Celebrating the end of DOMA today at Stonewall.

My video of Atty Roberta Kaplan and Edith Windsor who won their suit against the USA.

The Comedy of Errors

Posted by Mondschein

"The Comedy of Error" presented by The Public Theater at Delacorte Theater, June 2, 2013


(photo by Joan Marcus)


The first of the Public Theater's presentations of Shakespeare in the Park is Shakespeare's take on Plautus' Menaechmi, complicated with an extra set of twins separated as small children.  There's no adaptation credit given in the playbill, but one might presume that dramaturg Robert Blacker was pivotal in the streamlining of the book down to a 90 minute one-act.  The result is a farce set in a 1940s Ephesus, complete with a jitterbugging, lindy hopping chorus gathered around the jukebox - - Shakespeare meets Guy and Dolls. 

Director Daniel Sullivan focuses his energies around Hamish Linklater and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as they take on the dual roles of Antipholus and Dromio, respectively.  Mr. Linklater achieves the greater success in creating two distinct characters around the long-lost brothers.  Mr. Ferguson comes in a close second.  Heidi Schreck also manages to find her way as Luciana.  Skip Suddeth brings us a Tony Soprano-style Duke.  The rest of the cast is serviceable if unremarkable, except for Emily Bergl's gasp-worthy pratfall as Adriana.

The pace is good.  The costumes colorful and sets work nicely.  There are plenty of laughs. It's a good night in Central Park.

Tickets are free, distributed the day of each show at the Delacorte box office.  The Comedy of Errors runs through June 30.

"BEFORE YOU KNOW IT" NY PREMIERE 6/23 WITH FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER.

I just watched the review screener. This movie will break your heart. Beautifully made film about three beautiful men. I highly recommend it.

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, the first feature film to raise the curtain on a profoundly neglected segment of the LGBT community, its senior population, will have its New York Premiere at Lincoln Center.

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT,an observational documentary directed by PJ Raval, addresses issues that aren't often discussed in the LGBT community. The statistics are startling (e.g., LGBT seniors are five times less likely to access social services than their heterosexual counterparts and twice as likely to live alone). BEFORE YOU KNOW IT acquaints audiences with three fascinating individuals.


Get your tickets here: http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/before-you-know-it1  More after the break:

The Procedure by Marcus Yi

You have one more chance to see The Procedure: Thursday June 20, 5PM, Gene Frankel Theater, 24 Bond Street, New York City. I suggest you take it. (This play is part of the Planet Connections Theater Festivity.) 

My husband, The Baad Lamb, was actually tearing up at the ending, and I myself got quite caught up in the story which is something that hasn’t happened to me of late in a theater seat.

In The Procedure, an interracial gay couple is faced with a government-mandated microchip implant in order to remain together. Adrian, in his mid-thirties, is a lawyer happily married to Jacob. He is about to become an American citizen in order to remain in the country when he learns that the path to citizenship requires a microchip implant in his eye. He gets pushed and pulled by husband, family, friends and conscience until he finally makes his decision.

The Procedure could have been a tiresome tin-foil hat rant in the wrong hands, but as written by Marcus Yi and directed by Yi and Sonia Nam, it is a fine telling of how every man—gay or straight—has to define what “home” is and how important it is get one’s personal priorities in order and then to act accordingly. Adrian’s dilemma will make you wonder just what you could or could not live without. If you had to choose between a husband you loved, a job you loved, a principle you believed in or a place you loved, how would you attempt to “have it all?” And if you couldn’t have it all, what would you relinquish?

The fact that the central couple is gay is incidental, and isn’t it nice that we are finally living in a time and place where the gay aspects of a play are not distractions?

Stephen Thornton is entirely convincing as Adrian. Fenny Novyane is a delight as Valerie and she delivers the strongest performance. There were only a couple of weak moments: some trite humor in the commercial interludes and a painfully unfunny scene with Adrian and a doctor that stood out like a sore thumb.

