Theater in the Now

By Michael Block

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, "The Simpsons" have been a staple in the pop culture lexicon for virtually three decades. The cartoon has become timeless in the sense that there seems to never be a wrong to pay homage through parody. Now at the Laurie Beechman comes The Simsinz, a loving drag send off on "The Simpsons". Whether you’re a loyal fan of the series or simply a lover of drag, there’s something for everyone here.

photo by Michael Block

Previously representing the Beechman through her Amy Winehouse tribute show, Cissy Walken brings a bunch of her pals to the stage to become the iconic yellow-tinted cartoon American family, looks and all. Told through sound clips from the cartoon and music references from pop to Broadway, this edition of the show puts a queer lens on the characters. Is it possible everyone is gay? In Marge’s mind, absolutely. The Simsinz is a wonderfully whimsical, and slightly perverse, spin on the animated classic, littered in pop culture nostalgia. There is a semblance of a plot, though the closer you are to the franchise perhaps the easier it is to find. Marge is on the verge of a breakdown as her husband Homer and three kids, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, aid to the chaos of her life. After a little sniff of bleach, Marge goes on a fantastical adventure as all the characters in the Matt Groening universe appear to be on a journey of self-discovery. There’s a special charm to the show that makes it a special event. The drag is spot on. The theatricality polish can be improved, but hey, it is a cabaret space after all.
The entire ensemble took the iconic characters and brought them to life with the greatest of ease, while still maintaining an essence of their own drag personas. As Marge, Cissy Walken plays the straight man in the scene. Her take on the character, comparatively, is the most grounded. With the show being entirely lip synced, Cissy does surprise the crowd late in the show with a bit of a vocal gag. As Homer, Coco Taylor goes on a fantastical journey through song and dance as Homer tries to discover his true self. Taking on the three kids, Aria Derci, Pussy Willow, and Andy Starling, as Bart, Lisa, and Maggie respectfully, dazzle in their solo moments. But wait, did you think other characters wouldn’t make cameos? Mrs. Krabapple, Milhouse, and Ralphie all pop by, but it’s Marge’s sisters, Patty and Selma, that steal the show. With a little Side Show to cap it off, Coco Taylor and Aria Derci’s take on the Bouvier twins is one of the highlights of the night. This piece is only as successful as it’s appearance. The costumes by Pierretta Viktori and the wigs by Scott Feigr Curly are major players in Why this show works.
While there is still some tweaking and finessing to do, The Simsinz is a must do at the Beechman. There have been very few shows of this whacky nature to grace this stage.

Name: Peter Levine

Hometown: Brooklyn

Education: B.A., M.A. in History, Columbia, Phd History, Rutgers

Favorite Credits: As an actor, Marc in ART, Willie Clark in The Sunshine Boys, Roy Cohn in Angels in America, and Max Gelman in my new play Apple, Table Penny

Why theater?: I had a first career as a professor of American History at Michigan State University- wrote a lot of books, loved teaching but started acting there with the Theatre Dept’s MFA program and got hooked. I took an early retirement, moved back to Brooklyn with my wife, got my Equity card in 2002, and have been acting and writing plays ever since. For me it is a passion – something I crave to do.

Tell us about Apple, Table, Penny?: The play tells the story of Max Gelman, a frustrated Borscht Belt comedian, who often neglected his roles as husband and father to follow his dream. But now something's wrong. He's been acting strangely and his wife and children are concerned. So is he.Could it be Alzheimer’s? Complete with jokes, the occasional song, and a cast of characters that includes Carmen Miranda and Jackie Gleason, Apple, Table, Penny showcases generational struggles, the special love between a grandfather and his granddaughter, and coming to terms with the inevitable that awaits us all.

What inspired you to write Apple, Table, Penny?: Who knows where inspiration comes from? I try to write what I know best with the hope that concentrating on the specific kinds of people and the worlds they inhabit that I most familiar with, still allows me speak to universal questions and themes.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: My tastes are eclectic. In terms of theatre, always Tony Kushner and Arthur Miller – Paul Simon has been with me since he first began to perform.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: There are so many people I have yet to work with that I wouldn’t know where to begin.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Angels in America

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Gene Wilder, but alas he is dead!

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original production of Death of a Salesman

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I don’t know about guilt, but spending time with my two grandchildren, Ben and Lily

If you weren’t working in theater, you would ______?: Be the best grandfather ever

What’s up next?: I am writing a play with a friend about the end of the Trump presidency. Hopefully, he will be gone, before we finish it.

Name: Dani Franco

Hometown: Raised in Colombia Born in Venezuela

Education: Theater major degree In Casa del Teatro Nacional in Bogota/Colombia and acting for film and TV in New York conservatory for dramatic arts, the professional program

Select Credits:Tiny’s House (off broadway-Temple theater, directed by SC Murray) Film ‘Mama eres feliz Selected in the Cityvision film Festival directed by Elias Acevedo. TV series, Rough and Ready. Twelfth Night by Frog and Peach directed By Lynnea Benson.

Why theater?: Because you are risking all the time and that keeps you in the now, the moment you stop risking the performance became plain. Also your naked in front of an audience, they can see if your being honest with them or not, you have to open your heart so much so you can give every single person in the audience a piece of your truth, of your emotions. That takes a lot of energy. In theater you are at the edge all the time and that’s really exciting, also repetition is something that keeps me fresh and playful everytime I get in the scene. In theater the truth is becomes tangible.

Who do you play in Twelfth Night with Frog and Peach: I Played Curio, A gentlewoman in Orsino’s Court. In the original Play, Curio is play by a Man. So I enjoy to recreate the character, with the help of the director, Lynnea Benson.

Tell us about Twelfth Night: Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare romantic comedies. Is about a twin brother and sister who are separated in a shipwreck.the sister viola end it up in a town named illiria, she finds herself alone, she assumes that her twin brother is dead. She dresses as a man working for Orsino the duke of Elyria who she is in love with. But he doesn’t know he is a she.

What was it like being a part of Twelfth Night: Was great I had a lot of fun, I just can say positive things about twelfth night, I learned a lot from the other actors in the cast who has been working with Shakespeare since years and their work with the verse and Shakespeare words, made it seem easy from the outside.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I see inspiration in many actors. I grew up watching Pacino, de Niro, Dicaprio Films, and as soon as I watched On the Water Front and Wild One when I was 15, I got OBSSESED with Brando, and I still am. But I get inspiration everywhere I go, I try to really have that peripheral vision everytime. Poets and writers as Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Julio Cortazar ,Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Dancers as Martha Graham and Pina Baucsh had a really impact on me and my way to see the world and people around me. Also Bertulucci and Almodovar Films feeds my soul. But I think To be inspired you don’t have to go so Far, Im really inspired by the people close to me who are teaching me not just acting but… Life. And I thing this is the most important thing for an actor.People as My audition Couch... I love her, My cousin, My dance Teacher, A couple of friends that are not actors, other friends who are actors, my dad, other actors who I worked with and who Im working with.Other artists, musicians, visual artists young as me who I got to know recently…. The list can be really long. Im not attached to any type of theater. All of them speaks to me, some in a more positive way than others, Im very open and versatile with that. Because I don’t know where the life is gonna lead me to. I Have my preferences of a theater who is based more in the acting and storytelling rather than the props, costumes and stage designs, I think too many props on stage can get really messy and distracting. But I like theater… from Shakespeare…. to stand up. I Think the storytelling is the key.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: My dream role to play before I get really old is Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, also I die to play Blanche in a Streetcar Named Desire, Anita in West Side Story, May in Fools For Love By Sam Shepard and Catherine Carbone in A View From the Bridge of Arthur Miller. Also I would love to play a serial killer, a gangster or some criminal…. Those roles really catch me.

