month for herself and the neighborhood ladies. She loved to create a Southern tea party in the backyard by using items such as colored table linens and fancy tea cups she had collected from church rummage sales through the years.

She’d put me in an all-too-cute bright summer dress she had hemmed up after it had been “hand-me-downed” from one of my older sisters. Then, I’d help momma by makin’ up name-cards, which would be placed in colorful butterfly ornament pieces. That way, Jeannie Mae Hensshaw wouldn’t sit where momma had meant Odessa Smith to sit. You see, Odessa was a beautifully big woman, who had to be provided the sturdiest lawn-chair we owned, while Jennie Mae was a little fumbly with her fingers (I guess these days I should say she was dexterity-challenged). It was a foregone conclusion that Jennie Mae would drop her teacup and break it at some point during the party. So momma always made sure her place-setting included the cheap china.

The centerpieces were bunches of fresh-cut flowers, usually from the neighbor’s yard, because my momma could never keep a plant alive. But, I digress. It wasn’t until I was a little older did I realize that the ladies were not drinking “tea,” but rather straight-up whiskey with a sprig of mint! I may not of known it then, but momma’s tea-party friends were my kind of girls!

There are many types of themes you can create for your outdoor parties that are fun and easy to pull off. It just takes a little imagination, a couple of yards of your favorite fabric and a hot glue gun. I have compiled a couple of party themes that have proven reliable every time. I know you and all of my Wendy’s Trendsetters will enjoy designing your own outdoor summer parties.

If you need any ideas for your fabulous summer soirée you can always send me a note on Facebook.com/trenwen. Who knows, I might even drop by to lend y’all a hand. Just have my cocktail ready. I’m not too picky about what kind, just as long as it’s strong and pretty like my men.

Trendy Wendy’s Summertime Outdoor Party Themes

Movies under the stars – Buy, borrow or rent a DVD projector and a screen and show a classic movie like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. String twinkle lights overhead; have your guests dress in black-and-white outfits (because it is a black and white movie). Pick up some old wheelchairs as seats and best of all serve your food on covered trays and serve lots of hard alcohol, as well as creative non-alcoholic beverages (Google or Blekko.com search) for your teetotalers. For extra credit, go to a thrift store, discount department store or Macy’s if you can afford it and search for a cookie jar that looks like a mouse (or more accurately to the Baby Jane theme, a rat) and use it for your key bowl so no one drives home drunk.

A swap party – My personal favorite. There’s nothing more exciting or more of a surefire way to get folks laughing, hootin’ and hollerin’ than gathering friends to swap various prized (and not so prized) possessions. I’m talking about everything from collectables, bric-a-brac, clothing. Hell, you can even swap husbands. Again, I digress. That’s a whole different kind of party. Back to the theme at hand: Set up a large table outside where guests can deposit their items, and get them arranged by category. Use vintage or retro dinnerware and glassware. Have each guest write their names on tags to identify the pieces they want. Serve casual food and light minty cocktails. Handmade invitations and thoughtful party favors set a festive touch from start to finish.

A country-chic party – This one is precious and always reminds me of home. I’m getting teary-eyed just thinking about it. Use inexpensive overhead hanging light bulbs or pan lights strung overhead. Create the rustic décor by using bales of hay for seating, natural burlap table clothes and fresh sunflowers as center pieces. Can’t you just hear some soft Patsy Cline in the background and taste those yummy country ribs and tall fruity cocktails? (Sigh.) It’s just like momma’s tea parties.

Melinda Gilb

Try this. Repeat the following sentences after me: “It’s not the men in your life that matter; it’s the life in your men.” Or, “I use to be Snow White, but I drifted.” Or, “Marriage is a fine institution, but I’m not ready for an institution.”

Can anyone utter these truisms spoken by the immortal Mae West without growling a little, pumping up a shoulder like you are lifting an ostrich feather boa into place and coming off like a gruff dog barking slowly?

It’s pretty amazing that a woman who didn’t make her silver screen debut until she was thirty-eight has been so immortalized in popular culture and in the lexicon of English quotations. Thanks to dozens of controversial but delicious double entendres, most rooted in her own sexually robust reality Mae West has proven to be an icon with staying power.

Mae West can also be credited for saying, “If a little is great, and a lot is better, then way too much is just about right!” And that sounds about right as far as Dirty Blonde is concerned; now playing at the Cygnet Theatre through June 17. There are tons of original zingers, which the play needs and relies upon heavily; there is a clunky plot contrivance and way too much camping around by men in heels. Wait; can there ever be too much of that?

In other words Dirty Blonde like Mae West is a little bit over the top, kind of strange but in the end pretty entertaining. If spit sprayed from my mouth more than once because I am jolted into laughter then the play warrants some kind of thumbs up. And how could I not be jolted into some kind of reaction when a character proclaims that she is going to sip coffee from a cup stashed in her handbag like she is “performing cunnilingus to her Prada?”

I laughed a lot and you will too, but almost always at the amazing original quotes rather than anything particularly riotous about the play. Written by Claudia Shear and directed by Artistic Director Sean Murray Dirty Blonde is an homage to the vaudeville and movie star Mae West told in sequential bio-pic fashion. Yet West’s determination to become a star is interwoven into the life and longings of a contemporary couple, Charlie and Jo. This is where things get strange and a little bit complicated both on stage and in the script. Charlie (Steve Gunderson who also plays plenty of “others”) and Jo (Melinda Gilb who is also Mae West) are fans of Ms. West for similar and at least one profoundly different reason. Through their relationship, we learn and witness the rise and sad plateau of an early movie star bound and determined to be a star.

Melinda Gilb and Steve Gunderson

I can see how the contemporary device is useful but it took me quite a few minutes to get myself oriented to the chopped up circumstances, maybe because the production’s three performers rely entirely upon a bare stage and projected titles. First on stage are Charlie and Jo, but this might have been a very early Mae West (despite the denim jacket); I couldn’t be sure, and I was thinking about it too hard. Then we are clearly in early Mae West territory and the audience is being invited to perform a role as her actual audience, being encouraged to clap on cue by an anxious looking Steve Gunderson in one of his early incarnations as an early and disposable collaborator on the vaudeville circuit.

