Dickey Betts: Heaven is the sound of this man's fingers

by baad lamb

Heaven is the sound of this man's fingers.
Just heard about this, but tickets are still available! Dickey Betts and Great Southern TONIGHT at Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall.

Besides attendance at a late 70s outdoor gig with his band "The Allman Brothers" (perhaps you've heard of them), I caught him at BB King's eight or 10 years ago and shared a table with strangers, nearly in the front row. That concert was fantastic: the band was tight; the music compelled you to move and groove. The fans were fanatical, friendly and fun. And Mr. Forrest Richard Betts, in his unmistakeable jazzy-bluegrass-country-blues, played his bittersweet life up and down the neck of his Gibson. When Dickey plays, every note drips with pathos, yet every melody and improvised lead makes your heart soar. The blues have never sounded so happy.

Flashback to I don't know when, but this amazing clip of a long-ago performance illustrates exactly what I mean. Listen to the rich, warm, controlled happiness pouring out of that lead between the verses of this old-style country-sad song. Pure heaven.



Another video treat after the jump...

ACT UP NY - Mike Diamond

Tonight At The Center For Fiction

Ghost, the Musical

"Ghost, the Musical" at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, April 20, 2012

Posted by Mondschein

Yes, another Whoopi Goldberg film has made its way onto the stage, landing at the Lunt-Fontanne laden with scads of sparkling, flashy lights and some remarkably clever stagecraft.  Yet, like its predecessors (The Color Purple, and Sister Act), the results are mixed at best.  (Full disclosure, I did not see The Color Purple.) 


Bruce Joel Rubin's cursory book remains true to the film, telling the story of Sam (Richard Fleeshman) and Molly (Caissie Levy), young lovers parted by Sam's murder at the hands of a hired thug.  Unable to move "into the light" Sam eventually connects with Oda Mae (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), a two-bit psychic with heretofore unrealized abilities.

Macbeth

"Macbeth" presented by Aquila Theatre at Gym at Judson, April 21, 2012

I first encountered Aquila when the company was in residence at the University of South Carolina.  Their approach to theatre was one of minimal production values but highly clever direction and staging.  Their production of The Iliad was eye-opening as they created the Argo using only a half dozen 6 foot poles. Aquila moved to New York in 1999 and has produced here regularly along with national tours and international performances. 

Broadway and 88th 1971

This gem comes to us via the West Side Rag.

Our Curiously Closeted Ex-Mayor Advocate

Unless I missed something, ex-mayor of New York City Ed Koch has never come out of the closet. That is why I am surprised to read this. While I am glad he has expressed dissatisfaction with Obama's refusal to ban by executive order discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity by employers with federal contracts, I find his game of personal hide and seek mystifying. He's 87. Not much too lose by coming out. He is like those closeted priests who begin to feel proud of having kept their secret for many years. They don't want to give it up or let go of it.

Lilac and Wisteria Blooming Today In Central Park

Photos by Baad Lamb

Four lovable baby New Yorkers: Ozzie/Amalia and Boo/Scout

Which pair of twins is cuter? The newly-christened-by-live-cam-viewers baby hawks Boo and Scout in their nest above Washington Square? Or, the Upper West Side angelic Amalia and Ozzy, the children of adoring parents Eric and Asaf. Let's compare exposure. The hawks you can watch 24/7 on live cam. The kids are brought to us on their Facebook page with a regularity that will make you feel like their babysitter/aunt/uncle. Let's compare parenting skills. The hawks often replenish the nest with paper trash from the park and today I watched one of them bring a dead mouse into the nest, tear it apart and feed bloody bits of it to Boo and Scout. Amalia and Ozzy have been swaddled gorgeously and are now sporting the sweetest little outfits imaginable. No shredded road kill in their crib. All in all, the four of them seem to be getting the best New York has to offer. The cuteness is relentless.

Houston, Do You Read Me?

What happens when you get 36 LGBT bloggers, writers, journalists and editors together in one hotel in Houston for a weekend?
Read all about it in my sfgn.com recap!