What’s your favorite showtune?: "Take Me or Leave Me" from Rent and "My Shot" from Hamilton, almost all of Hamilton and "America" from West Side Story. Actually I think this last one is my favorite.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Al Pacino without doubt. This might sound really ambitious… but I am an ambitious person when is about my career . He is very passionate about Shakespeare as I am, for me he is one of the best’s actors worldwide and he is being my inspiration for acting since I was a little kid back in Colombia. I think working with him would be a master class every rehearsal. It’s one of my biggest dreams, I wanted to point that out, and Who wouldn’t like a master class with Pacino for free though?...

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: The French actress Audrey Tautou, she is very funny, I think we have a similar humor, and we both play very well with physicality. I would love someone who’s good at comedy in a unique way so it would make a contrast and put a little spice into the drama. I will call the movie... golden waves

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Angels in America.

What show have you recommended to your friends?:Frankie and Johnny with Michael Shannon and Audra Macdonald, and also History for Morons the monologue of John Leguizamo, this one, really touched me It talks about the latino Culture, the immigration and all the struggle that an immigrant has in a new country, with new rules. The persistence and the hope of that dream coming true.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: I have a lot… im a Healthy person, but my guiltiest Pleasures all has to be with food… maybe…. A cold pina Colada in front of a beach and a veggie burger with sweet potato Fries and a chocolate volcano cake… with vanilla icecream in the top at midnight.

What’s up next?: Im going For a coffee, what about you?... I have some films Projects going on next year and also keep working with Frog And Peach in upcoming productions

For more on Dani, visit @danifranco8 on Instagram

Name: Roberto Araujo

Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico

Education: Theatre Major in Mexico City

Select Credits:West Side Story at North Shore Music Theatre, In the Heights at GALA Theatre, Evita at ZACH Theatre, Fame International Tour.

Why theater?: When I was about 14 years old, I saw a production of Crazy for You in Mexico City and that was the main inspiration for me to pursue a career in theatre. I have been very fortunate to have been able to make a name for myself not only as an actor but also as a photographer and now video content producer at Playbill. So theatre has been a part of my life in many different forms.

Tell us about Do You Dream In Spanish?: Since I first moved to NYC about 19 years ago, people have always asked me “Do you dream in Spanish?” And I always thought: “What a great title for a show!”. As time went by, I also realized that depending on who and how the question was asked, it would take a very different meaning. We all have dreams and aspirations. Does it matter what language they are in? I first performed Do You Dream In Spanish? as part of the Fresh Fruit Festival where I was awarded Outstanding Performance. The second iteration of the show came earlier this year at The Green Room 42 and now back by popular demand. Since it is an autobiographical show, things keep evolving and changing. So you might see the same story line, but there will be new stories and more unapologetic honesty than in the previous versions. And little known fact, I will be doing this to celebrate my birthday!

What is it like being a part of Do You Dream In Spanish?: I am very grateful to have the platform to tell a story. It’s a privilege that audiences have embraced the show and that a venue like The Green Room 42 invited me back shortly after my debut in March. My favorite part of being able to tell the story is when audiences realize that we are all connected by the human experience. We all go through heartbreak, disappointments and even health scares. We might look and sound different, but there are more similarities than you’d expect.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Honest theatre. In recent memory of shows I have experienced, I can say that Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop, made me want to make this show absolutely unapologetic. It was very inspiring to experience that show. I am inspired by artist who are in touch with their craft and are able to connect with audiences in a deeper level.

What’s your favorite showtune?: Tough question! I have so many different categories. If I had to pick one, I would have to say, David Yazbek has written some amazing songs like “Island” from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I would love to work with Steven Lutvak, who wrote A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder. I sing a few of his songs in my show and I really connect with them. I would love to work with David Yazbek. His music and lyrics are so wonderful. And I would love to share the stage with Heather Headley. I saw her in Aida when I first moved to NYC and I think she is a brilliant performer. Oh! One more… Sherie Rene Scott. I’ve had the chance to produce a video with her, but would love to sing with her.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I would love to play myself, but if I wasn’t able to, I would say Antonio Banderas. And the movie would be directed by Alfonso Cuarón and it would be called ROBERTO. All capital letters.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I would love to see Chita Rivera in West Side Story and Kiss of the Spider Woman. And also Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Sherie Rene Scott.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Currently playing? Oklahoma! What a brilliant piece of theatre.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?:“Dancing with the Stars”! I love that the stakes are so low. They are not competing to marry a stranger, or eating bugs or winning money. They win, bragging rights and a mirror ball. Plus, the pros who dance are incredible. And the production value of the show is out of this world! Would love to direct cameras for it!

What’s up next?: A bunch of thing! November 15 is my show Do You Dream In Spanish? at The Green Room 42 and November 22 and 23 I will be starring in Adam & Brian a new play by Craig Donnelly at The Playroom Theatre. November is a busy month.

For more on Do You Dream In Spanish?, visit: thegreenroom42.com

Name: Jaime Lozano. My full name is Jaime Alonso Lozano Reyes.

Hometown: Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. It’s in the north of Mexico. Around 3 hours driving from Texas.

Education: BFA in music and composition from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and a MFA in musical theatre writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Select Credits:Children of Salt (NYMF Best of Fest 2016), The Yellow Brick Road (Off-Broadway), A Never-Ending Line (Off-Broadway), and many to come.

Why theater?: It’s a fun story. I didn’t meet theatre till I was 18 years old. I don’t remember to have any memory about theatre when I was a kid. I actually when kid wanted to be a lawyer and then I applied for criminology school. I was about to get in and last minute a decide to wait. Then with no reason I thought that maybe music could be a good idea, I love singing at church as a teenager and learned to play guitar in choir. I had my first formal music lesson at college when I was 18 and a few months later I auditioned for Jesus Christ Superstar. I got into the pit choir and my life changed forever. Now I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. I strongly believe musical theater is the most powerful way to tell stories. The way music and words can work together to serve a story, to deliver a message and get straight to the heart of an audience member is for me magical. Theatre can change the world and can saves lives.