The back and forth structure finally settles in and the roughly hour and forty minute show (without intermission) unfolds with many laughs and quite a bit of education as far as Mae West’s trajectory drive and financial savvy is concerned. Both West and the play are ably aided throughout by the rubber-faced and ubiquitous David McBean who morphs as needed from Catholic schoolgirl to James Cagney gangster, to raving homosexual.

Melinda Gilb is fine as both Mae West and Jo. She fits West’s gowns nicely and delivers young Mae West lines with the aforementioned and necessary gruff dog growl. She delivers old Mae West’s lines the same way, which is the point. Gilb also transforms into Jo, a sad girl wanting to be a tough girl before realizing she’s an ordinary girl quickly and mercurially. Gunderson does just as good a job with his various roles. One minute he is nebbish young Charlie, a starry eyed fan, then he is older Charlie, a shy and peculiar man, plus a whole slew of characters that test his range. It looks like he is having a lot of fun with it.

Everyone does a great job, but somehow I am tripped up by Charlie’s story and his relationship with Jo. There is something gratuitous about it. I don’t quit get the point. There is also something a little deflating about a couple of ordinary people with larger than life dreams who ultimately settle for not much and one another. There’s is a happy ever after, but it’s a weird, unfinished one that seems to have little to do with Mae West’s life.

Dirty Blonde is chock full of homosexual “types” from way back when which made me laugh and wince equally, my wincing oddly amplified when I scanned the dour faces of the silver-haired husbands in the audience who did not look amused at all. But the play is funny spotlighting a woman who was who she was well before her time. At the same time Dirty Blonde does its requite bit to re-affirm that very American phenomenon of being true to who you are and making it big despite the odds, come what may, before paying a price for that success at the end of the day.

Or, to quote Mae West one more time: “I wrote the story myself. It’s about a girl who lost her reputation and never missed it.”

Cygnet Theatre, through June 17.

Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker in Cloudburst

The 14th annual FilmOut Film Festival being held at the Birch North Park Theatre, from May 30 through June 3, is the very epitome of celebrating excellence in queer cinema.

There are more than 40 features, coupled with short subjects, highlighting a truly diverse look inside our world by a multitude of different eyes and voices, courtesy of directors, writers and actors. However, prior to the curtain rising, there is a great deal of preparation that goes into making FilmOut happen, according to the organization’s festival programmer, Michael McQuiggan.

“It is definitely a labor of love,” he explained. “I am glad that we provide these films and festivals to the citizens of San Diego and beyond.”

Even if that means literally countless man-hours spent disseminating which films will hit the big screen.

“I figured at some point that I watch over 600 films a year (including short films),” McQuiggan summarized. “Our film festival receives a minimum of 300 titles per year – sometimes more. I watch every single screener that is submitted. I can usually tell within 30 minutes, if it will go on the yes, no or maybe list.”

Friday, June 1, 4 p.m. Buffering

But, McQuiggan is not a lone wolf in his endeavors, as he cited fellow FilmOut teammates Ana Pines, Kaleb James, Michael Mance, Kim Rescate and Rick Goldenstein as being “a tremendous help.”

He and co-programmer Pines are also on the hunt for “that special film that may be overlooked,” by “constantly checking out other festivals” for world, U.S., West Coast and San Diego premieres.”

Men To Kiss falls into that category and features Frank Christian Marx, who is actor, writer and producer on the comedy.

The German-born triple threat, who portrays Ernst in front of the camera, recanted that festival circuits, as a whole, have been “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” especially since it’s his first time at this particular rodeo.

“I mean for a first time filmmaker, it’s incredible what we accomplished so far and we never expected this,” he stated. “But an independent film, especially when it’s a really small film like ours doesn’t have that kind of money.

Friday, June 1, 7 p.m. Three Veils

“We need good reviews, press coverage and good word of mouth and the festivals I’ve been to so far are doing a pretty good job to keep the people interested in all of their films.”

Another way to garner buzz is by having a film that’s worthy of such adoration; and Men has its inspiration drawn from films of yesteryear, and has become a festival darling.

“The snappy dialogue scenes between the two main characters are somehow inspired by all these great screwball comedies from the past, like Bringing Up Baby or What’s Up Doc?”

This past aspect, and another Hollywood-based creation, give Männer zum knutschen a definite international language that stands on its own merit.

“I was a big fan of Will and Grace and the way Sean Hayes portrayed this flamboyant character. So you can say the character of Tobias is kind of a German Jack,” Marx explained. “You don’t expect this kind of comedy in a German film. And we’re all very proud of that.”

Saturday, June 2, 2:30 p.m. Kiss Me

Another example of taking pride in being all-inclusive is FilmOut’s ability to let everybody in on the fun.

Speaking of that, there will a special spotlight glare on Sordid Lives director Del Shores, who is receiving The Del Shores Tribute Screening/Career Achievement Award.

The Thursday evening event, hosted by Dixie Longate, has Shores expressing “gratitude” about the accolade.

The consummate Southern yarn spinner – second-only to frequent star Leslie Jordan –writes and directs his opus’ to all things white trash.

“I am a storyteller so if I had to pick, I guess it would be writing,” he said of which process he favors. “But nothing makes me happier than directing my own writing. The directing has become part of my writing process.”

Saturday, June 2, 7 p.m. That’s What She Said

Sordid Lives, which will be screened on his special night, is a textbook case of a little independent film that could, and does, delight audiences throughout the years.

“I think everybody can recognize a relative or two and the theme of acceptance hits hard with the gay audience and beyond,” he reflected on the movie’s appeal. “Well we sure love our big haired women, don’t we?”

There is another female-centric entry that offers up a unique take of the L set of our community’s acronym.

The opening night drama Cloudburst stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as an octogenarian couple, who go on a trek to be married in Canada; thanks to a jailbreak from their nursing home.

The role of Stella, a rip-roaring and foul-mouthed gal, seems like it was tailor-made for Dukakis, as it’s in great company with other performances in her feisty dames wheelhouse.

Sunday, June 3, 6:30 p.m. Men to Kiss

The Oscar-winning actress stars in one of the few films – aside from last year’s Beginners with Christopher Plummer – to focus on the older gay set. But she was drawn to the material for what’s at the heart of the project

“The humor and that it’s a wonderful story,” she said.

Dukakis has done a great deal to promote the LGBT lifestyle, both on television and in movies in a positive light.

She relayed that she is attracted to portraying all facets of life under the rainbow, while making her work a slice of the humanity pie.