(Photo of Tony Adams and Houston Mayor Annise Parker by Joe Jervis)

That Dorilton Penthouse

Out walking our nabe one afternoon, we were seized with curiosity to see the inside of the gorgeous Dorilton. We walked into the lobby and announced that we were there for the open house (there is almost always an open house in a large condo or coop building on a Sat/Sun afternoon. If there is more than one, feign confusion and the doorman will always help you select one.) This is the penthouse we toured that day. The publisher of the NY Times has purchased it. He must be in good shape because despite the $3 million plus purchase price, you still have two flights of stairs after you get out of the elevator! The private rooftop terrace is heaven.

QNY Fave: Ivan C. Morales

Here's a recent cute photo of Ivan who is a friend of QNY.

(Image by PhotoFreedom)

Miami Beach Pride 2012

Nicola Verlato and Evol Roundup and Photos

by baad lamb

Go here first if you have not already read about Nicola Verlato and Evol at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery  April 7th to May 5th.

Loved the show! But I also had 8PM ticket to Dance Brazil at the Joyce, so I was unable to spend as much time as I'd have liked (gallery opened at 7). One thing I forgot to do was consult the price sheet so I would know how much each of these artists currently command for their work. I will go back, since the show is up till May 5th, and I strongly encourage everyone to check it out. Like the best movies, Verlato should be seen "on the big screen," and Evol's meticulous precision is best appreciated very close up.

The stark contrasts between these two artists may be the point of showing them together. Verlato's compositions are all about Renaissance realism, with so much color and motion that people are literally flying through the air, while Evol's people-less architectural waste-scapes are so still and silent and cardboard-beige they feel totally airless. But they share the stage in at least one important aspect: the painstaking, time consuming process of bringing their visions to fruition. Whether Evol's smallest piece of found cardboard or Verlato's epic canvases, the sketching, refining, painting, cutting, masking, spraying, masking and spraying again, touch-ups and tiny finishing details all track a similar hands-on style of slow and deliberate craftsmanship that is increasingly rare in our instantaneous internet twitterverse. If they were to meet up, I'll bet they'd spend a lot of time sharing frisket tips and techniques.

Tons of pics after the jump...

Once

Posted by Mondschein 


"Once" at Jacobs Theatre, March 8, 14 and 28, 2012

(Photos: Joan Marcus)

It's been a couple of years since I've seen a show multiple times.  The last was Lincoln Center's sweeping revival of South Pacific, which I saw once in previews, once mid-run, and the closing performance. The beauty and romance of that show is very different from Once, based on the 2006 movie of the same title.

After a successful run off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, Once has moved uptown for what I hope will be a lengthy run. It brings its own sense of romance, intimate and touching, while hunkered down in a Dublin pub.  Each of its characters are searching for his or her respective place in the world.

Leading the quest are the generically, yet conspicuously named Guy (Steve Kazee) and Girl (Cristin Milioti).  He, a vaccuum repairman and frustrated musician, is foundering after having his heart broken by a recently emigrated girlfriend; she, by an estranged husband who has returned to their native Czech Republic.  She encounters Guy at the pub and is immediately drawn to him, sensing his despair, and manages to turn him to his music to resolve his pain.  The spark between them smolders slowly as each convinces themselves of reasons to stay apart.  She sees his departed girlfriend as first love unresolved, which would forever be a barrier between them.

NYU "It Gets Better"

At The Alamo, They Are Serious!

Luv this! And be sure to listen to the message from the disgruntled customer.

Nicola Verlato and Evol at Jonathan LeVine

by baad lamb

these two photo from Jonathan LeVine Gallery website

I won't miss this opening at Jonathan LeVine, 6 to 9 this Saturday night, when two of my favorite artists share the two main rooms at this always intrigueing gallery.

I first fell in love with the paintings and sculptures of Italian transplant Nicola Verlato in April, 2010, when I went to see "Three Handed", LeVine's triple bill show featuring Verlato with fellow Brooklynite painter Eric White, along with Fulvio Di Piazza of Palermo, Italy. Verlato's hyper-realistic paintings often depict muscular bodies with twisted and exaggerated features, and tell contemporary stories using swirling compositions reminiscent of high renaissance church ceiling paintings. I can't help but think of him as today's Thomas Hart Benton.