Tell us about Songs by an Immigrant: Songs by an Immigrant at The Green Room 42 is a concert I have put together with an amazing group of Broadway and Off-Broadway performers, all Latinos, that I like to called my “familia.” I have the honor to have this wonderful people singing my songs, songs written originally for other musical and also some new songs from an upcoming album actually named Songs by an Immigrant. As a writer and composer I like to tell stories close to me, things I feel related with. I have to tell my own stories and all these songs are stories about “someone” immigrant experience. Songs about struggling with the language (as you can see), about being in the middle of two cultures, about missing your homeland, about missing your family; songs about what it means to wake up in a strange land and trying to make it yours. We have had already this concert sold out at Two River Theatre in NJ and at Joe’s Pub with different guest performers and even when some of the songs are the same, having a different singer bringing it to life is a completely different experience. Everyone as an immigrant by themselves or coming from an immigrant family bring so much to the stories I want to tell. And I love collaborating with them and discovering new things about my songs.

What is it like being a part of Songs by an Immigrant?: I feel a great responsibility with my people; with my Latino musical theatre community, with my family, with the audience. I believe diversity needs to come from the stories and beyond of trying to fit in stories already written and told we need to create new one. We need to write new stories. I want my people to originate new characters. I’m proud and thankful to be living these times, to be able to create a change with my work, even if is a small -almost invisible- change. I’m thankful for the people before me whom have opened doors for me and the people now around me, I just hope this is just the beginning of many more immigrants singing their songs, our songs.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: To be honest with you I enjoy all kind of theatre. I believe there’s theatre for all kind of audiences and with different goals. I can enjoy a very commercial piece and also a very theatrical experimental piece. But definitely that theatre that speaks to me is the one that take risks, that challenge the actors and the audience. I’m not looking anymore for stories told in a clear way, I prefer stories told in a creative, theatrical, smart, different way. I guess that’s why many of my favorite shows are flops. I love when the writers, the director and the actors shows their vulnerability and their imperfections on stage. Because at the end that’s what we are imperfect human beings playing to create, and those imperfections make us perfect in our very own particular and specific way. Overall I love honest theatre. And this inspire me, looking at people taking risks while doing art inspires me. Also my talented friends inspire me. More than inspiration I like to call it motivation, it is something more concrete than abstract. My wife that is super talented and hard worker and I admire a lot as a storyteller is a motivation for me every single day. Nice people also is a motivation for me, knowing people who has dared go to beyond and achieve things they never dreamed of. People is my motivation.

What’s your favorite showtune?: That’s a hard question. I have many favorite tunes. It wouldn’t be fair to mentioned just one. From the classic one I love: “All the Things You Are”, “They Can’t Take that Away from Me” and “So in Love.” Some Sondheim: “Move On,” “Losing My Mind.” More contemporary: “It All Fades Away,” “Meadowlark.” And of course I have some favorite of my shows, Hehehehehe.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Actors, definitely Hugh Jackman is in my list. Also Raul Esparza, Glenn Close. Writers, I would love to set music to some Lin-Manuel lyrics or collaborate with Jason Robert Brown in some way. I have my bouquet list with artists from all fields.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Playing the old version of me maybe Jim Carrey. But talking about diversity I think it would be Mexican actor Diego Luna. I love or very large titles or one word titles: “The guy who was always wrong and never stop smiling.” Or maybe just “Grateful.”

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?:Gospel at Colonus, The Capeman. I told you I love flops.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Lately, Hadestown, I love its theatricality. Hamilton, I love how everything works great together: writing, orchestrations, choreography, designing, etc.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Kick lines in musicals. Does it count?

What’s up next?: Playing with my son. Enjoying my family. Writing with my wife. Writing and rewriting. I’m adapting an opera doing new Latino orchestrations. I’m opening a new show in Florida next year. Hopefully opening a show in NYC. Taking my music to London, having a concert there. Writing and rewriting. Orchestrating. Making lot of mistakes. Learning.

Jaime will perform Songs by An Immigrant at The Green Room 42 on Sunday, November 24th at 9:30pm.

For more on Jaime, please visit www.jaimelozano.net

Name: Maria Ciampi

Hometown: Hartsdale, New York

Education: Fordham University, B.A. 1981 (summa cum laude, in cursu honorum); St. John’s University School of Law, J.D. 1986.

Select Credits: Kris Kringle The Musical; “29 Rules for Deliverance” (a short story); and The Question Presented (legal text that was used at Harvard Law School)

Why theater?: I adore musical theater — the ability of music to move the listener is to me unparalleled, and when you combine that with a good story, it’s magical. In addition, I am also all about catharsis, which I think theater and movies are the best at achieving. I also love being in the audience, both watching the audience’s reaction and participating in what is happening live before our very eyes and being part of the drama.

Tell us about Kris Kringle The Musical: Kris Kringle is a story for everyone, like some classic musicals used to be. There is a storyline for little children (a magical Toy Competition), a buddy story for young children, tweens and teens, a love story between young Kris Kringle and Evelyn Noël for all ages, and a love story between Santa and Mrs. Claus, who are real people. The story is also chock full of comedy, with Christmas jokes, lawyer jokes (I’m a lawyer!) and Elvis jokes as well as fun physical comedy. But Kris Kringle is also deeply profound and universal, as it is a story about healing and redemption. So, as you watch the story, you’re laughing and falling in love, and then you’re hit with a touching and cathartic reveal at the end of the story, that I’ve heard audiences gasp when they realize it. At the end of the story, you can look back and see it was foreshadowed from the opening line of Act One, and is so obvious, but you only just now realize it. It’s a fabulous experience for me to see the audience’s reaction. And then there’s the music. Lush orchestrations and wholly original songs, from lively tunes to touching ballads to traditional Broadway. One of our songs, Evelyn’s ballad, “My North Star,” has over 3 million views (and counting) on Facebook worldwide. In 2018 we released a fabulous Studio Cast recording starring Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Nikki Rene Daniels with Kim Crosby, Mary Stout and Janine LaManna. We’ve been so fortunate to have incredible casts as well. In the legendary Town Hall in NYC in 2017, the show starred Cathy Rigby with Broadway stars Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Kim Crosby and Pam Myers. This year’s show at Proctors stars Eve Plumb (from “The Brady Bunch” and “A Very Brady Renovation”) as well as Broadway veterans Rema Webb, Elizabeth Ward Land, Christopher Shyer, and Gerianne Perez. This year, we have added award-winning designers to our team, Tony Award winner Jeff Croiter for lighting, Emmy Award winner Matt Kraus for sound, Rick Lyon who worked on the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q for puppets, and Drama Desk-nominated John Narun for projection designs. Our major setpiece, a grand Storybook (20 feet by 26 feet), will be used for magnificent projections. I think Andrew Keenan-Bolger summarized the show best when he said “Kris Kringle is a holiday musical for a new generation — a gorgeous score paired with a heartwarming tale of family and forgiveness.” This year when we add on our Storybook, it will be a truly magical experience for the audience.