And who can forget her turn as 28 Barbary Lane’s transgendered landlady Anna Madrigal, in the three Tales of the City miniseries.

Sunday, June 3, 3 p.m. Speechless

Unfortunately, Showtime is not game to explore the remaining three books in the original series, which means there’s a possibility that Dukakis may never don her character’s signature turban and kimono ensemble again.

“I miss her terribly,” she said of that prospect.

She is hopeful that the two latter books, Michael Tolliver Lives and Mary Ann In Autumn could get the page-to-stage treatment. Dukakis has also starred in her fair share of gay adjacent works, including her Oscar-winning role as Cher’s mother in Moonstruck.

She walked away with a great impression of working with the icon.

“She was very thoughtful, considerate and kind,” she reflected.

Sunday, June 3, 8:15 p.m. Nate & Margaret

Dukakis said that she would be game to capture cinematic magic in a bottle again, citing “that would be great,” should the opportunity arise.

Of course, there was her turn as Clairee Belcher in Steel Magnolias, the 1989 dramedy featuring a stellar all-female cast, including Sally Field, Julia Roberts and her onscreen nemesis, Shirley MacLaine.

One of their exchanges, in which she informs MacLaine’s Ouiser Boudreaux that “I love you more than my luggage,” became one of the movie’s most recited lines.

And 23 years later in her personal life, she offered up what she is fonder of than Samsonite.

“My children always!” Dukakis professed, calling them her proudest achievement.

Her extended Steel Magnolias family radiated the trials and tribulations of many a sibling rivalry, but she attributes the chemistry captured on celluloid, thusly.

“We knew that film depended on our working together,” she stressed.

With that sentiment, the 80-year-old actress perfectly encapsulated the mission statement of FilmOut’s endeavor to bring movies to the masses; not only with their monthly programs, but also with each year that sees its success continue to grow.

For show times and tickets, please log onto filmoutsandiego.com.

The opening measures of Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys captivates with the simultaneous presence of the tragedy’s 1930s vaudeville act, 1950s finely ironed resistance and, most profoundly, our submerged present day fickle tolerance of black and brown.

Sound like heady stuff? It’s not. Under director Susan Stroman’s incandescent direction and period-infused choreography replicated by Jeff Whiting, Scottsboro Boys (essentially the Broadway production) is an express train toward justice. Kander and Ebb’s score stands tall beside their unforgettable Cabaret and Chicago. The catch is the nine young African American’s locomotive hasn’t a broken moral compass.

A dazzling reversed Minstrel Show is the framing device for the evening’s real-life tale dynamically staged with the best influences from performance art’s golden age. The style’s visual storytelling swiftly moves the musical action forward.

We see the boy’s Depression-era hopeful pursuit of happiness as they ride the rails in “Commencing in Chattanooga” that derails in Alabama with two prostitute’s false accusations of rape.

David Thompson’s riveting book and the toe-tapping songs are chock-full with wry humor. The numbers include: “Southern Days” which tacks a scowl on white privilege and black subservience; “Electric Chair” sizzles in tap dance; “Financial Advice” is an exuberant song about the benefits of “Jew money.”

A forgone conclusion, the kangaroo court swiftly convicts the nine innocents to death. Their case became a cause célèbre. The Supreme Court ruled that they had been denied due process. Six years and eight trials later, even after one of the women subsequently recanted her original testimony, guilty verdicts continued.

Scottsboro Boys is an ensemble show. Just the same, the production has break-out performances. Clifton Duncan’s illiterate Haywood Patterson turns in a melancholic ballad “Go Back Home” that galvanizes the house. In “Never Too Late” James T. Lane gender bends Ruby Bates’ recanted testimony in luxurious farce. Little Nile Bullock wears-out his tap shoes as Eugene Williams, too young to know what the word rape means.

The recurring oppressors are played by two ever-changing antagonists, Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo, Jared Joseph and JC Montgomery respectively, metamorphose unceasingly through the evening. The sole white performer, Ron Holgate as The Interlocutor, appeared to be on cruise-control.

Scottsboro’s design is deceptively simple and achieves optimal theatrical utility with Stroman’s staging. Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design of tilted portholes, collection of white chairs and cyclorama deliver all the needed nuance and visual punch with Ken Billington’s painterly lighting design. Toni-Leslie James’s costume design is period-appropriate and adds bursts of color and code. Hats off to music director Eric Ebbenga and the eight-piece band.

Kander and Ebb’s last collaboration is the most audacious, challenging and confrontative theater work to hit town since Culture Clash’s 1998’s satirical indictment Border Town, based on sociological observations of San Diego. Scottsboro Boys, to date, is an implausible Globe presentation. Booking the show was former CEO Lou Spisto’s only daring artistic choice. There were a few walk-outs at the performance I attended where silent shock hung in the air during most of the show. Applause was judicial till the last third of the evening, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Questioning one’s response to the stage offerings is more transformational than Pavlovian standing ovations.

This new musical’s hip flip on theatrical styles is challenging and of special interest to the LGBT audience. What might be an equivalent take on the LGBT human rights experience? Imagine a set of characters in the person’s of Harvey Milk, Ryan White, Matthew Shepard, Brandon Teena (transsexual female-to-male of Boy’s Don’t Cry). Now imagine these folk heroes playing out a musical version of a Fox News special on gay-conversion as Bill O’Reilly, Rupert Murdoch, Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin. It would be a travesty, but not without artistic potential.

Devra Gregory as Michael Jackson

Downtown’s 10th Avenue Theatre has been busy with a series of community events and productions lately. Up next is the world premiere of WoMan In The Mirror, A Dancer’s Journey, a one woman show created by local performer Devra Gregory. Directed by Jessica Bird, Gregory (DEV) as MJ will take you on a wild ride through her life as a professional dancer from ballet to burlesque to “Michael” while she seeks spiritual truth.

I caught up with DEV as she prepares for this exciting new leg of her journey. Excerpted below is a conversation that touched on Michael Jackson’s genius, impersonation versus drag and the universal power of dance.

Andrew Printer: Have you been watching Smash on NBC? I ask because it seems that behind the scenes the life of a professional dancer can be arduous. Audiences only see the magic and the glamour. Does it resonate?

DEV: I have not seen the NBC show. Honestly, I don’t watch much television, but I have lived the life of a dancer and know firsthand that it is WORK. The glamour and magic is what the audience sees, yes, and making it look easy, but what goes into creating that illusion, what the audience does not see is persistence, dedication, struggle, rejection, injuries, egos, self criticism and so much more.