The Procedure is a production of Living Room Theater which was created to produce works made in the living room of Marcus Yi. I hope he will continue to write plays.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by going to https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/921718 or www.planetconnections.org/the-procedure

The Silver Cord

Posted by Mondschein

"The Silver Cord" presented by  Peccadillo Theater Company at the Theatre at St. Clement's, June 8, 2013

(Photo by Carol Rosegg)

A tradition of restorative productions is a sometimes unwieldy proposition.  Peccadillo Theater Company continues its residence at the Theatre at St. Clement's with a revival of the 1927 The Silver Cord by Sidney Howard (who won a posthumous Oscar for the screenplay of "Gone With The Wind).  The Silver Cord was something of a hit in its original run, telling the story of how a sociopathic moher interferes in the relationships of her two sons. 
There are obvious factors to support its revival: small cast, minimal costume and set changes.  Before staging this full production, Peccadillo conducted a reading of the play with Charles Busch as the mother.

If only they had been able to sign him for this run.

Under Mormon Pressure, Utah Pride Disinvites JoeMyGod As Grand Marshal

By Tony Adams

A gay travel website announced that Utah Pride would have two grand marshals for its 2013 Pride celebration: out gay soccer player, David Testo and gay activist/megablogger Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod.com. While researching an article for the 2013 annual Pride magazine, I noticed that Utah Pride made no mention of Jervis in its announcement of Testo as grand marshal. I contacted Valerie Larabee, Executive Director of Utah Pride Center, for an explanation. She did not mince words in her expression of disappointment about the deliberate disinvitation of Jervis.

Larabee began her explanation by grounding the disinvitation within the context of a community in which the Mormons hold much power. When I asked her how that power could possibly influence decisions made by a gay pride organization, she explained that there are two groups of Utah gays who come from the Mormon tradition: those who broke away from it wholeheartedly and those who are trying to somehow remain reconciled with their Mormon heritage even though it denigrates the essential elements of their lives and works energetically to deny them equality. (I assured her that Mormon gays are not alone in those descriptions. The same division may be applied to gays in other religions.) Larabee explained that one young gay man who is on the board of directors of her organization fought against having Jervis as grand marshal. He put forth, as motivation for his demand that the invitation be revoked, his contention that JoeMyGod.com is an insult to Mormons and that he was concerned about his Mormon friends.

Macbeth

The National Theater of Scotland's production of "Macbeth" at Ethel Barrymore Theatre, May 20, 2013

Posted by Mondschein

Alan Cumming returns to the Great White Way, reprising his one-man production of the Scottish Play following last summer's visit during the Lincoln Center Festival.

Under the direction of Once director John Tiffany and Andrew Goldberg, it's another riff on Marat/Sade with inmates putting on the play.  Mr. Cumming appears to have arrived after an undisclosed traumatic event, bloodied and confused.  His caretakers (Jenny Sterlin and Brendan Titley) tend his wounds, collect his clothes and tissue from a cheek swab and under his fingernails.  It's something of a next step compared to the 2008 Broadway revival with Patrick Stewart perhaps, but I'm equally unconvinced of this concept as well.

A Rally In NYC Tonight Calls For An End To Violence Against Gays

Sotto 13 For Italian Tapas And Pizza In The West Village

Rushing about town, we had one of those New York days packed with parades and food festivals and community gardens in Spring bloom. The zigzagging finally and mercifully ended with dinner at just the right restaurant for two weary flâneurs.

Sotto 13 opened last Thanksgiving and has acquired a huge following for its weekend brunches featuring NYC's first ever do-it-yourself prosecco bar, but I was curious to see what their chef (previously with Cipriani) delivers in the evening.

The dinner menu is well focused: pizza, salad and an array of small tapas-style plates that are made savory with good use of sea salt and pungent cheeses. We selected six tapas plates and didn't regret any of them. I was particularly delighted with the Burrata and Roasted Peppers in Basil Oil. Burrata—served fresh—is a white Italian cheese confection with an exterior of mozzarella containing a cream center. Like a maiden calling out to suitors, burrata seeks flavor and color. The red and yellow peppers and the generous shredded basil supplied both. The Fig Jam, Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Crostini delivered the anticipated argument of sweet and salty. I let my husband scoop up the last one on the plate only because the Grilled Octopus with Fingerling Potato, Pesto, Scallions and Capers had arrived. Using pesto on octopus is something I would not have thought of. I can't wait to try this at home. The capers and scallions sharpened the composition perfectly.

We shared two desserts and they were heavenly: the chocolate ganache and the pear strudel.

The chairs were comfortable, the decibels humane, the table arrangement gracious, the decor refined and understated, the atmosphere casually elegant and the service attentive but never intrusive—allegro ma non troppo—which is not easy to achieve when you are delivering plates of tapas. For us, the six dishes and dessert were plenty, but all around us, others were receiving intriguing pizzas that will be tried when next we visit.

