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trodding the boards

by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com

Broadway in New Orleans/Beautiful at TheSaenger Theatre through June 11

I was not impressed with the jukebox bio-musical Jersey Boys, which tellsthe story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, when I saw it at the Saenger inDecember. So I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to the jukebox bio-musicalBeautiful, which tells Carole King’s life story, when it played the Saenger a weekafter Mardi Gras. Well, surprise—it turned out to be a delight!

To be sure, like Jersey Boys,Beautiful feels like a Wikipedia pagecome to singing life. But as we learnabout King’s meteoric rise as asongwriter, starting when she was stilljust a teenager, Douglas McGrath’sbook infuses the real life characters(including King’s song-writing partnerand husband Gerry Goffin as well astheir Brill Building colleagues BarryMann & Cynthia Weil) with humor andsome depth. Though it flirts with senti-mentality, McGrath’s Tony-nominatedscenario never succumbs to it, andremains interesting and well-donethroughout.

The biggest difference between

Beautiful and Boys, however, is thatwhile the latter concentrated almostexclusively on the careers and busi-ness dealings of the Four Seasons asthough offering a course in an MBAprogram, Beautiful details the humaninteractions among its four imperfectsubjects who just happen to be suc-cessful songwriters. Much more satis-fying.

And, of course, all those greatsongs! Will You Love Me Tomorrow,Up on the Roof, One Fine Day, all byGoffin and King. You’ve Lost That Lovin’Feeling from the Mann/Weil catalogue.From Tapestry, King’s multi-Grammy-winning album, So Far Away, It’s Too

which eventually led to involvement withdrugs and resultant mental illness chal-lenges.

The entire cast, which includedNew Orleans native and NOCCA gradXimone Rose, brought energy andshowbiz style to their portrayals of avariety of groups who recorded King’ssongs in the 1950s and ’60s. If “TheShirelles” and “The Drifters” came off abit waxworks-y in recreations of theirhits, it’s less the fault of the performersthan the thumbnail nature of their ap-pearances in Beautiful. Nevertheless,they’re still very entertaining.

Alejo Vietti’s terrific costumes andCharles G. LaPointe’s fantastic wigsand hair design keenly charted, withbelievable precision, the changes instyles over the years, not only, asexpected, for the women, but for themen as well.

As I joyfully exited the Saengerhumming tunes from the Carole Kingsongbook, I just hoped that we will notbe deluged with more jukebox bio-musicals; as it is On Your Feet!: TheStory of Emilio & Gloria Estefan isnow in its second year on Broadway.Fortunately, this season has alreadyseen a bumper crop of new, highlyregarded musicals including ComeFrom Away, Dear Evan Hansen,Groundhog Day, Natasha, Pierre &The Great Comet of 1812, and theglorious The Band’s Visit.

Next up at the Saenger, based onthe hit film and starring Grammy Award-nominee Deborah Cox, is The Body-guard (April 4-9) which may be juke-box-y (So Emotional, One Moment inTime, Saving All My Love, Run to You,I Wanna Dance with Somebody and IWill Always Love You) but at least it’snot another bio-musical.

Daniel NardicioPresents/This FilthyWorld: Filthier andDirtier through April 11

John Waters recently returned tothe Joy Theater with his show ThisFilthy World: Filthier and Dirtier. Idon’t know if it was any dirtier or filthierthan when it was part of the 2015Tennessee Williams Festival, but, like afine wine, Waters is just getting betterwith age.

Waters performs This FilthyWorld a few dozen times each yearthroughout the country. Some materialis fairly consistent; he always includesa rough chronology of his career as afilm director, relating anecdotes aboutthe making of each film.

But the majority of what came outof Waters mouth was new. And at age70, Waters was as sharp as ever. As hesaid, “I’m happy not to be 69 any morecause who wants to be the same ageas a sex act?”

The rightly dubbed “Pope of Trash”

[continued 27]

get tips. I swear straight bars need totake lessons from the gay bars. In gaybars you sink or swim. If one bartenderis busy, or too slow or rude, there isanother one right next to him that will bemore than happy to help you and takeyour tips.