What can audiences expect from WoMan In The Mirror, A Dancer’s Journey? Is it entirely dance or a monologue as well?

My one-woman show runs about one hour and 40 minutes. About 30 minutes of that is dance, including my performance of Michael Jackson. Other styles of dance included in the show are ballet, jazz, burlesque, exotic dance (PG warning) and a Sea World-style performance for kids (of all ages). I have experienced all of these styles in my life and rather than edit to make people less uncomfortable I’m showing it all (well, almost) in order to present the transformational arc of my life. I believe that by accepting all parts of ourselves rather than making some things bad or good; it just becomes part of the journey, the road to understanding ourselves and becoming whole. The rest of the show alternates between re-enactments of my life and storytelling directly to the audience. The audience can expect to be taken through an emotional ride from tragedy to light-hearted comedy, to spiritual inspiration.

Why were you drawn to Michael Jackson as a musical figure/dancer to build a performance around?

My decision to impersonate Michael began as a professional choice, and then I became a huge fan while studying his work. Through my career I landed a job as a backup dancer for a female impersonator show, and the rest as they say is “herstory.” I kept up the work as MJ not only for the challenge of copying his incredibly unique dance style, but also because of who he was as a person. There is so much more to Michael than how the media portrayed him. He was a humanitarian, nature lover, and I believe a channel for divine information; when I hear the words of “Earth Song,” “Just Another Part Of Me,” “We Are The World” or “Heal The World” I feel what he was saying was extremely timely and important for the planet.

Does your performance touch upon the tormented part of his personal story as well as his genius as an entertainer?

This show is my life’s story, not Michael’s. There are similarities between our lives that the audience may pick up on, however I’m not delving into them. I’ve had my own torments and challenges and successes which I am sharing candidly.

Devra Gregory

I keep my life separate from the character I portray, just as an actor is not the person they are in any given role. I’m sure Daniel Radcliffe has a hard time not being associated with “Harry” but it’s not who he is. Luckily, I don’t look like Michael when I’m out of make up so it’s easier to keep my own identity.

I notice your use of the term “Michael Jackson impersonator.” Is this different than doing drag? I am thinking about how men performing as icons like Judy Garland were once called female impersonators, but now it is all called drag.

There are so many different categories; impersonators, celebrity impersonators, female (or male) impersonators look-alikes and drag performers. Usually an impersonator is taking on the character of a famous person; a look-alike already looks like the famous person without changing much; a drag performer may have their own character and not impersonate a celebrity. Drag is usually considered female to male, but I lovingly say I’m “in drag” when I’m in character, although that’s not totally accurate. The term “drag” started in Shakespearian times, I believe, when men played all the roles including the women’s. The dresses were heavy and huge, so the male actors had to “drag” around their dress. A female impersonator is always a man impersonating a woman, and a male impersonator is a woman impersonating a man, like me. But I prefer to call myself a celebrity impersonator, because when I get called for a gig I’m not submitted as a female to male, just as Michael. I do let clients know I’m a woman so there are no surprises if I have to get ready on site!

Have you built performances around any other celebrated performers? Any plans to?

No, I haven’t and I don’t plan to.

Your resume spans the gamut of dance (ballet, burlesque, jazz). What is it about dance that inspires you? What haven’t you done?

I began dancing at 6 years old as a personal escape into another world away from a chaotic home life. Also, my Mom always brought me to the ballet as a child and I was enchanted. I had to become a ballerina, there was nothing else I wanted at that time. One thing led to the next and I found I could have a career in dance. The healing effects of submerging myself into dance stayed with me even after leaving home. There is something remarkable about dance in that it combines the two sides of the brain, one to learn choreography and technique, the other side being completely in the present moment, and going beyond thought, just “being” the dance. That is the difficult part because the mind wants to control everything, but in letting the creative side out, dance becomes a fully integrated experience. Usually when people say, “I can’t dance” it’s because they are only using the logical side and not allowing the creative part of themselves to flourish. They literally think themselves out of feeling their bodies, the mind won’t let go.

The other thing that inspires me about dance is taking the body to extremes; what we can do with these incredible gifts of form and flesh continues to amaze me.

You ask what I have not done. There is a lot I haven’t done; many forms of world dance, musical theater, tap – but what I choose to focus on is what I have accomplished; I try to see what is positive and not focus on lack or negatives.

Talk about the spiritual journey you have been on and how that journey intersects with dance in general and this performance in particular?

On the spiritual side I think our bodies are anchors for cosmic energy to get grounded to the planet. Since I am a spiritual person, everything I do including dance relates to my spiritual commitment. Bodies conduct energy and what the mind is thinking about when energy gets raised through dance is a form of prayer. This is the idea behind indigenous and tribal dance; there is intention in the movement, in the dancer’s thoughts; it is far more than performance, and ritual dance is a powerful way to commune with the spiritual realm, create change, or celebrate nature’s cycles. Even the belly dance began as a way for women to bring the energy of Mother Earth into form, through their bodies. It became something else over time.

In my performance I offer a variety of expressions, from the gracefulness of ballet to the playfulness in a kid’s type of dance; fun in jazz, to sexuality in the exotic dance and allowing that to be OK. It’s time for women to reclaim all parts of themselves to become empowered and whole, and for men to accept all parts of themselves also. The more we integrate the male and female parts of who we are the happier we’ll become. If male world leaders would allow their feminine natures to speak, there would be far less war in the world.

WoMan In The Mirror, A Dancer’s Journey runs at the 10th Avenue Theatre May 18-20.

For more information visit 10thavenuetheatre.com.

Ken Bell, alto and chorus conductor on cow horn

Continually, I find great, sometimes unheralded, treasures here in America’s Finest City that prove otherwise. One such is the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, now actually in its 57th season of bringing classical music to Southern California. I had the opportunity to experience this orchestra with more than a half century of legacy for the first time, May 5, at its Spring Symphonies at the Mandeville Auditorium on the UCSD campus. The sky was bright because May 5 was the night of the “super moon;” but there was some considerable shining going on inside as well.

Sometimes it is best to view a theatrical performance, whether a play or a concert, with no pre-conceived expectations and just absorb it, allowing it to be enlightening and take you where it will. That is how I approached the evening. The first surprise was the Mandeville Auditorium itself, in an almost classic, idyllic setting among the eucalyptus trees on the beautiful UCSD campus. But more on that in a moment.