Sotto13 is at 140 W13th Street. Make reservations. 212 647 1001

Free Summer Movies in NYC

Here is the list with dates and locations.

Central Park Lilacs

Remember The Pavilion Chandelier? Tell Your Story.

Send your memory to pavilion@pinesfi.com

Review: The Nance

The Nance, Douglas Carter Beane’s new play, is a lively portrayal of the social, sexual and political turmoil of 1930s New York City. Burlesque is in its heyday, verging on family entertainment (albeit with a PG-13 rating). In presenting a burlesque troupe facing immorality charges, Beane shows a time of relative permissiveness and tumult that flowered in the years before World War II.

Chauncey Miles (Nathan Lane) is a popular comedian who we meet cruising at a local automat. His interest is piqued when Ned, a handsome, starving young newcomer pours catsup into a cup of hot water. Ned becomes our proxy as Chauncey teaches him important shibboleths of his worlds. He explains the rules of camp and cruising, how to stay under the radar of the law, the distinction between pansies and trade, and after an unsuccessful attempt to end their one-night-stand, introduces Ned to his burlesque family.

To start the week off right

Puglia Villa Gay Bike Trip

This is Francesco. He helps out at the Villa Cappelli where you'll be spending a luxurious week when you book this trip. Just a couple of open spots left. I'm the tour guide for this trip. For details.

Fire Island Pines Pavilion

Bethesda Terrace in Central Park

The Baad Lamb took this pic of the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park on Saturday night. No Photoshop. He knows his camera's manual settings.

F#%king Up Everything - A Review

By David Pasteelnick

Have you ever been to Times Scare?  No, that isn't a typo, Times Scare is an entertainment complex on 8th Avenue between West 42 and 43rd Streets and home to the Elektra Theatre, where F#%king Up Everything, a charming new musical that opened on March 24th, following a successful debut at last year's NYMF, is currently playing.

F#%king Up Everything is a rock musical and the first new production to debut at the Elektra.  Music and Lyrics are by David Eric Davis, who also collaborated on the book with Sam Forman.  Jen Wineman directs and choreographs the show, and musical direction is by Eli Zoller.

Tonight: It's About Time: Billie Ray Martin to Play Roseland Ballroom March 22, Black Party® Weekend

And hava a listen to DJ Honey Dijon's remix of Billie's "Glittering Gutter."

Going Out On A Limb With My Picks For Pope

Just published are my predictions about the conclave about to begin. The article includes info about which cardinals are gay and which  among my five "papabili" would by good for women or gay Catholics. Does NYC's Dolan have a shot at the papacy? I have an opinion.

Blow Off NYC This Friday!

If I wasn't in Fort Lauderdale...

A World AIDS Museum?

Broward has the highest new infection rate in the country. I wonder how that number is skewed by snowbirds from NYC, Boston, Chicago etc. This museum is a great idea for many reasons.

QNY Fave: Christopher Brosius - Perfume God

Check out my profile of Christopher Brosius (and then visit his Williamsburg shop!) Page 8 of the new issue of The Mirror. This magazine is distributed nationally or you can read it online.

Gay Press Gay Power — My Review

My SFGN review of Tracy Baim's delicious book Gay Press Gay Power.

QNY's Perry Brass is featured in this book!

2013—The Year To Be Perfectly Queer.

They asked for my ten predictions. (and I am particularly pleased with my "From Abercrombie & Fitch to Maclarens for hitched" line.)

WORKING

Post by Mondschein

"WORKING" presented by Prospect Theater Company at 59E59 Theatre, December 12, 2012

(photo: Richard Termine)

Prospect Theater Company presents a new re-working of the 1978 musical based on Studs Terkel's book, with two new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

The streamlined cast of six replaces the seventeen from the original Broadway production, slicing and dicing the remains into a tight 65 intermissionless minutes. 

Director Gordon Greenberg has assembled a talented and capable cast to portray the 25 remaining stories, including Marie-France Arcilla, Joe Cassidy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nehal Joshi and Kenita R. Miller. 

