No Strings Attached

Monty and Luis have had a happy romantic partnership for ten years. A chance encounter with Stefan, a sexy, mysterious waiter, disrupts their cozy lives: both Monty and Luis have a secret connection to him. Monty comes from a happy Italian family; Luis was raised over a bar by his shady Grandma. Stefan has trouble pinning down exactly where he came from though parts of his past are on display all over the internet. The three men’s lives intertwine in a number of surprising, romantic and potentially devastating ways. No Strings Attached stars Casey Burden as Monty, Afrim Gjonbalaj as Luis and Kevin Perez as Stefan and is directed by Robert Teague.“There are so many hot men in New York and I want to f—k all of them. If I can’t I would at least like a representative sampling.”

No Strings Attached (originally titled NSA) premiered at the Stage Left’s Left Out Festival in April with two sold-out performances. NY Theater Now, said: “Three highly individual, richly fleshed-out characters. They behave like real people rather than constructs or archetypes. It’s a real privilege to spend time with them…indulging along with them in their fantasies and foibles. We care for them when our time with them is over.”

Igrejas’ previous plays include Shrinkage, Kitty and Lina, Miss Mary Dugan, Hassan and Sylvia (both won Fresh Fruit Festival Best Play Awards), Margarita and Max (winner Best Short Play, Midtown Festival).

Info and tickets.

Running time – 90 minutes

All performances are at Stage Left Studio, 214 West 30th Street, 6th floor, NYC. Convenient to the A,C,E,B,D,F,N,R,1,2 and 3 lines

Tickets $18 (plus $2 ticketing surcharge)

Rich Morel. Hot Sauce. Ptown. Bear Week. Questions?

I didn't think so. Details.

Queens Pride

As we moved through the crowd, we got schooled on how to celebrate Gay!

29x/y - A New Play By Marcus Yi

Having seen The Procedure, we were eager to see Marcus Yi's latest play. If you're in NYC this coming weekend and have an appetite for raw, experimental, youthful, casual and fun theater, your last chance to see his 29x/y will be Saturday at 11AM or Sunday at 1:30PM.

From the author's website: "29x/y is a collage theater piece. 29 segments written in 29 days in the 29th year of the playwrights life, this is a play that fuses monologues, songs, dance and experiments in theatrical statements. Confessional monologues from a bathhouse, fag hag haters, dysfunctional ex-lovers, dancing Republicans, eccentric want-ads and Super Mario fetishists all make an appearance to help you understand the meaning of 29x/y."

I'm glad I went, but I remain convinced that what Yi needs is a good editor because the contents of both plays range from the very good to the very bad. For instance, in 29x/y, there is a slide show on a side wall of the theater going on during the play. It adds nothing to what happens on stage. After the play, I learned that in an earlier production elsewhere, those slides were an integral part of the set, forming the background to the action. The logistics of this performance space did not permit that, so Yi chose to have someone sitting in the front row working a slide projector aimed at one side of the audience space. No. (If you go, try to ignore the slides and the awful light from the projector.)

Surprisingly funny—because as a gimmick it could have been both annoying and flat— were two scenes in which the characters repeat only one word or phrase, such as "whatever," throughout the bit. I'd gladly watch those scenes again.

29x/y contains a whole slew of really good young actors who perfectly inhabit Yi's material. They seem very much at home in his head where they frequently and smoothly rearrange the furniture and the action giving us a well-paced composite that is engaging and humorous.

Two performers stand out. Caroline Mahoney elevates a bit about hamsters with adroit and polished delivery adding savory ingredients to the material.

Monique Sanchez has that rare and indefinable kind of stage presence that doesn't allow you to take your eyes off her.  Her delivery is instinctive. While others have to tell their face or limbs what to do on stage, she seems to simply flip a switch at each entrance and suddenly the lighting and the action around her seem brighter. Watching her, I kept thinking of Julie Halston or Christine Baranski. I hope she has a long and wonderful performing career.

29x/y is a "Hey, it is what it is" kind of play. Marcus Yi continues to pursue his colorful route as a playwright like someone blindfolded and rowing a boat under the Bow Bridge in Central Park. He'll take us on a lively ride, bumping into things that almost capsize us. A good editor/advisor would make for a smoother excursion, but we don't say no to the possibility of future outings.

Paradise Factory, at 64^th E. 4th St New York NY 10003.

For tix: http://planetconnections.org/29xy/

Painted Stained Glass By Joseph Cavalieri

What: Painted Stained Glass Works of Joseph Cavalieri, an Art Exhibit

Where: Better Being 940.
537 9th Av @ 40th St  Mon-Fri 8am-9:30pm. (212) 858-9448

When: Opening March 13 from 6-8pm.
Exhibit continues to July 12th, 2014.

Isaac Hayes, Agnes Moorehead and a blue Jacqueline Kennedy, are some of the personalities featured in an exhibit of the works of East Village glass artist Joseph Cavalieri. These graphic portraits use hand lettered and silk-screened processes on stained glass, a technique which dates back to Medieval times. The collection of over 12 works show off Cavalieri’s unique sense of humor and master of the craft, all at ‘Better Being 940’ in Hell’s Kitchen, serving daily changing, hot, delicious breakfast, lunch & dinner. Art is for sale, starting at $330.

Contacts:
Joseph Cavalieri

Shari Drewett 

Can We Come To The Table?

"From Alan Bounville’s 6,000-mile walk across the USA for gender and sexual orientation equality, comes the new interview-based play, Can We Come to the Table? - Stories About Gender Identity, Gender Expression, & Sexual Orientation. The play includes meticulously transcribed stories with people Bounville met along his walking journey."

My Predictions For 2014

I nailed some biggies last year. We have 365 days to see how I do this year.

My list for LGBT 2014.