This  show's other featured artist, Evol, the street artist from Berlin, caught my eye on various docu-blog photo sites like Unurth and Ecosystem, but I was lucky enough to see his work up close for the first time at the Scope Art Fair back in March of 2010. His meticulous architectural recreations, whether two dimensional or three, are more than tromp l'oiel, they are tromp l'idée. If your think you know what you are looking at, think again.

I'll try for a full report, after the viewing.

Blowoff This Friday Highline Ballroom

and QNY has had a pair of tickets to give away! (Tickets snagged. The giveaway is over.)

New Taxi For NYC

Its aesthetics are arguable, but what a huge missed opportunity. If only this new fleet were wonderfully silent and non-polluting all-electric vehicles. I bet the mayor would have preferred that.

Justin Utley at the Triad Theater

by baad lamb

On Friday night I went to see Justin Utley at the Triad Theater on West 72 near Amsterdam Ave. Justin is an out n' proud ex-Mormon, and endured a life of Mormonism and 2 years of conversion therapy before running away to The Big City, where we are happy to have him. Entertaining us with earnest, heartfelt music that draws significantly on his life lessons, his gentle charm, handsome looks and magnificent smile add up to a new gay icon and advocate we can all embrace.

Opening the show for Justin and his backing band The Saturday Saints, was the winsome duo of Liah Alonso and Kelly Halloran:"Left on Red". These women  created quite a local following busking in subways, but have grown many more fans as they tour. Those followers were right because Left on Red rocks!

Lots of video and pics after the jump...

Testimony

Winter Wrap Up

Posted by Mondschein.

Ok, it's been entirely too long since my last post.  Though silent, I've seen the following:

• Wit, presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at Friedman Theatre, January 17, 2012 - Cynthia Nixon takes on the role of Vivian Bearing, Phd, dying of cancer in this erudite memory play that retells her last days of suffering.  For all the heady use of language throughout the majority of the script, playwright Margaret Edson makes a puzzling turn away from the powerful use of language as her lead characters moans and wails through the last 10 minutes.  Ms. Nixon is effective, but didn't quite master the central gravitas of the role.
• Merrily We Roll Along, presented by Encores! at New York City Center, February 10, 2012 - Sondheim's awkward child gets another revision with a lengthened run courtesy of Encores!  It's nice to see the show after knowing the score for many years.  Most of the flaws remain, though there are some quality distractions.  Lin-Manuel Miranda nebbishes it up nicely as Charlie and Celia Keenan-Bolger discards glamour for the drunken Mary.  Elizabeth Stanley powers in a great Sherie Renee Scott knock-off as Gussie, but Betsy Wolfe doesn't quite give her Beth the charm and vulnerability we might have enjoyed from Kelli O'Hara. 
• Carrie, presented by MCC Theatre at Lucille Lortel Theatre, February 15, 2012 - Stephen King is back on the boards and watered down with a flavor of Footloose.   In the title role, Molly Ranson sings sweetly, but gets held back by the tepid script.  Marin Mazzie as Margaret White, Carrie's mother, misses the bat-shit crazy mark needed to convey the danger of the religious fanatic.
  

Queer Sailing in NYC - First time on the water in 2012!

Yesterday, my sisterwife Daisy Shaver and I hopped the PATH train, met Static, our Captain, at the Newport Marina, and took our first sail of the season.  When we arrived at the marina there was still a bit of fog, so we worked on getting the ship in shape and hoisted the jib sail into position.  In the pic above you can see Static teaching me a new knot, the bowline, a skill I know I'll use quite often!  Finally the fog lifted mid-afternoon and we gave the jib a shakedown run in the harbor.  The Sonadora was the only sailboat in sight and one of the few vessels on the water, which was really serene and special! 

I lived all my life in my home state of Kansas until I moved to NYC in 2004.  Naturally, I knew almost nothing about boats and had hardly been on them, until sailing with Static last Summer caused a whole new area of geeky enthusiasm to bloom in my heart!  I've already learned a ton, including that sailing is mostly the domain of middle class white people, and even the gay sailors in NYC are pretty damn straight-laced and staid.  They don't know quite what to think of our crew, but that's okay, because honestly I wouldn't feel like myself if I wasn't scandalizing somebody.  I'm so looking forward to another year of learning more knots, racing around the harbor, and rocking the boat with our crew of radical faeries!  Sometimes I think I'm the luckiest boy in NYC.