Some moments stand out more than others: Ms. Champlin's Rose Hoffman, an aging and out of step teacher who sadly reflects on the degradation of respect for her role in the lives of children over her 45 years in the classroom with Nobody Tells Me How.  She gives another clever moment as the waitress Delores Dante in It's an Art responding to the question, "just a waitress?"  Mr. Johnson gets a nice turn as well as pervy UPS delivery man, Conrad Swibel.
The juxtaposition of Ms. Miller's hooker to Ms. Champlin's high society fundraiser points up how the two roles are more similar than different.

My father always said, "if it were fun, they wouldn't call it 'work'," and for the most part he was right.  Still, of the 25 working stories, there are remarkably few that really expressed any joy.  As much time as we spend working, an uplifting evening of work stories and songs would have more appeal.

WORKING runs through December 30.  Tickets here.

A Chanukah Charol

Posted by Mondschein

"Jackie Hoffman's A Chanukah Charol" at New World Stages, December 8, 2012

Jackie Hoffman's kvetching continues with her new show at New World Stages.  "A Chanukah Charol" is her riff on Patrick Stewart's one-man "A Christmas Carol" retelling her trials and tribulations as an actress in New York.

The mood starts with pre-curtain music of a klezmer band playing Christmas carols. She opens by portraying Mr. Stewart as the narrator of her tale, and she gives a pretty good impersonation. 

Then, she moves into a mix of her ongoing existential career crisis that she's not Victoria Clark or Gertrude Lawrence, along with some new reminiscences of holiday gatherings with her family.  Her Jacob Marley is Molly Picon, telling of incipient visits from the requisite three ghosts, past present and future. The cleverest turn of the three is using Shelley Winters as the Ghost of Chanukah Present.

I've seen just about all of her annual appearances at Joe's Pub and have to say that as much as I liked the concept of this show, I missed her songs that have been part of her cabaret series.  At 75 minutes, it's a small commitment for a bit of fun, Hoffman-style.

"A Chanukah Charol" runs through December 29.  Tickets here.

A New Gay Bookstore For NYC?

Bureau of General Services - Queer Division

Bureau of General Services: Queer Division is on Lucky Ant (It's a bookstore) from Lucky Ant on Vimeo.

Another Day on the Upper West Side

Via the West Side Rag:

Gary Rintel spent $140,000 to clone his collie/Great Pyrenees Astro about four years ago, creating two new dogs that are driving neighbors around 96th Street crazy. They call them “the clones.” Rintel keeps them off the leash, and they’ve allegedly gotten very aggressive with people in Central Park, including biting at least one. “The second I see that guy, I make sure to cross the street,” said Jarrod Mittan. “He ignores his dogs as they’re bounding down the sidewalk, and he screams at them as though they understand what he’s saying.”

Krys Fox wants to "stain your brain"

A Gathering of the Tribes Gallery )285 E 3rd St, 2nd floor) presents

“Transformations” two person show with Al Benkin and Krys Fox
Opening Reception: November 29th 2012 6p-9p, show up 11/29-12/11


Al Benkin’s found object assemblage-paintings consistently transform ordinary objects, into extraordinary visual stories that hint of the past & the temporariness of being. Benkin’s work uses personal & invented iconography inspired by the absurd comedy of life. Birds have spirit guides, the god of meat hovers in limbo understanding both the predator & the prey, contortionist’s balance on broken forks etc.

In Krys Fox’s photography, he transforms immediate, flat reality into nuances of whimsical, stylized, surreal & magical dimensions. Gloriously grotesque while simultaneously an exquisite nether-reality, the moments that Fox creates & captures tend to keep the viewer balancing delicately on the furrowed brow of intrigue & excitement which leads to maniacally laughing panic & glee.

Both Artists’ work is old school, meaning, not manipulated by any computer technology. All Fox’s special effects were hand done on his sets or in-camera effects. Finally, both artists’ congruity and kindred spirits make this a rare & seamless match that’s a fantastical and macabre playground for mature art eaters everywhere.
It will stain your brain.

Forever Dusty! QNY has 2 Free Tix For You.

Forever Dusty tells the dramatic, revealing story of how a shy Irish Catholic school girl from West London transformed herself into the voice of blue eyed soul, the face of Swinging London, and a worldwide superstar -- the legendary Dusty Springfield.  The provocative musical stars Kirsten Holly Smith in a tour de force performance, channeling the power and presence of Dusty in such memorable classics as Son of a Preacher Man, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, The Look of Love, and many more.

(Details on the ticket giveaway and another photo after the break.)