The evening began with a half-hour lecture by conductor David Chase. It was informative and prepared the audience for the performance. I never knew that most symphonies have a structured format of four movements or parts, each with a different energy and purpose. As with most musical productions, there is a build-up with the first movements generally being quieter, and the fourth movement pulling out all the stops. Chase affectionately referred to the fourth movements of the evening’s two largest pieces as “romps in the park.” And to be sure, symphonies convey a story, a mood, a place or time through a variety of rhythms, saving the “best for last.”

The focus of all the evening’s pieces was obviously “spring.” They musically related such seasonal aspects as the melting snow of winter, the bursting forth of spring blossoms, the fanciful interest in love and the rollout of summer. The symphony’s approximately 80 musicians, and the chorus’ more than 120 members, were joined by the San Diego Youth Coast Singers, a 100+ voice youth chorale.

The evening began with two relatively short elegies for string instruments by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Chase described them as “character pieces,” the first about broken hearts, the other, remembrances. Next was Robert Schumann’s robust “Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major: Spring.” As the title suggests, it was Schumman’s first symphony and full of his youthful exuberance. But I also found it exceptionally melodic and peaceful. Filling the second part of the evening after an intermission was Benjamin Britten’s “Spring Symphony,” a true melding of poetry and music. As the highlight piece, it brought together 13 disparate poems sung by the chorus with three soloists and the power of all the instruments. Soloists Kerrie Caldwell, Martha Jane Weaver and Christopher Bingham all brought to the stage outstanding voices and a commanding professional presence. Together they created a memorable crescendo in the fourth movement finale that Chase said included “everything but the kitchen sink,” including a cow horn.

The Mandeville Auditorium, while not overtly stunning, is more than adequate with very fine acoustics and a distinctly wide-open, airy and inviting feel. With about 800 seats, no one feels remote to the performers. Seating is available in movable chairs close to the stage or in theater seats covering the back two-thirds of the auditorium. Neither are exceptionally comfortable. The “orchestra” seats offer a trade-off: less comfort (think thinly padded plastic chairs) but a delightful, more intimate closeness to the stage. Choose your priority. I suspect that plush seating is avoided to prevent the audience from being lulled to sleep by beautiful concert music. The lobby is small and intimate with a separate box office area that is actually a pleasant reception room.

I cannot say enough about the physical setting for the auditorium that makes one forget they are in a large city. Relish the stroll through the campus from the parking lot, and if conditions are right, breathe in the fresh eucalyptus smell. One recommendation I heartily make: arrive early to enjoy the musicians practicing and tuning their instruments. It gives a sense of their seriousness and dedication to their craft. Indeed, by the end of the evening, I had an even greater appreciation for the marriage of the musician and his or her instrument. The orchestra’s members encompass a wide age range from 20s to 80s, slightly slanted toward the more mature, much like the audience. It was especially intriguing to see a silver-haired woman plying her cello with youthful exuberance. Though the musicians and chorus were all formally dressed in black and white, the audience showed a wide variance, more dress-casual than not.

In welcoming the audience, La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Executive Director Diane Salisbury offered a major announcement. They will be performing Britten’s “Spring Symphony” May 27 at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall. If you are unable to catch them there, learn more about upcoming symphony performances and their new season at lajollasymphony.com. If you feel that classical music is not your forte, give it a chance to expand your horizons. You will find it a refreshing treasure, especially set peacefully at the Mandeville.

Justin Utley

Growing up gay in the Mormon community gave up-and-coming alt-country musician Justin Utley a unique perspective. After spending two unsuccessful years in church-run ex-gay therapy, he split from the church in 2005 and moved to New York City to pursue a music career. Utley’s second CD, Nothing This Real, chronicles his journey.

Abby Walker: How is your new CD different from your previous music?

Justin Utley: It’s more honest. I think I was more reserved on my previous album because I hadn’t come out. I had to be more ambiguous in my lyrics and I felt like I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a gay artist. This time around I wanted to be more direct in my lyrics but still leave it open enough that people can relate to it on their own level. I wanted to write from my heart about my own experiences.

How did you get your start in country music?

I had just finished a run of the Broadway show, Our Country, here in New York that was about an outed gay country superstar. The reviews said, “Justin Utley, a country singer,” so I was dubbed a country singer before I actually even considered myself much of a country artist. But in comparison with a lot of other music out there in the genre, I guess you could say that I’m a country crossover artist.

Did you grow up listening to country music? Who are your musical influences?

Being from Utah in the western side of Salt Lake Valley, our high school had a rodeo club and a lot of cowboys. I grew up with country music but a lot of my influences were also a lot of alt-rock like Pearl Jam. I got into some of the crossovers like Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks.

What was your first big break?

I’d been doing some high school musicals. This is what broke me out of the Mormon music scene and into the more mainstream markets. When I was in a seven month run of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Utah it got noticed by the governor’s office so when the 2002 Olympics came around they asked me to be one of the featured performers in some of the ceremonies and parties. That was pretty cool and that brought me some attention outside of Utah. I started flying out to New York to do some fundraising and I felt like, “Wow, New York is the place to be.” I think the last people to make it big while living in Utah were the Osmonds. I felt like I needed to make a break and move from Utah to New York.

Justin Utley

What is the number one highlight in your musical career?

It’s a tie. The first would be performing for Stockholm Pride last year before an audience of at least 10,000 people. It was amazing. To know that I connected to people halfway across the world, people were singing along, people were blogging about it afterward. It was humbling and an experience that I’ll never forget. Plus, it was great being in Sweden and seeing their acceptance of LGBT equality on every issue, on every level. It wasn’t just gay pride; it was more about celebrating equality for everybody. That was very eye-opening for me.

The other one is that last December, the It Gets Better program asked me to perform at their holiday concert along with their leads from the Book of Mormon musical and Wicked. They asked me to perform my single “Stand for Something.”

Can you tell us more about “Stand for Something?”

I had written a basic version years ago. When Prop. 8 happened, I was very upset and not in an angry kind of way but in a passionate kind of way. The rights of individuals should never be on a popular ballot. But I felt like if enough people would have just gotten off their asses and voted, it would have made a huge difference because it passed by such a small margin. I had to put this passion that I had onto paper and into a song. I pulled the song and rewrote most of the music and lyrics and put it together in the wake of Prop. 8 as a banner call for not just LGBT equality but also youth homelessness and suicide and anything that you can apply the stand for something message to.