After the break, a pic of Daisy with the growing Freedom Tower in the background, along with a snap of yours truly attempting to strike a pose, even in boring, early-Spring sailing clothes.  Stay tuned for more...

A Walk in the East Village

By West Village Bill

Yesterday, my guy Tony P. and I had a wonderful walk in the East Village. It was initiated by a visit to the Michael Mut Gallery on Avenue C between 6th and 7th streets.

We know Michael because he's the partner of the piano teacher for our great friends Bob and Jen's kids. We went to the opening reception of his Look Again exhibit, which is a showing of collages he made that were inspired by works of Pablo Picasso. The collages incorporate fragments of photos of Michael's own paintings. Tony and I both favored Girl in Mirror, which was based on Picasso's Girl before a Mirror. At left is Seated Woman on Wood Chair, after Picasso's painting from 1941. The exhibit runs through April 7.

On the way back to our apartment, we walked west on E. 9th Street, purely by chance. What a charming little street.

We stopped in The Upper Rust, an antiques shop with many interesting finds.

Then we hit Pink Olive, which had lots of items I'd never seen before. I bought two issues of Uppercase, a new-to-me quarterly arts-and-crafts journal.

And finally, we went to Mascot Studio, which is having its annual show of dog art. I bought a couple of cards by New York artist Anne Watkins.

XELLE Debuts at XL Thursday Night To Benefit GLSN

Okay so it's really Friday morning because they don't come on until 2:30AM.
This is rumored to be a very good live performance by XELLE. They will be performing their new club hits "Invincible" and "Party Girl".

19th Annual Winter Party. Miami Beach. 2012

I met so many queer New Yorkers. Attendees seemed to be from either Brazil or NYC.

Audition For "A Letter From The Bishop"

If you are in Manhattan March 8-13 and would like to audition for a role in the NYC reading of my play "A Letter From The Bishop" (or if you know someone you think could read a gay priest or bishop,) leave your name and contact info as a comment on this post. I will not publish that comment (it will remain confidential), but I will receive your info and will contact you.

Stephen Petronio at the Joyce

Next week, Stephen Petronio, my favorite modern dance choreographer, again collaborates with my favorite classical contemporary composer/arranger/musician/opinionated blogger/adventurous eater, Nico Muhly. Just bought my tickets. And if you've never seen his dance company before, you'd better get yours soon, since it's sure to sell out.

The evening's program includes a world premier "The Architecture of Loss"- with original music by Valgeir Sigurðsson collaborating with Nico Muhly, along with 2002's "City of Twist" billed as "a love letter to New York City in the aftermath of 9/11", featuring music by Laurie Anderson (another of my favorites!). Also, a special treat: the first-ever revival of "Intravenous Lecture" (1970), conceived by contemporary dance legend Steve Paxton and performed by Stephen Petronio. (Steve Paxton is sited by Mr. Petronio as one of his earliest inspirations.)

The Vimeo teaser shows Petronio in the studio working with his dancers on "The Architecture of Loss", with the Sigurðsson music in the background. Watch it full screen.


Stephen Petronio Company and The Architecture of Loss from Blake Martin on Vimeo.

"Is This Love" By Stacey Jackson

Although she doesn’t have any NYC tour dates at the moment, something tells me that some will be added as soon as we get to know Stacey Jackson who has a huge gay following elsewhere. She’s performed at multiple pride parades in many different countries and her gay fans have propelled her up the charts in the UK. She’s been an outspoken LGBT ally and advocate. And younger female pop singers can only wish to look and sound as good as this momma. QNY, ahead of the curve with Stacey Jackson!

Tavern On The Groan

This is unspeakably and obviously wrong.

The 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

By West Village Bill

On Monday and Tuesday of last week, I caught the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. I've been recording and watching it on TV for years, but work has always prevented me from going in person. This year, the production schedule for the magazine I help edit fell in such a way that I was able to go. Woot!