BLOWOFF - This Friday - Highline Ballroom

NYC could use a party!

How They Pump Water Out Of The Subway

MTA photos show the process. A six car pumping train! Who knew?

The Man On The Fifth Floor

The there-and-back story of Gerald Busby.

Falling

Posted by Mondschein

"Falling" at Minetta Lane Theatre, October 14, 2012

(photo: Carol Rosegg)

There's an intense situation happening at Minetta Lane Theatre, courtesy of Deanna Jent's new play making its New York premiere.

18 year old Josh (Daniel Everidge) suffers with fairly extreme autism.  Being over 6 feet tall, weighing well over 200 pounds combined with his occasionally aggressive and violent behavior sets the stakes pretty high. Tami (Julia Murney) and Bill (Daniel Pearce) work very hard to keep their son under control by emphasizing a calm and steady daily routine.  Little sister Lisa (Jacey Powers) just wants it all to go away, but what 14 year old wouldn't?  When Grammy Sue (Celia Howard) visits, bible in hand, she gets a frightening lesson in the reality of her son's family dynamics.  One particularly violent episode sets up Tami to imagine how life with her family might have been different (though its set up could have been a little more clear).

The 75 minute production moves well under the hand of director Lori Adams, handling all the ups and downs of a day in Josh's life.  The life is at times shocking, at time mundane, which makes it ever more real.  She draws excellent performances from her cast.

Most notable is Mr. Everidge, the mercurial, autistic giant among his caretakers.  His Josh is an emotional 2 year old in the body of a full grown man, completely unfiltered and uninhibited.  Ms. Murney's Tami verges on exhaustion from the effort it takes to keep herself and her family on track.  She struggles a bit in the moments of vulnerability but overall captures the drive to move forward.

John Stark has created a realistic setting for this stressed family, punctuated with the requisite child-friendly elements that would help manage a child like Josh. Tristan Raine's costumes and Julie Mack's lighting support without drawing attention to themselves.

Falling is on an open-ended run.  Get tickets here.

Heresy

Posted by Mondschein

"Heresy" at The Flea, October 13, 2012

(photo: Hunter Canning)

In a new world premiere, the prolific A. R. Gurney returns to The Flea with an overwrought story set in the near future.  Mary (Annette O'Toole) and Joseph (Steve Mellor) have come to Homeland Security because their protesting  and unseen son, Chris, has been taken into custody during the latest crackdown. It is here that they must put their case before Pontius Pilate (Reg E. Cathey).

Get it?

Gay History - Getting It Right

Here is what I suspect will be the first of a series. QNY friend, Frantz G. Hall (host of Q-Talk—a lively variety show) has produced a fine video that makes the important point that gay people did not occur as some sudden mutation in the 1970s but that we have been part of the history of humanity since day one. The problem is that history has been often written by those who would ignore or deny us appropriate recognition. I think this video ought to be circulated in mixed groups and in the heartland. We in the gay"bubble" may take for granted its premise but most of the country does not.

What's Queer Anyway? A Campaign to End Ignorance from What's Queer Anyway? on Vimeo.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Posted by Mondschein

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at the Booth Theatre, October 11, 2012

Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre returns to Broadway with the revival of Edward Albee's play about the battle that is marriage.

It hasn't been all that long since the last Rialto revival with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin, so I was interested to see what this new production has to offer.  What we get is a solid retelling of the play, much like last season's revival of Death of a Salesman, proving again what a well-made play it is.  Beyond that, there's not much unique in this production.

One thing I did notice, was that Amy Morton's Martha has acceded some of the power to Tracy Letts' George right from the start.  Even though she brays and intimidates, it doesn't land with the same vitriol one usually experiences.  With that opportunity, Mr. Letts' George is now free to wield his sarcasm like a sword, slashing at Martha and their guests.

Speaking of, this Nick (Madison Dirks) and Honey (Carrie Coon), fall right in line behind whoever is spewing the venom.  Mr. Dirks captures the requisite loose athletic demeanor of Nick's football past.  Ms. Coon gives a nice turn as the besotted Honey, though not quite as fragile as other interpretations.

Director Pam MacKinnon keeps things moving fairly well, though there were a couple of slow spots in Act II as the party games transition from "humiliate the husband" to "get the guests."

Todd Rosenthal's large living room set captures the academic environment, but went a little overboard with the stacks of books literally everywhere.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is on an open-ended run.  Tickets here.