What was it like growing up in Utah in the Mormon community?

It was quite the ride. I was raised in a very conservative Mormon household. We went to church every Sunday. Most of the people I went to church with went to my same elementary, junior high and high school so if you didn’t go to church on Sunday or drank a bottle of iced tea, one would know and it would probably get back to your parents.

When I realized that I was gay after my mission, I went into ex-gay therapy for two years. I didn’t know of anyone else who was in my situation because it was on the down low. Through my experience in ex-gay therapy, the reason people are hush-hush about it is because it’s treated like a disorder or a disease. It’s caused by something that happened to you in your childhood or there’s something biologically wrong with you that can be medicated. When I finally realized after two years that it wasn’t working and wouldn’t work, I experienced what it was like to live on the outside of that social Mormon experience.

What was your experience like at the 2011 San Diego Pride?

It was a very cool experience. You guys put on a really great Pride. The fact that it was in Balboa Park was pretty amazing. Some of the other Prides that I’ve been to have been in a parking lot, but Balboa Park was a beautiful setting. I met a lot of people in the straight community who were very supportive of LGBT rights and LGBT equality. I think I met more straight people than gay people, which was very cool to see. I’d love to come back this year.

Richard Baird, Courtney Corey, Matt Thompson, Judith Scott and Andrew Ableson play friends facing mid-life changes in This at the North Coast Rep.

After watching Melissa James Gibson’s This at the North Coast Rep. I wanted to seclude myself with comfort food and cuddle with the APA’s Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders.

But, before I go any further let me tell you that, including today you’ve still got five more chances to see This at the Rep., including two performances Saturday, April 28 (2 and 8 p.m.).

This’s emotional violence plays out in this extended one-act among its politically correct quintet, make that sextet, lest I forget the off-stage crying baby. Ms. Gibson eventually brings the lifeless infant onstage. It isn’t dead it’s just that the actors do not endow the prop with authentic life. The child’s neglect is emblematic of the clan’s stage 4 narcissism, the toxic baggage carried on its misguided quest for identity.

This could be amusingly played as Woody Allen character sketches. That would require sophistication, an unattainable quality in this production mired in feeble attempts to create a kinesthetic emotional reality.

This cult-appeal comedy revisits Ms. Gibson’s themes of angst in urban emotional isolation and again takes us to present-day Manhattan. Four old friends from college and an inexplicably present French Doctor-Without-Borders meet for drink and banter. A mixed race couple host; Tom, a carpenter, and Marrell, a lackluster lounge singer of pseudo-Laura Nyro songs. Gay alcoholic Alan, a television mnemonist (think Mr. Memory from The 39 Steps), played by Andrew Ableson, a likable actor whose Alan wavers in New York dialect and leans toward a self-conscious performance. Finally there is widowed single mother Jane, a barren poetess turned professional test proctor.

We begin the evening witnessing a psychologically cruel guessing game foisted upon Jane. The group gleefully antagonizes Jane with the guessing sport in which there is no chance of her winning. Her maddening stabs at answers drive the fragile woman out the door. Yet, she agreed to play.

The game serves as a metaphor for Ms. Gibson’s version of life’s futility. Infidelity, latent bereavement, unrequited lust, division of labor in caring for the family pet, child and an old-running cremation urn gag pepper the 90-minute exercise.

Meted out through actionless scenes, emotional cannibalism masquerades as well-meaning advice. If a therapist were present to referee, the characters might solicit a degree of empathy from us.

What strikes late in the evening is the Generation-X-ers resistant descent into middle-age. They’d rather remain in emotional constipation. This is a persuasive argument against the dangers of the over educated.

The manipulative personalities could make for a worthwhile character-driven play, but director Kirsten Brandt’s un-spontaneous production of a complex play is Johnny-One-Note in its surface exploration of This’ dense emotional landscape. Her treatment of the play is devoid of palpable passion preferring an academic approach and misses the play’s underlying vulnerability. Such insight would have added dimension to the character’s self-immolation with ironic humor.

The actors play from the ears up except Richard Baird who performs from the neck up. Now a Chicago-based actor jobbed in for This, Mr. Baird is San Diego’s Orson Wells Jr. whose baritone voice produces a rich radio performance. Playing opposite him, Judith Scott’s Marrell exchanges pedestrian sullen repartee. We have no sense of their character’s residue of love.

Ms. Corey’s Jane could have been a character-as-oasis of quirky courage. What materializes is strident neediness. Jean-Pierre (Matt Thompson) appears a handsome if vacuous figure and his French dialect is negligible.

It would have been consoling if the production design evoked New York fashion. It plays as suburban San Francisco. Ms. Brandt borrows visuals from the original production especially with Alina Bokovikova’s costumes. Marty Burnet delivers a scenic design carbon-copied from his production of Rabbit Hole while Matt Novotny’s lighting design is serviceable. The sound design is from a different play.

Charles Isherwood observed, “This is a work about how we process love, hurt and loss by concocting tidy stories to recall our experience, or reshape it – and sometimes to frame a happier future too.”

Nice work if you can get it.

This runs through April 29 at the North Coast Rep., 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Ste. D in Solana Beach. Visit northcoastrep.org or call 858-481-1055 for tickets.

Francis Gercke, Jessica John and Brian Mackey

Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride,now playing at the Diversionary Theatre, weaves the tale of three people living in England in two different time periods. This is done in two acts with each scene alternating between 1958 and 2008. The characters names remain the same in both periods, and in some ways the subject matter is the same, but yields different results.

The 1958 portion involves Phillip (Francis Gercke), a realtor, his wife Sylvia (Jessica John), an illustrator, and her boss Oliver (Brian Mackey), a novelist, who become involved in a love triangle.

The 2008 piece gives us characters of the same name, and played by the same actors but this time the couple is Phillip and Oliver and Sylvia is the friend who is responsible for introducing them.

Each piece deals with the lives of these characters, but more importantly the role of the gay man in the late ’50s and the present day.

The Phillip and Oliver of 1958 deals with a forbidden love they have for each other, but only one of them comes to terms with his feelings about their affair.

The present day Phillip and Oliver are an openly gay couple but are going through a break up because of infidelity and sex addiction.

