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feature Local Artist Returns to The 700 Club Being no stranger to the visual and performing arts, it would seem that New Orleans local, Jay Hendrix, has been painting as long as he s been performing. Not so! At the age of 44, he picked up his first paint brush just four years ago. With no formal training and being completely self taught, he drew inspiration from the artists he most identified with: Dali, Picasso, Matisse, Kahlo, and the rest as they say...is the future! Artist Jay Hendrix New in New York...and NOLA trodding the boards by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com If you re a theater lover and heading up to New York in the next few weeks, it s a great opportunity to check out the current crop of Broadway shows before the Tony Awards (or lack thereof) signal the end of some runs. While there may not be an immediate need to see Once (featuring former NOLA Project member Will Connolly), as it looks likely to win the Best Musical award and be around for a while, here are three shows that I recently saw that, win or lose, are quite worth seeing. Top on the list for any gay man should be End of the Rainbow (Belasco Theater), a London import about Judy Garland, cause even if you think you ve been through this territory before, Peter Quilter s biodrama provides an immediacy and a theatricality that rivet one s attention. It s December 1968. No longer Dorothy or even Vicki Lester, a throatier though still charismatic Judy and her husband-tobe Mickey Deans arrive in London for the start of what is to be a five week run at the Talk of the Town nightclub. Promising to behave herself, Judy is convinced that their (huge) suite at The Ritz Hotel is smaller than the one she had last time. After an extremely successful first ever art opening at 700 Club two years ago and the introduction of his wildly popular Kitty collection, Jay has been asked to do several commissions both privately and commercially. His work has been displayed in restaurants and retail spaces from New Orleans to Houston. Now he returns to 700 Club this month with a new collection he calls A Tribute to the Masters and Kitty s Komeback. Come join Mr. Hendrix and 700 Club Thursday, June 21st from 6-8pm as they present these colorfully re-worked classics, and meet the colorful artist behind Kitty s creation. That s about the least of her worries. Short of funds, Judy pulls every trick in the book to get the imperious hotel manager to let her and Deans stay without paying in full right away. Worse, Judy seems to be in thrall to the pills and alcohol that Tracie Bennett in End of the Rainbow (Photo by Carol Rosegg) have fueled her since she was a child actress. Sure there was a physical addiction, but Quilter s subtly captivating script, which only occasionally succumbs to cliches in plotting or dialog, lays out Garland s insecurities and harrowing psychological need for chemical support despite her towering talent. Such a sturdy vehicle would hardly run, however, if the actress playing Garland could not pull off the tough task of portraying a legend. And here, End of the Rainbow triumphs with a career-making performance by Tracie Bennett who, whether singing, smoking, lusting after her man, or just plain posturing, is utterly natural, yet seemingly larger than life. Bennett s Garland offers self-deprecating humor and can turn the diva shtik on like that, but in her off moments she still seems always to be performing even if only for an audience of one. That Bennett is Tony-nominated for Best Actress in a Play is a little surprising as, recreating the Talk of the Town engagement, she sings about ten songs in the course of Rainbow utterly capturing Garland s unique persona and sounding uncannily like her. This is an extraordinary performance that keeps on giving including a little lagniappe after the bows. This is no one woman show, however. Michael Cumpsty shades his performance as Garland s gay, loyal pianist with nobility, resignation and, late in the game, a bit of pie-in-the-sky optimism, clearly getting a certain satisfaction for being in the orbit of an icon. As Deans, Tom Pelphrey fights hard to save Garland; whether he really sees her as anything more than a meal ticket is left pleasingly ambiguous yet Pelphrey makes it clear, that among hard choices, he s trying to do the right thing. All of Rainbow s production values are topnotch and Terry Johnson s wonderfully modulated direction, along with the performances, gives depth to the tabloidity of Judy s descent into her own personal hell, a process almost painful to watch as her layers of desperation are revealed. One can t help but wonder if Quilter is already preparing a play about Whitney... If Garland was fatally burned by the glare of the ever-present spotlight, a few blocks away from the Belasco, a family is doing all it can to remain on the sidelines of our national stage. In Jon Robin Baitz Other Desert Cities (Booth Theatre thru June 17), Brooke Wyeth (Elizabeth Marvel) is visiting her parents Polly (Stockard Channing) and Lyman (Stacy Keach) for Christmas. Brooke, a writer, had had a nervous breakdown a few years ago and was hospitalized but is now apparently well. She has brought along a memoir of the family that will soon be published. And as with any memoir worth