Art School - Day One

Day One of a weeklong course at The Art Students League of New York on 57th Street. (Birthday gift from the husband.) I chose Michael Massen's course "How to draw the clothed figure." Only four students in the class which is great. I explained to Mr. Massen that I acquired my sense of fabric on form by imitating the way Betty and Veronica's sweaters were drawn over their impossible bosoms. He knows some terrific secrets and I think I'm going to benefit from this. Anyway, it is wonderful to be there. I glanced at the work being done by the other students. They are much more skilled than am I, but Mr. Massen was encouraging, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the week. He told us to concentrate on one part of the model's garments and use his basic geometric breakdown of folds as the basis for constructing the drape of fabric over form. It is very hard to unlearn the way of sketching for an oil painting in which you begin with one strong line and build the sketch for the painting around that.

Ten Chimneys

posted by Mondschein

"Ten Chimneys" presented by The Peccadillo Theater Company at the Theatre at St. Clement's , September 29, 2012

(photo: Carol Rosegg)

I was excited to see this play billed as a peek into the backstage lives of Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne, who ruled the English and American stages before, during and after WWII.  It seemed great fodder for a clever and glittering evening.

Instead, playwright Jeffery Hatcher brings us a bit of theatre history as Alfred and Lynnie prepare for the 1938 revival of Chekov's The Seagull.  Had he done only that, it still could have been that evening of sophistication for which I had hoped.

A step (or a pedal) in the right direction!

Love the increase in Central Park road space for walkers, skaters and cyclists!

Blowoff This Friday!

Check this out for a Blowoff tee shirt.

Kevin Cathcart Is All About The Future At Lambda Legal

From the 19th floor of 120 Wall Street, the waterfront view of New York City is spectacular and never taken for granted by the occupant of the corner office, Lambda Legal’s Executive Director Kevin Cathcart.

Lambda Legal is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights group working for the LGBTQ community. Under Cathcart’s direction, it has become powerful with significant increases in inquiries and impact in 2011.

According to Cathcart who grew up in New Jersey just 35 miles from his office, there are two types of people.

“There are those who say they can’t wait to move to New York City, and those who say they can’t wait to move out of Jersey. I was part of the latter group. I didn’t even dream of becoming a lawyer, no, I grew up in a working class world. I didn’t know what a lawyer was. I came of age at a time when civil rights law was a driving force, in the late 60s early 70s. I began thinking about law in college, because I was interested in politics and because that is when I had come out. Maybe I was in a lucky time slot. Stonewall had just happened. I had nothing to lose by coming out. No job or family. I settled in Boston where I was the Executive Director of GLAD [Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders] for eight years. I got a call from a friend who told me about the Lambda job. I thought ‘I could live in NYC for a couple of years’ That was 20 years ago.”

Read the rest of my profile of this very capable leader at sfgn.com.

The Playful Side Of Gay Spirit Camp At Easton Mountain

I am at Gay Spirit Camp at Easton Mountain this week! Check out my overview on Bilerico.

I wanted to take a break from describing the extraordinary sessions and trainings and discussions about the mind, body and spirit of gay men to let you know that this group of 75 participants is also an extremely playful lot. These are men who have reclaimed their inner child and have opened the gate to let him out to roam the hills of this beautiful retreat. Yes, I'll be bringing you profiles of a Reiki master from Italy and also a karmic healer from Scotland, both of whom led amazing sessions, but for the moment, here are some photos of the playful side of Gay Spirit Camp at Easton Mountain. Jason and Raspberry Swirl got their bodies painted while others frolicked in a pit of Dead Sea mud in the meadow beyond the pool. Another photo shows last night's luminaria labyrinth set down in the ancient Greek Cretan pattern. Some men walked the Labyrinth maze naked and with ritualistic and trancelike steps as they circled the lights. I know soooo many men who would never allow themselves an experience like Easton Mountain but could soooo benefit from it.

Photos after the break.

An Honest Word From Will Clark

Pulling No Punches.

The Woolworth Mansion Is Available....

Sounds like a bargain!