What is it like being a part of Kris Kringle The Musical?: What a fabulous journey! To see what I imagined in my mind, then wrote down on paper be transformed by the actors, musicians, and designers. People talking about my characters as if they are real. Hearing the beautiful orchestrations. Remembering every line I’ve written and rewritten many a time over to get it just right. The audience laughing at my jokes. Working together with lyricists, composers, orchestrators, and designers on every detail and their adding a layer of beauty and storytelling through their art. Knowing that at the end of the show, the audience will leave with magic in their hearts as they’ve taken two hours away from their ordinary lives to see something wonderful. Doing things I never thought I could, such as writing some of the lyrics, producing a show. I can’t say that at some times it hasn’t been hard, or that I haven’t made my share of mistakes, or that I’ve had to overcome naysayers about another Christmas musical entering the market, but I’ve faced every challenge totally believing in this story and in the audiences who will see it.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: It’s about the story and, if it’s a musical, about the music, so I’m open to virtually anything speaking to me. Charles Dickens is probably the greatest influence on my writing life. All of his works are theatrical (by the way, he would act out every scene in his writing study and never allowed anyone to be there when he did), but even in the works which are not considered masterpieces, he was a master of drawing characters and making them accessible to his readers. In Our Mutual Friend (which has been called a masterpiece and a disaster depending on what critic you’re reading), for example, the young girl, Jenny Wren, could not be more foreign to us and yet her wisdom, her angelic nature, her vulnerability and frailty are beautifully sketched and draw the reader in. I believe that Paul McCartney wrote a song about that character.

What’s your favorite showtune?: There are so many. Probably “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady, “Beautiful City” from Godspell, and the songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Charles Dickens (I know he’s dead, but it’s true, I’d love to work with him as his books are pieces of theater) and Darren Criss, as I always thought he would be perfect to play Kris Kringle ever since I saw him in “Glee."

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Lady Gaga, and the movie about me would be called: "The Little Bronx Girl Who Sang In the Night." I grew up poor, in a crime-ridden neighborhood, with violence, poverty, resignation surrounding me. But I was born on Christmas Day, I had the faith of my family, and I had music — my little radio and my father, who was a recording engineer for RCA but who never played an instrument and who couldn’t read music — and these things allowed me to survive and believe without becoming bitter and dark (though I can write and have written bitter and dark if I let myself go in that direction).

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original My Fair Lady on Broadway.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: The King and I at Lincoln Center; My Fair Lady at Lincoln Center; Beautiful at the Stephen Sondheim Theater. Also, my favorite play is The Importance of Being Earnest, which I saw at the Roundabout Theatre years ago.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Watching old movies. I constantly search for ones that I’ve never seen before. I watch them for pleasure and for learning story structure and even comic timing. While I have written drama, I am much more comfortable with comedy and some old movies are just perfect training grounds for that. I often eat chocolate watching them, my other biggest guilty pleasure!

What’s up next?: Finding even more audiences to fall in love with Kris Kringle The Musical. In addition, as I am also a screenplay writer, next year I’ll begin work on a new screenplay that I have had in my head for many years. The screenplay is about an outcast/outsider, making movies, love, betrayal, and redemption, but not at all in the typical way. I hope it’s going to be a jewel (as that’s what it feels like in my mind), that will make the audience laugh and cry, but it has to be sculpted and nurtured, which is what I plan to do next year.

For more on Kris Kringle: the Musical, visit www.KrisKringleTheMusical.com

Name: Luke Jackson

Hometown: Logansport, Indiana

Education: University of Michigan, National Theatre Institute

Favorite Credits: Charlie in The Whale, though the character is in his forties and I would never have been cast in the real world. Thank God for drama school!

Why theater?: We get to practice empathy, either seeking to understand others or soliciting to be understood ourselves. Often doing both simultaneously. And we get to do it while wearing pretty costumes. Which helps!

Tell us about STITCHES:STITCHES is a one-man show adapted from the graphic memoir by David Small. By incorporating other mediums such as sketching, painting, projection, and puppetry, we revisit Small’s tortured childhood; A botched surgery that left him virtually mute, his estranged relationship with his mother, and how his running away from home as a teenager led to a life of art and a prestigious career as a political cartoonist and illustrator. It’s a story of loneliness, trauma, perseverance, and the importance of art; Quite literally, in this case, giving the voiceless an ability to speak.

What inspired you to write STITCHES: This piece has been with me for nearly seven years now. My senior year of high school, I was tasked with devising a short play based off a person's life. I went to my public library with this silly, romantic idea that I would point to a book at random and it would change my life. And much to my surprise, it actually work. That ten minute rendition earned me a scholarship to attend the University of Michigan's drama program, which led to a full production with their student ran theatre company, and now it is making its NYC debut! David actually resides in Detroit, and I had the great honor to have him as a dramaturg and collaborator in the production's creative process. His talent is only outmatched by his unwavering generosity and kindness.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: When the story comes first, when there is an utter urgency to tell it. Indie theatre is hard work! That’s why I love the independent theatre scene in New York so much. These artists are putting on productions, often using personal funds and wearing several different hats to make it happen. But they believe it is worth it---that the time is now and people have to know about it. That's the type of theatre I love to attend.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Oh, I don't think we have enough pages! I have recently joined the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, and I highly recommend checking them out. BAC practices creative justice---using performance art as a way to seek intersectional change and restorative justice. I am really excited to get to collaborate with everybody on a deeper level and get to work!

What show have you recommended to your friends?: It has already closed, but I have told anyone within a ten foot radius to listen to the cast album of A Strange Loop. Michael R. Jackson and Larry Owens, man. Wow.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I would demand to play myself! Get super meta and break the fourth wall a lot. Kinda like Heidi Schreck's What The Constitution Means To Me. But sassier and about a queer ginger from the Midwest.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Fortunately, New York has the Drama Library at Lincoln Center---of which I have spent many hours watching archives! But I would have loved to see Patti as Mama Rose live!

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Hmm, I'm pretty shameless in my pleasures actually. Yeah, I don't have an answer to that! If it gives you pleasure, relinquish the guilt folks! LIVE YOUR TRUTH!

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: If I wasn't working in theatre, I would be working in advocacy/activism full time. Perhaps working on campaigns until it was my time to pursue public office. Which...isn't completely off the table.

What’s up next?: The future is a mysterious right now in a really exciting way! A couple projects have been in the creative process rotation for a while now. I think a musical is next on the docket. STITCHES will definitely continue to have a life---still figuring out the next steps. As for me personally? I bought a one-way ticket to Paris for February. I thought, "Tickets are cheap and climate change is real. Let's go!" So we will see what inspiration that might stir up.

Fore more on Luke, visit www.lukejackson.org. For more on STITCHES, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2424398241133709/

In a time of uncertainty, it's always important to check in with the people around you. And that's what I'm going to do everyday until things improve. Joining the Block Talk content is Quarantine Check In, a new feature where I'll chat with a friend, family member, peer, stranger, basically anyone who wants to talk, all they have to do is suggest three topics to discuss!

To kick off the series, I'm joined by NYC Drag Queen, Gigi Deetz!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher!

Today, I got to chat with my good friend Coco Taylor! Our topics include Broadway, Video Games, and Pet Peeves!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!

On today's Quarantine Check In, Pussy Willow joins me to chat all things containment cookie, The Sims, and mental health!

To listen to the podcast, download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or Stitcher!

Name: Justin McDevitt

Hometown: Boston, MA

Education: New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study, B.A. 2013

Favorite Credits: The extent of my performance career was being cast in the ensemble of Guys and Dolls twice… so by default those are my favorite credits. (I don’t know if this question really applied to me)

Why theater?: I fell in love with Tennessee Williams at a fairly impressionable age and I think that kind of sealed my fate. I tried to write a novel and made it about two hundred pages in… now it’s hidden away somewhere.