The show is held over two days, always around Valentine's Day. The first day, the breeds in four groups are judged from the morning into early afternoon, and that night, the Best of Breed winners are judged to determine the group winners. As luck would have it, the two breeds I was most interested in seeing—the basset hound and the Pembroke Welsh corgi—were both being judged in the same ring starting at 8:30 on Monday. My partner and I have a basset named Rudy, and we used to have a corgi named Emme. (I ran a photo of Rudy and Emme on QNY a little over a year ago.) We had to have Emme put to sleep in September at the age of 16 after she lost control of her bladder and bowels.

There were only four bassets in the running for Best of Breed. The one all the way to the left in the photo below was the winner: GCH Fort Merrill Topsfield Yahoo, who's called Yahoo.

QNY's Baadlamb Turns 50!

He wears it well, n'est-ce pas?

Watch My New Play On Livestream

I have written a play about three gay priests and a bishop who is against marriage equality.
The first public reading will be Monday, Feb 13th, 7PM EST. You can watch it here, or you can use this address: http://www.livestream.com/aletterfromthebishop. I will schedule this post to go live at 6:30PM so you can settle in and endure the introductions, ads etc before we begin. Please login to Livestream to comment during the reading!

aletterfromthebishop on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Assistance

Posted by Mondschein

"Assistance" at Playwrights Horizons, February 9, 2012

Traveling familiar ground, the latest offering at the very consistent Playwrights Horizons is Leslye Headland's Assistance, about the struggling underclass of capitalist serfs, suffering at the hands of an unseen tyrant.  In this case the invisible antagonist is Daniel Weisinger, a highly volatile agent/representative (Barry Diller-like, perhaps?) in an unnamed industry, who wields fear, loathing and admiration from a series of put-upon administrative assistants.  At the top of the play, Vince, a slick and smarmy Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, celebrates the last day of his sentence before stepping up into a coveted "director" role (also undefined).  Following him up the corporate ladder is Nick, a likable Michael Esper, who takes on the part of chief torturer among the cadre of assistants.  Advancement comes at a high price.  Even Vince has to knuckle under to Daniel vagaries in his last moments as servant.

Last day to see Hide/Seek at The Brooklyn Museum of Art

"Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" 





The baadlamb was there, and he partook:

baad lamb edit: I went two different days. My first visit, the show was nearly empty, which allowed me great contemplation and reflexion, the second day a week later was quite stuffed, creating a communal (un)square dance as art lovers of all persuasions do-si-doed their way across the crowded rooms.

Here's hoping everyone has already been to see this, but if not, you must read C-Monster's "Four reasons to go see Hide/Seek at the Brooklyn Museum", then put your coat on and grab your metro card. The museum is open till 6 PM tonight.

Discount Ticket Offer - "Assistance"

DISCOUNT TICKETS TO ASSISTANCE for BLOG READERS:

Regular run:  February 3-March 11
Tues 7, Wed-Fri at 8, Sat at 2:30 & 8, Sun at 2:30 & 7:30
Additional Monday evening perf February 27 at 7

Order by Feb. 21 and use the code HELPMEBLOG
$40 (reg. $70) for all performances Feb 3-19
$50 (reg. $70) for all other performances Feb 21-Mar 11

Online  http://goo.gl/ZY7ks
Call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 Noon to 8PM daily
In Person: Ticket Central Box Office, 416 W. 42nd Street between 9^th & 10^th Avenues

30&Under Party February 16 following the performance
All non-member tickets $25.  Use code PARTY.  Proof of age required at door.
Order at http://goo.gl/DpR5m

Psycho Therapy

"Psycho Therapy" at Cherry Lane Theatre, February 6, 2012

In its return to regular programming for the 2011-2012 season, Cherry Lane Theatre brings us Frank Strausser's new comedy.  It's a bit fluffy, and could easily have been adapted into an episode of Frasier.  Actually, that might have been a better idea.

In this intermissionless, 90 minute, four-hander, we meet early-middle-aged Lily (Angelica Page), torn between the good-on-paper Philip (Laurence Lau) and the much younger and significantly richer Dorian (Jeffrey Carlson), all during couples therapy with psychologist Nancy (Jan Leslie Harding). Neuroses abound, from Nancy's chocolate fetish, to Lily's inability to choose, to Philip's fear of commitment to Dorian's fear of being alone.