1958: Francis Gercke, Jessica John and Brian Mackey

Both scenarios give us a glimpse at what being gay was like then and now and how much, or how little, has personally and socially changed over the course of time.

All of the actors here are given an opportunity to flex their muscles both in accent and acting chops playing two different characters who actually have the same moral threads as their counterparts and excel in their roles in both time periods.

Gerke’s performance is perfectly nuanced. He nails the repressed and married Englishman of the ’50s (stolid and determined to be the man he thinks he is expected to be) and also shows us the tender side of a present day gay man trying to deal with a relationship that is falling apart.

Mackey deftly handles both roles with humility, humor and grace. His Oliver of the ’50s is a pleasant man, guarded at first but that soon changes once he discovers who he is and what he wants. In contrast his present day Oliver, fights for some kind of understanding as to how he can love someone so much and still comprehend the reasons why they may not be right for each other.

Jessica John radiates in both eras. As the dutiful housewife of the ’50s, she is calm, cool and collected. She knows that something isn’t right with her marriage but just can’t quite put her finger on what it is. Her Sylvia of today is a bundle of energy, life and love … with the hopes of helping her two friends stay together, and finally finding love herself.

A special mention should go to actor Dangerfield G. Moore who takes on a handful of roles throughout the show ranging from Phillip’s doctor to Oliver’s editor. He is both hilarious and frightening in his spot-on portrayals.

2008: Brian Mackey, Jessica John and Francis Gercke

To go into more detail here would ruin your experience in discovering what happens in the show. The actors skillfully take us back and forth between eras and are completely engrossing. Each one of them has moments that will break your heart.

Director Glenn Paris has directed this production with care, tenderness, heart and impeccable pacing. He shows us characters that are quite real and are not stereotypical, which is refreshing. Each scene flows seamlessly from one to the next.

The set (Matt Scott), lighting (Michelle Caron), and costumes (Trista Roland) fit the show and the Diversionary space well.

The Pride, with its top-notch direction, and definitely some of San Diego’s most engaging actors, is a piece not to be missed.

Mark C. Petrich and Robin Christ

BY ANDREW PRINTER

A one act play that is simply ‘awesome’

A Man, his Wife, and his Hat is an imaginative and thoroughly entertaining 90 minute, one act play up and running at the Moxie Theatre until April 29. The play, written by local MFA candidate Lauren Yee weaves a simple message about love into a surreal (parallel) universe complete with talking walls, levitation, nonsense dialogue and some great performances.

My first impression of a theatrical production is the set, well, those that are visible to the audience as people find their seats and anticipation builds. This set, tilted up toward the audience had a warm and inviting feel to it and it was something to savor and wonder about. Smack bang in its center was a disheveled recliner upholstered with what looked like chopped up bits of silk and suit jackets, this surrounded by a cluster of random debris. To the right of the chair a wall was decorated with faded stencil prints; to the left a trap door fit into the floorboards.

I felt that some kind of magic would happen once the house lights dimmed and for the most part it did. A Man, his Wife, and his Hat is about Hetchman, a man who loves his hat. Oh, and his wife, too. But when both go missing, the retired hatmaker vows to stop at nothing to find them, if he can ever muster the strength to leave the comfort of his armchair, where Cheetos and peanuts are stashed. Hetchman is helped and hindered in his endeavor by a sassy and self-confident talking wall, a golem and his friend Meckel (Fred Harlow). Meanwhile, in a parallel world not so far away a young couple on the brink of marriage is getting snared in their own love-relationship dilemma.

Yee is a twenty-something playwright whose work debuted in San Diego as part of The Playwright’s Project’s Plays By Young Writers Series back when she was a teenager. She is a rising talent in the theater world and destined for New York. The inspiration for A Man, his Wife, and his Hat began at a writers retreat in Israel that Yee attended where a set of diverse characters gathered and where she pondered the notion of foreignness. The result is a play that marries an absurd world with one of the central themes of being human – love.

Love is nothing new to us gays; nor is an LTR (long term relationship for those of you not into abbreviations). Now that we can marry and divorce Hat’s investigation into the labyrinths of domesticity, affection and (not) taking your partner for granted has more resonance. The largely straight and older audience at the opening night performance frequently chuckled at Hetchman and Hetchman’s wife (a wonderful and wonderfully costumed Mark Petrich and Robin Christ) as they bickered and fought, but so did my LTR and me. Our eyes rolled with familiarity as one “love-relationship” truth after another fell from the central character’s mouths. The strangeness of the Hetchman’s and Meckel’s peculiar vernacular was something delightful!

I thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of A Man, his Wife, and his Hat. My attention never waned as I looked left and right to see/hear what the chatty wall had to say. The contemporary, parallel universe that involved the engaged couple paled a little in comparison to the broad, fairy-tale klezmer-inspired love triangle between Hetchman, his wife and his hat. And, overall the tale strayed just a bit into convoluted territory before its surprising but slightly sentimental ending, but the one act structure was suitable.

If you are looking for a night at the theater that entertains and makes you leave thinking I encourage you to check this one out. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the wise old wall. In her opinion it’s “awesome, awesome, awesome.”

Gary Holt, artistic director

Assembled in a large, unadorned meeting hall at the University Christian Church on Cleveland Avenue, a gathering of mostly-white, all-male singers are taking direction from Gary Holt, the artistic director of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus. Gary, the current artistic director and a warm, enigmatic presence, has also served as the former artistic director for the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego (1992-2010) as well as in positions for both the La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe Theatre.

On this night, his stentorian voice holds sway over a rehearsal as the group enters the final weeks before their debut of Olé! Olé! Olé! Dotting the landscape are others, the vital mechanics – the costumier, the lighting designer, the stage and production managers – who help to keep this well-oiled machine humming along. The energy in the room is palpable. The intensity, as driven by perfection as it appears to be a desire to please their choral master, is etched firmly across the faces of the singers, some well into the third act of their lives, others only just beginning theirs.

The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, comprised of more than 130 singers, is one of the largest GALA choruses (those unique to the LGBT community) in the United States. The organization, the result of a merger in 2009 between two stylistically distinct houses – the San Diego Men’s Chorus and the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego – has produced a prestigious and nationally-recognized troupe. (The GMCSD performed “The Star Spangled Banner” at the 2007 opening Padres game.)