Tell us about Honey Fitz: Honey Fitz is a two act drama I began writing seven years ago as an assignment for my senior playwriting class at NYU. I never intended for the play to become what it is today. Honey takes place on the closing night at a local pub where its ghostly regulars return one last time to say goodbye. It is my second play and has changed so much since its first public reading at Theater for the New City in 2018. Since then the show has had three additional readings and a workshop production. I like to think of Honey as my second single, so it’s my “Poker Face.”

What inspired you to write/direct Honey Fitz?: I needed to write something drastically different from my first play Submission, which was a dark comedy about S/M with all gay characters. I wanted to challenge myself to write blue collar middle aged straight people. In fact originally there weren’t gay characters in Honey Fitz, but of course now there are, and I am even compared to the bitter gay bartender for some reason.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theater that is dark and twisty and sexual tends to win the day for me. A friend got me tickets to Slave Play in January and I absolutely loved it. Stoppard’s The Real Thing, Marber’s Closer, and David Hare’s Skylight are major influences of mine. And the umbrella play that sort of guides how I do everything is Schnitzler’s La Ronde. I love the structure and intimacy of two character scenes that take place immediately before or after sex.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Donna Murphy. I would write nine million plays for her. Starting today. If she asked.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I love to recommend Vieux Carre by Tennessee Williams because that play sort of functions as an introduction to all his major character types, and it’s a bit of a ghost story. Second to that would be anything by Joe Orton and the Talking Heads series by Alan Bennett (which I credit entirely for my love of writing monologues).

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: If I can time travel for a moment I would like to cast Peter Gabriel circa 1987 as myself in a movie I would have to call The Local Bottom.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Brigadoon. Opening Night. Without question. Although probably Angels in America… I think that’s the more respected answer.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?:Siesta Key. It’s a terrible reality show on MTV. I watch it with the blinds down. I watch it with the lights off. There is A LOT of shame.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Dead.

What’s up next?: I’m trying to write a romantic horror movie for Zoom just to see if I can logistically pull that off. However I could set the script on fire at any moment.

For more on Justin, visit www.justinwritesplays.com. And follow him on Twitter @jmcdev128 and on Instagram @justinwritesplays

Name: Grace McLean

Hometown: Costa Mesa, CA

Education: I went to the Orange County High School of the Arts, and got my BFA in Drama and Art History from NYU.

Favorite Credits:Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812; In the Green; Alice by Heart; Bedbugs!!!

Why theater?: I grew up in a family of musicians and so performance was a big part of my life growing up. But I was (am) also quite shy and introverted. I found that in theater, by being able to inhabit and perform and live for a while as other people, I'm able to explore and express myself in a way that feels safe and revelatory.

Tell us about In the Green:In the Green imagines the origin story of Hildegard von Bingen, one of medieval Europe’s most powerful figures. Before Hildegard was a composer, artist, visionary, confidante of Kings, mystic, and saint, she was a little girl locked in a monastic cell with an anchoress called Jutta von Sponheim. The story is really about the relationship between student and mentor, mother and child, zealot and acolyte and the ways these kinds of foundational relationships shape a life. What do we do when we are forced to contend with our own darkness? Do we fight against it, or do we embrace it and find the light within?

What inspired you to write In the Green?: I was initially inspired by Hildegard von Bingen when I encountered her work in college, as I was studying Medieval art. Her work stands out as totally original, personal, feminine, in a time when most art was quite homogeneous. My fascination with her art lead me to learn about her music, poetry, philosophy, her books on the natural world and healing, and her communications with so of the powerful people of her time. I was struck by her accomplishments, particularly in her being able to accomplish them as a woman in the 12th century, a time when to be a woman was to be, generally speaking, non-existent. In my research, I kept being struck by the fact that none of her accomplishments really began until she was in her 40s (she lived to be in her 80s, almost unheard of for her time). And before that, not much is known because she was living in that cell with Jutta, an extreme situation even at the time. And I became fascinated with Jutta – who was SHE, and how did she influence young Hildegard? Clearly they spent a LOT of time together during Hildegard's formative years, and in a highly unusual, highly intimate situation – but for all Hildegard’s talk (which is a lot, I think there are something 400 of her letters that we have, not to mention all her music art and three big books of visionary theology) she doesn't talk much about Jutta. She calls Jutta "a pious woman who was crowned with a good death." We know Jutta was a little older than Hildegard, that Hildegard was given to be a sort of hand maid to her when she was quite young, that Jutta came from a family of rank and had potential suitors. I decided to look at Jutta's choice to cloister herself in such an extreme manner as a sort of radical feminist act – if to be a woman in the 12th century was to be erased, Jutta chose to reject that notion HARD. By locking herself away from the world, that was a powerful act of control. We also know that Jutta rejected all kinds of creature comforts – she didn’t wear shoes even in the cold German winters, she lived on a diet even more restricted than the prescribed Benedictine diet, and she was a big fan of self-flagellation. She wore a hair shirt (clothing made from coarse animal hair, designed to irritate your skin), and when she died she was found to have a barbed chain around her body. Hildegard did not prescribe to ANY of this, and in fact she lived a life of abundant curiosity about life, surrounding herself with a community, learning about natural world, singing in harmony, getting her hands dirty. There’s a lot to celebrate about Hildegard – but I found myself continually curious about this shadowy figure of Jutta. WHY did she want to lock herself away from the world and mutilate her body and take in and care for a young girl? I kept looking at her with sympathy and curiosity and tenderness, and I wanted this to be just as much her story as Hildegard’s, because I think that she had a profound effect on Hildegard, even if that was to show Hildegard what she didn’t want to be.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I love theater that really uses the magic particular to the form. I want to see bodies being used, space being revealed, voices filling the hollows of a space! Some of my favorite theatrical experiences have been Home by Geoff Sobelle, Brief Encounter by Kneehigh Theatre, seeing The Great Comet when it was at Ars Nova (I got very lucky and saw the closing night performance and I mean it when I say it changed my life), anything that Steven Hoggett makes... I am inspired by innovation, by people who are pushing forms. My favorite musical group at the moment is Roomful of Teeth – they’re an a cappella group but they are using their voices in ways that blow my mind and inspire me to test the boundaries of conventional singing, group singing, songwriting, and storytelling.

How have you stayed creatively active during COVID?: I have a few projects I’m working on! I’m finishing an album with my band, working on a music video, working with novelist Kate Walbert to adapt her book A Short History of Women for the stage, working with writer/musician/performer Kate Douglas on a musical inspired by Victorian era medical texts about how music is purportedly dangerous for woman, I’ve started a writing collaboration with actor Adam Chanler-Berat, and am currently rehearsing for an Audible production of a musical that was supposed to be at Williamstown this past summer, Row, about Tori Murden McClure, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. My husband and I have also made a couple of very silly, very fun short films together :) But also, I want to stress that in order to do anything at all, let alone be creative, I have been doing a LOT of resting, walking, talking with friends and family, and quiet work to get in touch with my real priorities.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I would love to work with playwright Clare Barron.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: I’ve been loving “PEN15” and “What We Do in the Shadows.”