QNY Recommends Amanda Lepore

As always, she's doin' it her way! QNY will be bringing you news about Amanda in the near future.

Don't Miss The Next BLOWOFF

For more info.

QNY Recommends Cazwell & Peaches

Unzip Cazwell? Well, sure. QNY will be bringing you news about Cazwell in the near future.

Author Edmund White Has Had A Stroke

By Tony Adams

Two months after writer Edmund White suffered a stroke, he and his partner Michael carroll talk to me about how that stroke has altered their life. This is my report for 10thousandcouples.com. I like these two men immensely.

The writers Edmund White and Michael Carroll said, “We have not discussed it. We are not big on discussion. Everything is a tacit discussion.”

Such was their first response to the suggestion that White’s having suffered a stroke might have upset their 17-year partnership, enduring companionship, and deep affection for each other—a mutual devotion that rings clearly between the lines of their description of the medical emergency and its aftermath.

Read the rest of the report.

QNY Recommends Adam Tyler

QNY will be bringing you news about Adam Tyler in the near future. Here's his "Like A Drug" video.

New York Ladies With Advanced Style

See Tom Judson (Porn Star Gus Mattox) Tomorrow!

(I saw him perform in Key West. He'll be at the Metropolitan Room on Wednesday Feb 1st. Get your tickets here.)

When I checked in at Island House, Key West’s fabulous clothing optional gay guesthouse, on December 17^th, owner Jon Allen supplied a ticket to see QNY fave Tom Judson perform that evening on stage at the Tropic Cinema. Jon, who is on the Tropic’s board and is working to get more live gay entertainment in Key West, was also hosting singer/composer/author/Broadway performer  Judson—aka ex-porn star Gus Mattox—at Island House which made the prospect of lounging poolside even more attractive.  His cabaret-style performance that night was a delightful surprise that unleashed the talent and charming personality of a man known to many of us only by the sweat of his brow in the course of his successful two-year gay porn career. Next morning, at poolside breakfast, I had a chance to get acquainted with Judson who, at a boyish 51 years of age, is attractive, happy, energetic and enjoying a “fourth act” that is really a return to his prepornular musical career. (There was also a stint as a house renovator/flipper.)

When I asked him to describe “The Tom Judson Show” in terms of his experience and collaborative decisions about what elements of his past to include or emphasize, he said, “It feels like I've done just about everything in showbiz that one can do. 

Win Free Tickets to HOW TO SUCCEED...With Joe Jonas!

UPDATE:  Congratulations to winners Sarah P. and Anonymous commenter #6!  We will be contacting each of you on how to claim your pair of tickets to "How to Succeed..."

Dying to see a Broadway show but don't have the cash?  Let Queer New York give you a helping hand.

Just enter our Free Ticket Contest for the current Broadway smash revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and all your problems will be solved!  Well, maybe not all.  Some may still require you to visit your local Duane Reade, but that's your business.

Two lucky readers can win a pair of tickets.  To enter, write a comment on this post noting your favorite musical of all time, maybe include an anecdote about why you love it or a memorable performance that you've seen. The winners will be choosen at random and the announcement will be made here one week from today, on February 7th. Good luck!

See below for more information and additional opportunities for discount tickets!

Outside People

"Outside People" at Vineyard Theatre, January 7, 2012

Posted by Mondschein

Playwright Zayd Dohrn brings another tale of a stranger in a strange land to the NY stage with his Outside People.

It's an earnest and awkward effort, much like its main character, Malcolm (Matt Dellapina), a recent college graduate with no job or direction in his life.  His former roommate David, (Nelson Lee) has returned to his native China to start his own business.  He flies Malcolm over to work for his company as repayment for Malcolm's kindness to his when they were students.

Relatively Speaking

"Relatively Speaking" at Brooks Atkinson Theatre, December 20, 2011

Posted by Mondschein

As the graphic indicates, this is an evening of 3 unrelated one-act plays.

First up, Talking Cure by Ethan Coen.  Mr. Coen, you make very interesting movies.  Please return when you have an interesting play to show us.  Of all the work I have seen you produce for the stage (Offices, Almost an Evening), none have met that category yet.