publishing, it contains material that Lyman and especially Polly do not want the public to see. For they are Republicans, friends of Nancy and Ron, Lyman a former actor of some note himself and once the chairman of the California G.O.P. And the fact that they had a son who had joined a Weatherman-like organization in the 1970s, participated in a fatal bombing, and then killed himself, is something they want to keep in the past. Against John Lee Beatty s well-heeled Palm Springs home that is anchored by a stone wall, an apt metaphor, Joe Mantello fluidly directs Baitz sharp, glittering dialog that reveals his exquisitely defined characters Lyman, the overprotective peacemaker whose still currents run deep; Brooke, luminescent but forever devastated by the loss of her brother; and Lyman & Polly s son Trip (Thomas Sadoski), a reality show producer whose casual demeanor does not preclude strong emotions. Best of all are Polly and her sister Silda Grauman (Judith Light), Jews from Texas who came to Hollywood and became successful screenwriters of a series of teenage-themed movies. If Silda, a recovering alcoholic is funny and warm and everything you d want your aunt to be, Polly is the opposite. Strident and selfassured to a fault, she hates being fair. While not entirely covering up her Jewishness, it s certainly nothing she flaunts. Loyal to her friends, she will not countenance disloyalty, even in those closest to her. With Brooke determined to publish, Baitz lets these characters go at each other and if these are the 1%, I m happy to be part of the other 99. The cast is nearly perfect. Keach brings patrician authority to Lyman yet gives him a softer side as well, more Rockefeller Republican than Tea Party. Sadoski fulfills the role of the third child, friend to all, no agenda to push, hoping everyone gets along but refusing to partici- [continued on 25] under the gaydar...from 12 I throw many fundraisers; you give people canapés, cocktails and background music with a lovely silent auction; now that ladies and gentlemen is how you raise funds. The other day, no lie at the corner of Elysian Fields and Claiborne, there were four different groups working the intersection. A group of grunge kids had one corner and several of them were texting on their phones while begging. Seriously, somehow utter poverty is not coming to mind when you have a cell phone. Then there was the homeless, which by the way, I recognized as a man who lived in a house in my neighborhood, and by no means is he homeless or hungry. The next corner was a cheerleading squad, in which one pushy little girl in pigtails came up to my car and demanded money so she could go to Florida for a competition, I told her to do a flip if she wanted something. I mean, how do I know these kids are any good, I do not want to back a losing team. What lessons are we teaching our youth, beg for money for the things in life you want? You do not have to work for it or even actually earn it. At least when a drag queen wants to go to a pageant, she puts on a benefit show, there is some entertainment value (I use this term loosely) involved. But still you are given something in return for your money. Also, I do not know exactly how safe it is to have these children running in and out of cars at a busy intersection for dollar bills. So stop giving money to these people, or pretty soon I will walk around asking for money to send me to Europe. Hell, I know people who would pay good money to see me out of town for two weeks. Hey, it could work. If you have an event, story or idea, you want covered, contact me at tonymgp@hotmail.com. 22 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM June 5-18, 2012 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.COM
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ambush paparazzi Stephanie Lee & bartender David join Toby s NO/AIDS Walk Crawfish Boil @ Club LAX Jeff & Tip @ JohnPaul s for Mr. & Miss Pride pageant Catch Shawn @ Napoleon s Itch Bourbon Pub Parade office manager Chuck Kee & friends Enjoining Toby s NO/AIDS Walk Crawfish Boil @ Club LAX More Toby s NO/AIDS Walk Crawfish Boil Mr. & Miss Pride pageant @ JohnPaul s Dave @ Rab Dab during Royal Street Stroll for New Orleans Food & Wine Experience Chuck cozies up with one of his staff @ Napoleon s Itch Country Club managers Drew & Bert @ Bourbon Pub s Friday Night Strip Off Tal displays how to do a proper body shot on Derek @ Oz Blanche looking for cute boys for Oz s Bad A$$ Booty Boy Contest Hot boys @ Oz Around the City ~ New Orleans & Metairie, Louisiana ~ Photos Tony Leggio 4 Seasons/Double Play/Billy s Chuck joins Toby s NO/AIDS Walk Crawfish Boil La Mina Sterling s Poncho joins Royal Street Stroll The cast of Xanadu does an impromptu number @ Bourbon Pub s Friday Night Strip Off Kevin, Brent & Justin attend Mr. & Miss Pride pageant @ JohnPaul s Bartender Dee welcomes you to Michael's On The Park Contestants @ Bourbon Pub s Friday Night Strip Off Down to the wire in Bad A$$ Booty Boy Contest @ Oz 24 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM June 5-18, 2012 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.COM