Richard Willett's "Tiny Bubbles"

The Baad Lamb and I attended this play and recommend it. The theater advance would make you think it is a "gay" play, but it is not. The two lead characters happen to be gay but their sexuality is almost incidental. The play is about the impact of change in a relationship and also about the sort of "truth or illusion/Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?"thing. With nary a misstep, it kept me awake and engaged. (I know that sounds like faint praise, but I fall asleep easily during most bad plays.) Jay Alvarez in the lead role is excellent and holds it all together. Here's the NYTimes review.

Nile Rodgers and Chic at Lincoln Center

Great performance. At one point, Nile Rodgers pointed out the building on West 62nd Street in which he had written most of Chic's hits.

After the jump, video of Chic doing Le Freak earlier tonight.

Third Section of High Line Acquired. Design Presentation On Monday.

MAYOR BLOOMBERG, SPEAKER QUINN AND FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE ANNOUNCE THE CITY’S ACQUISITION OF THE THIRD SECTION OF THE HIGH LINE FROM CSX

CSX Donates Rail Yards Section of the Elevated Railway to the City of New York, Clearing the Way to Start Construction Later This Year
Big news regarding the High Line Park.

There will be a design presentation on Monday July 30, 6:30-8:30PM, 14th Street passage.

Check out the extensive QNY coverage of the saving and reconstruction of the high line, including:

Phase 2 Is Open

What  A Difference A Year Made

Clever High Line Benches

Editta Sherman's Portraits Are Breathing At 25 CPW Gallery

And so is Editta!

I was delighted to pass by the corner gallery at 25 Central Park West and find it open and graced by the presence of Editta Sherman who was graciously willing to talk about the celebrities she has photographed over a span of 50 years (1940-1990)

First, I toured the 75 portraits in the exhibit, and as is always the case, excellent prints sized extravagantly are what make going to a photo show worth the trip. These celebrity portraits really seem to breathe. Portrait photographers each bring a distinctive style to their depictions. Editta doesn't seem to ask the subject for anything and she doesn't do much set-up. Her approach carefully captures all the details of the subject's face with an infused radiance that is missing from current photographic processes. She works like a map maker. In the room was the gigantic wooden camera she used. A digital camera that fits in a shirt pocket will simply never do what that behemoth can do, and I doubt the disposable Nan Goldin would find much here to appreciate.

I asked Editta to tell me about Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz.) She said, "He was a gracious and wonderful man. My husband and I had just set up shop in Martha's Vineyard when we heard he had arrived on someone's yacht. That is why he is dressed like that in the portrait. My husband hurried down to the dock and asked him if I could photograph him and he agreed. His wife said, 'If there's a camera in the room, Frank will go for it.' Later we all went out to dinner and had a great time."

When I remarked about a more recent  celebrity among the vintage stars, Tilda Swinton, Editta said,"When she came to my studio she looked at this dress I had on a hanger and she liked it and asked to try it on. That's what she is wearing in the picture. When we were done, she asked if she could buy the dress from me. I had just purchased it. I didn't know what to say. She offered me $500 and I said okay."

When we discussed Photoshop and the need to produce portraits that flattered the client, she mumbled something about Mary Martin demanding an extreme amount of retouching. That portrait looks like something from Madame Tussaud's.

when I told Editta that I wished she were still working, she said that she has plans to photograph Mario Testino who is himself a famous celebrity photographer. Editta is 100 years old.

The gallery is located at 25 Central Park West and 62nd Street. On July 24th, they will screen the documentary movie Lost Bohemia directed by Josef Astor about the eviction of the  residents of the Carnegie Hall apartments.

The High Cost Of Marriage Inequality - Read It And Weep

I know something about this. Having my husband added to my health insurance is a taxable benefit in the eyes of the IRS. You would not believe the tax hit we get because of this. 


After the break, you'll find a clear depiction of the overall pain.

Central Park Summertime Sky

by baad lamb

Though summer storm clouds threaten, they provide a dramatic backdrop as the late afternoon sun illuminates the Beresford on high and the bike boys below.

I snapped this on June 25th from the newly restored Cherry Hill, looking northwest. Embiggens nicely.

Summer News

Via the West Side Rag.

I want to protest the fact that a couple got arrested for dancing on a subway platform on their way home from Mid Summer Night Swing. Honestly, officer.

Tony Wants Company on Brooklyn Waterfront Tour

by baad lamb

Last May, I jumped at the chance to take a Working Harbor tour deep into the heart of the Newtown Creek. It was easily one of the most fascinating and informative 3 hours I've ever spent. Those 600+ photos deserve a post of their own, but, alas... ( damn that full-time job!)