Yet one visit to a rehearsal, let alone their fully-throated Web site (sdgmc.org), reminds the casual observer that something else is going on. There’s something remarkably un-Glee about the whole experience. And that something, as Gary explains, has to do with the transformational character of the chorus. “I have 25 years of experience in the LGBT choral movement watching how just being a member of the chorus can dramatically change someone’s life. We have people coming to the chorus after all kinds of things that have happened in their lives … shortly after a marriage where they were raising young children [and] through the process of self-awareness and self-discovery [realizing] this isn’t who I am. I’m going to live my life as an openly gay person and finding support in the chorus.” Gary adds, “I have watched how people’s lives have been completely transformed just through the power of music.”

San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus rehearsal

And for the audience? One story in particular that he recalls, and one that reverberates with racking urgency given the flood of today’s LGBT teen suicides, has to do with the parents of a gay child. Gary was in the ticket office taking an order for a holiday program when he fielded a call from the father of a gay teenager. “My wife and I have been coming to your concerts for years but I want to bring our son this year because he’s 15 and he just told my wife and I that he’s gay. And as soon as he told us he’s gay, he locked himself in his room and won’t come out. He’s ashamed. He feels like he’s let everyone down. And my wife and I know that if we can just bring him to your concert and sit in the audience and he can look up on stage and see a hundred people proudly singing and being gay, our son will have something to hold onto … that he’ll have a great life.”

While the SDGMC can serve as either a destination or a starting point for dozens of gay men (or women) searching for personal fulfillment on any number of levels, Cheri Curtis, the president of the all-volunteer board of directors, a graceful, deliberate woman, reminds us the SDGMC is not an organization that operates in isolation. The chorus serves many community functions that make it such a vital component to the city of San Diego and Cheri’s job, in part, is to steer the organization in directions that benefit the public at large. “You heard Gary talk about the Oliver Button project (an early-education, anti-bullying campaign), we (also) talk about what sort of message we want to get out and what part of our community we want to reach and how we want to reach them. We talk about whether we want to expand our audience outside of the gay community, outside of the San Diego community … whether we want to serve under-accessed parts of our community – the Latino community, for example – [and] whether we want to take the show on the road, if you will.”

Behind us, assistant choreographer Jason Danner is rehearsing with a select group of members chosen from the chorus who will play a featured part in their upcoming Latin tribute, Olé! Olé! Olé! It’s a young, multicultural stew of twenty-or-so members including two handsome Latin men who, off in the back corner of the rectory, are brimming with confidence. They seem unburdened by the world outside, as if, without yet realizing it, they are the very anchor upon which Gary Holt, Cheri Curtis and the rest of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus are transforming the world around them.

Saturday at White Party 2012

The annual White Party weekend in Palm Springs is the highlight of the year for many of the thousands of men from all over the globe who flock to the desert for three days of nearly non-stop dancing, drinking and an all-around good time.

Founded more than two decades ago by Los Angeles promoter Jeffrey Sanker, the White Party is now known as “the largest gay dance music festival.”

White Party 2012 begins its weekend of fun Friday, April 6, with the Boxers or Briefs party. Saturday brings the official White Party and closing out the event is Sunday’s T-Dance.

Reporter Jason Kelley recently talked with Sanker to get the inside scoop on the White Party experience.

Jason Kelley : How would you describe White Party Palm Springs to someone who’s never experienced it?

Jeffrey Sanker: It’s like a wonderful dream you never want to end … an energetic celebration of life, filled with music, men and muscle … along with incredible scenery and beautiful weather.

How has the White Party managed to attract large numbers of people each year when others have failed?

I always try to keep things new and fresh. You have to be on the cutting edge in order to succeed as long as I have. I always push the envelope by offering something new and different. Often that means taking risks, but that’s what I’ve become known for.

What makes Palm Springs such a special location?

Palm Springs is one of the world’s most magical places. It really is a beautiful oasis. It’s the perfect setting for a spring break getaway. Besides that, the City of Palm Springs itself … its residents and businesses … welcome us every year.

With White Party Palm Springs being such a large, popular event for gay men, what is the greatest thrill for you in producing it?

For me personally, it’s all about the “wow” factor. I like it when I see guys walk into an event and say, “Wow!” I love it even more when I see them at the end as they leave saying, “Wow!” Also, I get a lot of satisfaction, and really feel very honored, when I see guys who come back for the White Party again and again.

Jeffrey Sanker

Why are events such as the White Party important for the gay community?

It’s a celebration and for many, an escape. The energy is invigorating. There’s an undeniable sense of camaraderie and also the tradition that it’s now become.

What is your most memorable moment from the White Party over the years?

My most memorable moment was having Jennifer Lopez perform and also when Lady Gaga performed.

How long does it take to plan the White Party?

As soon as the weekend is over, I start planning for the next one. Planning and executing an event like this is a year-round job.

Previous White Party attendees also have a lot to say about the infamous event.

“I was there with my boyfriend at the time and it was a fun romantic weekend believe it or not,” said Robby LaRiviere, who attended White Party 2011. “I know a lot of the guests attending the White Party are usually single and ready to mingle but my boyfriend and I had a fabulous time going to all the dances and watching Robyn perform.”

Each year, the White Party features a big-name musical headliner and this year that honor goes to Mary J. Blige. Past events have included performances by Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and Robyn.

Daniel Vaillancourt and his husband David Lee first attended the White Party after moving to Palm Springs in 2007. The couple had heard of the event while living in Los Angeles but didn’t think it was for them.

“But after we moved to Palm Springs, we realized it was silly not to attend,” said Lee. “So we went. It was the year that Lady Gaga performed the second time for the boys. It was magical. Maybe Gaga was a big part of it but we were made instant converts.”

There’s more to the White Party than just all-night parties. The fun continues during the day under the hot Palm Springs sun thanks to several DJ-hosted pool parties throughout the weekend.

White Party boys

“Similar to gay cruises, the White Party in reality is much more diverse than one would think,” said Vaillancourt. “Young or old, ripped or not, everyone’s welcome.”

As is often the case with large parties, the festivities at the White Party can sometimes get out of control. The use of meth, ecstasy and other drugs is not uncommon.

“Every year some poor souls get into trouble with too many drugs, too much sex or alcohol,” said Vaillancourt. “But if you play responsibly, it’s a great event that brings together all kinds of guys from all over the world in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.”

Tickets are on sale now at jeffreysanker.com.