trodding the boards...from 22 pate in the others childishnesses. Light captures Silda s decency and waggish charm, but looks like the alcohol has taken a grave toll on her (could this be the same actress who starred in Who s the Boss??). And Channing is incredible. Gone is the gentle wonderment from Six Degrees of Separation, replaced by a high-strung, tight-cheeked steeliness that is masked by bonhomie only when she s getting her way. Overly concerned with what her friends might think, not till the end does she expose the full depth of her maternal instincts. Stockard Channing & Stacy Keach in Other Desert Cities (Photo by Joan Marcus) Only Marvel is, well, less than marvelous. A fine but powerful actress, Marvel s Brooke seems less like someone who would have a nervous breakdown than the type who d have a drink, get a good night s sleep and then conquer any challenge that might come along. Where the role demands a certain delicacy, we get a steamroller instead. Baitz has a great story to tell and, like Ibsen whose families must eventually face their demons, he only gradually reveals all its secrets. A little too gradually perhaps though dealing with hard existential truths amid political discussions of a very high order, at times a certain repetitiousness crept in. Although only a little nipping and tucking might be needed, at times I wanted to say Alright, I get it. It s a measure of the production as a whole, however, that I was always engaged and eager to see what happens next. I can t say I was eager to see what would happen next when the curtain came down at the end of Act One at Peter and the Starcatcher (Brooks Atkinson Theatre). For despite a fine finale, I had found the preceding hour or so rather tedious as a dozen hard-working actors ladled out gobs of exposition to set the story in motion. But after intermission, it was as though I had returned to a different, magical show! Adapted by Rick Elice from Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson s novel, Peter and the Starcatcher conjures up the backstory for Peter Pan, a prequel if you will. There s a Lord, his daughter, her nanny, some nasty sea captains and their henchmen, a preening villain by the name of Black Stache, and an orphan boy with no name, called just Boy. Whereas the first act is dark and set amidst dreary workhouses and the dank holds of ships, (I suspect intentionally, but I still found it rather dull to look at), the second act is full of light, above and below water, as a shipwreck tosses this patchwork krewe onto an island filled with ravenous alligators and other memorable creatures, a triumph for designers Donyale Werle (sets), Paloma Young (costumes), and Jeff Croiter (lighting). Whereas during the first act I felt like I was being spoon-fed the story, as though told to eat my vegetables cause they re good for you, Act Two is a truffle and bonbon filled delight as the various parts of the story organically click into place to produce a lump-in-your-throat ending. And how can you not love something that opens with a chorus of ukelele-strumming mermaids?! And whereas the acting in Act One reminded me of troupe of thespians trying to keep the attention of a junior high school crowd with a merely presentational style of story-telling, in the second act, the entire cast found inspiration in the emotionally richer material which allowed them to connect to the audience in a visceral, deeplysatisfying way. Elice s script employs mostly Victorian locutions but current expressions ( Can you hear me? a la a cell phone ad) slyly creep in along with historical digressions, alliterations, puns, flatulence jokes and, especially in Act Two, daffily dexterous wordplay as in He singlehandedly rendered me single-handed. Roger Rees and Alex Timbers adroit direction blossoms in the second act once it s finally unencumbered by the preceding gloom. Each member of the cast has their moment(s) in the spotlight. Celia Keenan-Bolger emits a winning stoicism and British stiff upper lip-edness as the noble daughter who takes charge of the ludicrous circumstances that engulf her; slowly revealing her heart, she is, by the end, deliciously melting. As Boy, I found Adam Chanler-Berat a bit wan to begin with, as befits the character; ironically, as he becomes less human and transforms into Peter Pan he becomes more pleasingly full-blooded. And looking like a young Tim Curry, Christian (Smash) Borle makes Black Stache the most preposterous of scoundrels, layering his malignity with ridiculousness; watching his face redden is like seeing some cartoon character come to life! So should you see Peter and the Starcatcher? Well, I m not sure I d pay full price for a ticket but if it s on the half price TKTS Booth in Duffy Square, then by all means go and enjoy! For those of you who won t be going to the Tony Awards in New York, the Actor s Equity Association Liaison Committee and the National WWII Museum Stage Door Canteen will be presenting a Tony Party on June 10. It ll be at the WWII Museum (945 Magazine Street) and is open to all members of New Orleans theater community and the community at large. There s no admission charge, doors open at 6pm with dinner seating downstairs featuring a special menu by John Besh; upstairs cocktail seating will also be available. Required reservations can be made by calling 504.528.1944, ext. 287. Sounds to me like everyone there will be a winner! Gay EasterParade.COM GayMardiGras.COM GayNewOrleans.COM June 5-18, 2012 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM 25