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I would love for a young dorky girl who loves boys but can’t talk to them, who reads Jane Austen alone in her room instead of running around outside, who blushes real hard and always gets cast as the mom in her high school productions to play me. It’s called An Artisan’s Mistake – this was my answer when my husband asked me once “What kind of break would you be?”

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original production of Oklahoma!

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: A boulevardier and a 90’s rom com.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A speech and language pathologist.

What’s up next?: See above! But next next is the release of the physical album for In the Green, along with a single and music video from my band's new album. I'll be playing a live streamed show at Rockwood Music Hall on December 14th to celebrate all these things!

For more on Grace, visit www.gracemclean.com and follow her on Twitter @thatgracemclean

The new cast album of Grace’s musical In the Green is available from Ghostlight Records and is available at ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/inthegreen

Name: Jonathan Van Dyke

Hometown: Limerick, Maine

Education: The American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Favorite Credits: Richard Loeb in Thrill Me with writer/composer Stephen Dolginoff, Oh! Calcutta!, National Tour (some good stories) and I recently directed The Hot Shoe Shuffle— a tap extravaganza from Australia.

Why theater?: It has always been my favorite medium. So many possibilities to inspire, touch, enlighten, and uplift. I believe theatre has taught us about everything in some fashion.

Tell us about Closer Than Ever: When I moved to NY, Closer Than Ever was at The Cherry Lane and it has always stayed with me. Each of these Maltby & Shire songs are like their own one-act play, a magnificent song cycle of human relationships. The emotional depth and honesty in their songs to me is unparalleled.

What inspired you to direct Closer Than Ever?: Understanding what the theatre community was up against, I knew that shows with small casts that were able to distanced was going to be key. Closer Than Ever supplies that and also packs the emotional punch for a layered theatrical experience. The title alone speaks to our time. To achieve intimate moments, we incorporated rolling doors that revolve to become projection screens and times the actors images would appear. This allowed for those moments to be captured but keep the actors distanced. Those moments are visually appealing and offer a reminder of where we are and what has to be done to achieve theatre during this period. I also felt that the title Closer Than Ever really speaks to our times. Though physically we are unable to be close, we are closer in a myriad of other ways. Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire have been so supportive and encouraging of this project. I will always treasure this experience and grateful to producer Marcie Gorman and MNM Theatre Company for taking this on.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I am a musical theatre guy and love comedy and a big splashy show, but the shows that really get me are generally more about the complexities of the human condition. The Last Five Years and Next To Normal stand out, and anything by Tennessee Williams. I’m a hit at parties.

How have you stayed creatively active during COVID?:Closer Than Ever was all based and designed around our struggles. I’m proud to say all the measures we took resulted in a healthy production. With thought and care, creative work can be done safely. It’s quite inspiring to see what people have come up with to work with these new challenges.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Oh man… Donna McKechnie.. She is very special. Let’s work that out!

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Blood Brothers! I saw it a dozen times. It’s avant-garde and different and weird and I love it.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Paul Rudd in "You Could Do Better but a Lot Worse— The Jonathan Van Dyke Story."

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original production of West Side Story.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Horror movies. From Psycho to Friday the 13th.. I’m onboard.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Working at The Humane Society. I would enjoy that.

What’s up next?: Well I was going to be directing a horror film called The Halloween Club in Ft. Lauderdale when we shut down. We are making new plans to film in Tampa when the time is right.

The MNM Theatre production of Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever is online through January 10, For more information, visit https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/41307

The lovely Pietra Parker joins me on the latest episode of Block Talk!

Learn more about Pietra at pietraparker.com!

Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and more!

Name: Drew Larimore

Hometown: Louisville, KY

Education: B.A. Emerson College

Why theater?: Honestly, it's the only medium that electrifies me, terrifies me, stymies me, inspires me; it's the closest thing to magic I've been able to find on Planet Earth. Also, it's one of the few places language is really heard.

Tell us about Smithtown: Smithtown is about four characters in a small Midwestern town interconnected through a local tragedy. As the play unfolds, one by one we see how each of them had a hand – directly or indirectly — in the death of a local college student and how they struggle with that responsibility.

What inspired you to write Smithtown?: I'm fascinated with the link between technology and shared responsibility. Ian Bernstein opens the play (perfectly played by Michael Urie) and asks the question: ‘Whose fault is it – all the dominoes in a row or a select few?’ I don't have an answer. And mining that was part of why I wrote this play.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Bizarre yet accessible plays that make it into the mainstream, that really break through and become a part of the zeitgeist. Albee, anyone?

How have you stayed creatively active during COVID?: Thankfully, I've been keeping busy. I have a few new musicals I've been remotely working on with composers/collaborators. And I'm working on a trilogy of edgy new Southern plays. And some stuff for the screen.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Margo Martindale.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: The sequel to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown starring a hologram of Bea Arthur.

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original Sweeney Todd or Uta Hagen in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Weight loss shows. Like, the 600-pound ones. I feel dumber after each episode, but I find it oddly comforting.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A diplomat.

What’s up next?: Two premieres. Boomeranged, a harrowing and irreverent play about gun violence, which I hope will star my muse Constance Shulman. And The Bestest Office Christmas Party Ever, a very adult, very wild new satirical musical about the sadness of the holidays, co-written with composer rock star Billy Recce!

For more on Drew, visit www.drewlarimore.com

Smithtown is being presented online through The Studio of Key West, starting February 13, 2021. For tickets, visit https://tskw.org/smithtown-2/

Name: Yulanda Yo-Rong Shieh

Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan

Education: B.A. National Taiwan University - Drama and Theatre; M.F.A. NYU Tisch School of the Arts - Design for Stage and Film

Favorite Credits:The Late Wedding (Directed by Giselle Ty), Pinky Club (Directed by Allison Emma Wang), A Streetcar Named Desire (Directed by Lou-Ying Wu), Journey to the West II (Directed by Tsui Hark)

Why theater?: Because it’s so real and unreal at the same time. You always find fantasy in reality and reality in fantasy. And that it reveals to you a part of yourself you weren’t aware of before. It allows us to find connections with one another in a metaphoric way.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I’m drawn to the stories that show how two extremes co-exist. I’m touched whenever the creators genuinely put all of themselves in the work, when it happens the subsequent healing effect is enormous. I’m inspired by everyone and everything around me. As an artist, I’m dedicated to find beauty in everything. In mundane routines, in tragic events, in all the unexpected circumstances. And of course, beauty does not mean good-looking, it’s an attitude, a way of living. It’s something that touches you and makes you feel alive.

How have you stayed creatively active during COVID?: I doodled, read, and designed some short films.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Ang Lee!

What show have you recommended to your friends?:The End Of The Fxxxing World

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Lun-Mei Gui, "Midnight Rhapsody"

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?:the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Listening to random playlists on Spotify

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A musician I hope!

What’s up next?: I’m currently on a TV Show!