Since I'll have to miss this Tuesday's Working Harbor opportunity to tour the Brooklyn waterfront, I've "suggested" Tony go for me (and bring extra camera batteries). But he wants some company. So if you've got this Tuesday evening open, there's no better value for your $30. If an evening on the harbor on a yacht exploring the history and future of the working Brooklyn waterfront isn't its own incentive, whats wrong with you just think of those cool ocean breezes as a way to temporarily forget this heatwave.

Here's the details from the Working Harbor website:
Brooklyn Waterfront Tour featuring Brooklyn's Maritime Heritage and Future- This tour starts by going up the East River to the former Brooklyn Navy Yard, passing under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The Navy Yard has three large graving docks and an active shipyard, as well as the home port of FDNY's fireboat division. We then travel south along the Brooklyn waterfront, passing the new Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Red Hook Container Terminal, Atlantic Basin, and Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs. We continue into Gowanus Bay and along the Sunset Park waterfront, home of the former large Bush Terminals. We then cross over to the Statue of Liberty at sunset and pause for a moment to allow passengers to take photos before returning to Pier 16.


Dan Wiley is a Community Coordinator for the Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez in southwest Brooklyn, NY. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University in the Urban Design Studio. Working in the Congressional office since 2000, he has coordinated planning projects and initiatives spanning waterfront communities from the Brooklyn Navy Yard and downtown Brooklyn southwest to Red Hook, Gowanus and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Dan will talk about the changing face of the Brooklyn waterfront, the proposed plans for the future and take questions from the audience.


Do it! Ticket Link

I'm looking forward to Tony's pics, but I do still have a ton of photos I took over the years from various water taxis, trips to Governors Island, Open House New York, or aimless wandering on the land and street side of things:

Old cranes "cross swords" at Brooklyn Navy Yard (left)

Navy Yard, from Newtown Creek tour last year (right)

Preview a whole lot more after the jump...

Young Dancers Enjoy Midsummer Night Swing

by baad lamb
At this Saturday Night's rendition of Midsummer Night Swing, with JD McPherson providing his distinctive retro-contempo swing, an enthusiastic group of youngsters show off their collective dance moves outside the paying walls. Although the steps they were all practicing look like a Broadway chorus line routine, it's clear they are trained in classical ballet. Perhaps they're summer term students at the School of American Ballet?
Since I'm not a regular ballet attendee, maybe a few of them will defect to the contemporary dance scene, and with luck, I'll be applauding one or two of them in a few years down at the Joyce.

I'm pretty sure that is the dance instructor Adam Lee, Lindy-Hopping with a partner in between views of the kids.

Canoeing on the Gowanus Canal

by baad lamb

Back in May, on a beautiful sunny Saturday, my aimless wandering of New York's industrial fringe found me in Gowanus, at the dead end where 2nd Street meets the Gowanus Canal. The two gentlemen sitting in folding chairs off to the side were not immediately visible as I contemplated the posters displayed in the upright old dinghy. Before I could read beyond "BROOKLYN'S COOLEST SUPERFUND SITE", one of the men approached. Would I like to canoe the canal? Hell yes!

Paddling a canoe alone on the canal while trying to take pictures and video can be challenging, especially with the constant breeze wanting to spin the boat in circles anytime I put the paddle down and picked up the camera. Adding to the fun, occasional forceful discharges from invisible pipes would spew questionable liquids, creating a sudden current on what was, not long ago, largely a stationary cauldron of chemicals and waste-water (reactivating and upgrading the pumping station has begun to change that). I didn't have enough time to explore as deeply as I wanted; the area south of the Smith and 9th Street F & G trains viaduct still beckons. Can't wait to go back, but I'll bring the reluctant "why-are-you-taking-us-to-another-industrial-area?" husband, so one can navigate while the other films.



In the video above, note the car that backs up on the 3rd Street Bridge; we exchanged waves, although they are too far away in this video to see the arm come out the window; I guess they could not believe they just saw someone leisurely exploring this NYC waterway!

The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club sponsors public canoeing on Saturdays, from March to October, 1PM to 5PM, and Wednesday evenings, 6PM to 8PM, May to August. The canoeing is free, but your much appreciated donation will be be put to good use (you can even become a member).

Check out ten more photos after the jump...

Happy Independence Day!

By West Village Bill