For more on Yulanda, visit www.yulandayorongshieh.com

by Michael Block

courtesy of World of Wonder

The real Olympics of drag is about to begin! World of Wonder has officially announced the nine competitors from across the globe who will be competing in the inaugural season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World! Nine queens will enter but only one will take home the global crown

Of the nine vying for the title, we have three queens from the UK, two from the USA, two from Canada, one from the Netherlands, and one from Thailand. They are Baga Chipz (Drag Race UK 1), Blu Hydrangea (Drag Race UK 1), Cheryl Hole (Drag Race UK 1), Janey Jacke (Drag Race Holland 1), Jimbo (Canada's Drag Race 1), Jujubee (Drag Race, All Stars 1, All Stars 5, Queen of the Universe), Lemon (Canada's Drag Race 1), Mo Heart (Drag Race 10, All Stars 4), and Pangina Heals (Drag Race Thailand judge).

Judging the international All Stars will be the usual panel from Drag Race UK- RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton. Guest judges that have been announced include Little Mix's Jade Thirwall, Spice Girls' Mel C, Daisy May Cooper, and Jonathan Bailey, among others.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World premieres February 1st at 4pm ET on WOWPresents+ in the USA.

Be sure to download and subscribe to Block Talk on your favorite podcast platform where we will cover RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World, as well as all other international seasons all year long!

MEET THE QUEENS

Baga Chipz

Drag Race UK 1

courtesy of World of Wonder

Blu Hydrangea

Drag Race UK 1

courtesy of World of Wonder

Cheryl Hole

Drag Race UK 1

courtesy of World of Wonder

Janey Jacke

Drag Race Holland 1

courtesy of World of Wonder

Jimbo

Canada's Drag Race 1

courtesy of World of Wonder

Jujubee

Drag Race 2, All Stars 1, All Stars 5, Queen of the Universe

courtesy of World of Wonder

Lemon

Canada's Drag Race 1

courtesy of World of Wonder

Mo Heart

Drag Race 10, All Stars 4

courtesy of World of Wonder

Pangina Heals

Drag Race Thailand Judge

courtesy of World of Wonder

By Michael Block

After a two year break while the world was in a pandemic, DragCon is making its triumphant return to Los Angeles in 2022! Queens and fans from all around the globe are coming together to celebrate Drag Race and the art of drag! There will be so much to see and do so here’s my guide to help you through the weekend!

Facts are Facts, Los Angeles!

DragCon LA 2022 will span May 13th-15th at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the South Hall. The convention runs from 10:00am-6:00pm on Friday and Saturday and 10:00am-5:00pm on Sunday. If you’re one of the lucky VIP All Star Attendees, you get an extra hour of fun starting at 9:00am!

Before you can hit the show floor, you will need to go to registration in the South Hall lobby. Show your ticket to get scanned and you’ll be given a badge! Don’t lose it! If you’re joining us all weekend, you’ll need your badge for entry. AND please bring your vax card or proof of negative COVID test. You WILL need them. Safety first!

For all the up-to-date FAQs about the convention, visit https://la.rupaulsdragcon.com/faq/

Meet the Stars!

Stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race and beyond all across the globe unite at the Los Angeles Convention Center for DragCon 2022! Meet and greet, see them perform on the MainStage, and of course add to your merch collection! The list of attending talent is HUGE so make sure you make a list of who you want to see so you don’t miss out meeting your favs! As I cover ALL of the international seasons, I’m stoked to see the International queens! As a die hard Frock Destroyer Fan, you can bet I’ll be watching Baga, Blu, and Divina hit the mainstage. And I can’t wait to chat with the winners! Those international winners include The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney, Krystal Versace, and Blu Hydrangea from the UK, Envy Peru and Vanessa Van Cartier from Holland, Carmen Farala from Espana, and Kita Mean from Down Under! And don’t worry, stars from the US will be there like Aquaria, Alaska, Symone, Willow Pill and many many more!

Shop Til Your Drop!

If it’s not at DragCon, it doesn’t exist! Stock up your drag collection with wigs, jewels, makeup, and heels! There are over 200 vendors ready to help you splurge all weekend long. I am so excited to see so many of my favorite friends share their goods. Be sure to visit my friends at Amped Accessories, the designers of both Canada’s Drag Race crowns and scepters, Crimsyn’s Creations for all things fashion from Painted with Raven winner Crimsyn, Daftboy for the BEST clack fans out there, Forgot’s Locks, one of NYC’s award nominated wig designers, ISLYNYC, extraordinary accessories from my home away from home, and Loschy Designs for some of the most unique crowns and tiaras you’ll ever see.

See the Panels!

Stars from your favorite seasons like Drag Race UK vs the World, Drag Race Down Under, and Canada’s Drag Race are reuniting for panels! This is your chance to ask the queens those burning questions! There are so many panels so don’t miss out. Many of your favorite WOW podcasts and shows will be live in the panel rooms like Binge Queens, Fashion Photo Review, and You Brita Vote! Bring Back My Girls will be a new WOWPresents show which will be recorded live featuring the casts from around the world hosted by TS Madison!

HAVE FUN!

And don’t forget to ask for consent from the queens and fans alike before taking photos! And be nice and be kind. A smile goes a very long way.

Important Tips

Bring a charger! If your phone dies, you’ll miss out on that priceless photo with your favorite queens!
Eat! If you’re planning to stay all day long, make sure you eat! Visit the Compass Café in the South Hall Lobby or the outdoor food court in the back left of the showroom.
Carry a bag! If you plan on buying merch and goodies, bring a bag with you so you can carry your haul home!

I am so excited to be reuniting with some of my favorite friends and colleagues and sharing my experience with you on Block Talk! If you’ll be attending the event, please let me know and please be sure to come find me and say hi! I'll be sharing all the fun on my Instagram (@michaelblocktalk)

See you at DragCon LA!

Name: Joseph Hayward

Hometown: Wolverhampton, U.K.

Education: The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

Favorite Credits: This past summer I directed Desperate Measures at Saint Michael’s Playhouse in Vermont. Thanks to the pandemic, we were forced to postpone twice. Believe me, delayed gratification isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. So, to finally get to work on the show--with some of the most wonderful actors and creatives I know--was a gift I’ll cherish always.

Why theater?: It’s cliché, but from an early age, it’s all I’ve wanted. I started putting on plays for my parents at age 3, and performing professionally by the time I was 9 (I made my debut as an orphan boy in Scrooge at The Wolverhampton Grand.) I was hooked. Now it’s in my blood and, despite “the headaches, the heartaches, the backaches, the flops,” I’m incredibly lucky to be doing what I love. What makes the theater so singular and irresistible to me is that it’s a hand-made, living work of art. It has the power to change people’s lives. I’ve had countless moments inside the theater, both as a director and an audience member, where the experience has been transformative and life-affirming.

Tell us about Julie Sings Jule: I am over the moon about this. On April 10th, I’ll be directing Julie Benko, the wonderstudy from Broadway’s Funny Girl, in The York’s Spring Gala concert celebrating composer Jule Styne. Many of us have seen Julie’s sensational performance as Fanny Brice, and I can’t wait for the gala audience at the Theatre at St. Jean’s to experience her vast range and versatility. Tickets for the concert, which is followed by a VIP reception and dinner, are on sale now: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1149846 I hope you’ll come and enjoy the extraordinary Julie--and Jule--and help The York continue “bringing musicals to life!”

Tell us about your work at The York Theatre Company: I am the Associate Producing Director. My favorite part of the job is overseeing the Developmental Reading Series, where I help facilitate 29-Hour Readings and showcase new work. A core part of The York’s mission is to develop new musicals, and it’s deeply gratifying to play a part in it.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Musical comedy. If I could, that’s what I’d always do. I love watching how a room of strangers can suddenly find themselves in another world, transported by the emotional power of the story, the songs and dances. And, of course, I love the delicious sound of laughter. When that all comes together, it’s electrifying. Having said that, I just directed And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and had an absolute ball, so I think it all boils down to the book, and the opportunity to give an audience a compelling experience. If it’s a great script, I’m excited to work on it.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Marianne Elliott. She’s an endlessly creative director – a visionary -- and I’d love to observe her process.

What show have you recommended to your friends?:Life of Pi. My BFF in the U.K. built the life-sized puppets -- and watching them come to life is pure theater magic. It’s a spectacular experience.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I can’t imagine anyone would go see this movie (not even me), so we’d need some serious star power to sell tickets. Meryl Streep? And the movie can be called whatever she wants!

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Ethel Merman in Gypsy.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Andrew Lloyd Webber.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be?: A veterinarian.

What’s up next?: This summer I’m directing A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at the beautiful South Orange Performing Arts Center. I’ve loved the show ever since I saw it on Broadway, and we’ve assembled a dream team of designers to bring it to life. We open in July, and tickets are available on: https://lightoperaofnewjersey.org/tickets/

For more on Joseph, visit https://www.josephhayward.com/ and follow on Instagram at @jcwhayward

by Michael Block

Let me preface this review with a story. When I was in sixth grade, my English teacher Mrs. Marokovich asked us to do a biography report and create a puppet for our presentation. In sixth grade, I chose to do a book report on Bob Fosse. And the puppet? A marionette. With a little cigarette of course. I chose a marionette because no other puppet could embody and emulate the movement that Fosse could do. I can’t remember what grade I received on this project. That part doesn’t matter. What matters is the impact that man had on my life. I saw that Tony winning musical that bears his name multiple times. And I knew the numbers lifted from this show for that one. I’m not a dancer. But I have an appreciation for the art form. Especially for the work of Bob Fosse. So when those formations hit the stage of the Music Box Theatre, a smile filled my face. I sincerely do not remember when a Broadway show achieved that. I’m here to say that DANCIN’ is the breath of life we need right now.

photo by Sara Krulwich

DANCIN' is a celebration of the human form through song, dance, and the legacy of Bob Fosse. Directed by Wayne Cilento, the revival of the 1978 production takes the skeleton of Fosse’s choreography and gives it a new skin with modern touch, proving Fosse’s body of work is simply timeless and effortlessly beautiful. Broken up into acts and further into movements, the revue celebrates Fosse’s love for theater, film, and television. Sprinkling in mini monologues and voice overs, the piece may not have a through line, yet the heart is how the show moves from moment to moment. The plotless musical doesn’t need a story as the dance speaks for itself. And what makes the dance speak? The fantastic figures that fill every inch of that space.

There unquestionably is an explosion of talent on that stage. They all might not be the strongest triple threats, but damn can they dance! Sure, those mini monologues may not be what you’ll use in an audition for the likes of Ibsen or Shakespeare, they are simply there to move forward and fill the air before the next segment of astounding choreography. Cilento has allowed each member of his extraordinary company to master the Fosse compositions while permitting their individuality to shine through while still maintaining uniformity. All you need to do is keep your eye on a single dancer and watch their interpretation of the choreography and how it fits their body. Zoom out a moment and the formations are synchronistic and flawless. The shapes and silhouettes are a visual victory.

There are some exceptional solos throughout the show but a special shout-out goes to the magnetizing Kolton Krause. Between “Spring Chicken” and the “Trumpet Solo” in “Sing, Sing, Sing”, they proved how beautiful Fosse’s choreography truly is. Krause is simply arresting. Other performers that caatch your eye and struck a major chord came from Dylis Croman, Yani Marin, Nando Morland, Khori Michelle Petinaud, and Ron Todorowski. But seriously, this cast is one of the best on the Great White Way.

DANCIN’ was a piece where Fosse got to create his work of art that showcased a series of individual artists rather than a collaborative team. This allowed him to create dances to music that range from big band to Americana to rock and roll and pop. With that, the musical selection has been adjusted since it’s 1978 premiere and has continued to be triumphant. Who would have thought we’d live in a time where Neil Diamond’s “Crunchy Granola Suite” existed on Broadway in two separate shows at the same time? It’s the perfect opener as it set the tone with energy and Fosse moves that get you dancing in your seats. Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” takes a well-renowned song and gives it the Fosse treatment. One of the numbers that truly celebrates the marriage of song and dance is “I Wanna Be a Dancin’ Man.” The synchronicity of the hand movements, increasing in tempo and adding in dancers, is nothing short of a visual spectacle. For those true theater lovers and Fosse fanatics, it’s the moments that Cilento’s musical staging inserts some of Fosse’s most iconic choreography, that the audience is in for a true treat. We should all be thankful that the Big City Mime sequence was brought back for the revival from its original out of town tryouts as we were gifted appearances from “Big Spender”, “Mein Herr”, and “Rich Man’s Frug.” For a bit of a deeper cut, knowing Pippin’s “Glory” and “Manson Trio” are about to make a quick cameo ascertains just how impactful Fosse’s work is. Truly, an ode to the classics. Whether you are familiar with the music prior to attending DANCIN’, music supervisor and orchestrator Jim Abbott should be recognized as the unsung hero of the show. Abbott curated mind-blowing orchestrations that were authentic yet fresh. These are the songs you know with a contemporary flair.

To make this show tick, the production brought together an exceptional creative team that highlighted Cilento’s musical staging. Cilento staging presented the musicality of the production elements’ choreography. The symbiosis of the choreography of dance and the choreography of the production through the synchronicity of movement does not go unnoticed. Every element was intricately carried through expertly allowing the synergy and inertia of each beat to thrive. From the speed of Robert Brill’s scenic elements to the cast of the lights by David Grill to the video visuals of the projections from Finn Ross, each element’s relationship amplified the choreography of the artists on the stage. There may be a misconception that ties black dance clothing to the work of Bob Fosse but costume designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung showcased how fabric and textiles strengthen the storytelling. The modernization of the production highlights how fashion and clothing can help express gender expression while muting the conversation instantaneously through a genderless uniform. Once again, no matter the body, Fosse’s work speaks for itself.

I urge you to attempt to sit in your seat and not feel the desire to move your body as the music dips and swells as the dancers do what they do best: dance. This production of DANCIN’ is important to the artform of dance. This modern realization has proven that music and dance can and will bring harmony despite the world outside the doors of the theater. We deserve a moment to release from reality and simply enjoy art. DANCIN’ is that production. Go.

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