My Friday (St. Patrick’s Day)started out fun from morning until night.My office had an H day, which is basi-cally a fun Hosts Day where we spendthe day doing unique and fun thingsaround the city. We started at Biscuitsand Buns for breakfast which is anamazing restaurant in Mid-City that hasmouth-watering food. Then we took aprivate bus to the Westbank to NOLAMotorsports where I got to drive aracecar on their track. We took a tourof their facility and then they let usactually drive the GTR sports car aroundtheir track for a few laps. It was athrilling experience and a first for me. Ifyou have never done this, you need tomake your appointment now to do that.If the bigger cars make you nervous,they also have ago-kart track. Next,we went to Seventy Three Distillerywhich is located in Treme on ClaiborneAvenue under the bridge. This coolfacility was just written about in thenewspaper after one of the top partiesif NBA All Star weekend was held there.We tried their new St. Roch Vodka(love it) and had a specially cateredlunch by Johnny Sanchez, which wastasty. We learned how the vodka ismade by their master distiller (who is

quite handsome). Good looking andmakes vodka, he is swoon worthy in mybook.

That evening, some friends and Icaught the Downtown Irish Parade inthe Marigny. I love having paradesstart right by my house. The men werein full green form tonight and we had ablast. We ended with dinner at one ofmy favorite spots in the Marigny –Arabella. Quite the day from start tofinish.

Saturday was all about thefundraisers (and an altar), as my friendsand I attended two in one night. Istopped at the International House’sSt. Joseph Day Altar Celebration to getmy Lucky Bean. They gave out samplesof Italian cookies as well as had Italianmusicians entertaining. The altar itselfwas decorated with vibrant florals andfood items. Ever since I was a kid, Ialways went to an altar with my grand-mother, and even though she has beengone for many years; I always feel herpresence beside me whenever I visitone.

Next, I met up with my friends andwe went to the first of the twofundraisers for the night. The SpringFling Party held at the Four Seasonsdrew a great crowd of Gay EasterParade supporters. There was a shrimpboil, as well as silent auction and show.Tittie Toulouse and Electra City did anoutstanding job at putting this eventtogether. We followed up that eventwith the Toast of the Coast fundraiserat the Swamp Exhibit at the AudubonZoo. This event helps restore the

wetlands and features the Pelicansbasketball team. I loved rubbing el-bows with all the basketball stars ex-cept my elbows literally only came upto their knees. There was a notewor-thy silent auction, delicious food and adance band. It was lovely weather atthis indoor/outdoor venue that allowsyou to enjoy the exhibits. The otterswere all out and playing for the guestsenjoyment. I finally ended the night witha nightcap at the Phoenix before crash-ing.

I ended my two weeks on Sundayby going to see Tarzan at the JeffersonPerforming Arts Center. First and fore-most, let me say that this facility is agorgeous, state of the art theatre andconcert venue. I was very impressedby the facility and seeing the Disneyclassic on this stage was quite a treat.Tarzan was a fantastic musical with atalented cast and a super-hot leadingman. That James Royce Edwards ismesmerizing as he swung across thestage wearing nothing but a loin cloth.All I have to say, is the make-up artiston this show must love their job. Therest of the cast came together nicely tocreate a great musical experience forthe audience.

Afterwards, I met Elizabeth Bou-vier for a few afternoon cocktails at TheFriendly Bar. As always this neighbor-hood watering hole is a chill place toenjoy good times with friends and wasthe perfect way to wind down from acrazy two weeks. So until next week,keep hopping and support the GayEaster Parade fundraisers.

under the gaydar ...from 23

Late, and You’ve Got a Friend. Plusmany more. You can’t blame audiencemembers for singing along.

Before the evening was over, Ieven learned some things. For example,Eva Boyd, aka “Little Eva,” who re-corded The Loco-Motion in 1962, hadbeen King and Goffin’s babysitter.George Benson’s 1978 version of Mann/Weil’s On Broadway was a cover; thesong had been a hit for the Drifters in1963. And Americans Gerry Goffin andCarole King had written Chains whichThe Beatles included on their Britishdebut album, Please Please Me. Hey,I never said I was an authority on popmusic history.

As Carole King, Julia Knitel radi-ated a perfect down-to-earthinesssalted with NYC neuroticism, but shealso conveyed King’s drive and ambi-tion to express herself. Perhaps wisely,the script never addresses how Kingcame up with the tunes for all thoseclassics; Knitel makes you believe thatthis was simply some innate talent ofKing’s.

Erika Olson made for a pert andsmart Cynthia Weil while BenFankhauser’s Barry Mann was an ap-pealingly sexy nebbish, determined tosucceed. As Gerry Goffin, Liam Tobinnever overplayed the yearning in thisbrilliant lyricist’s soul to try new things

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John Waters

hit the stage talking and didn’t stop fora solid 75 minutes. His is a non-stop,barely-take-a-breath delivery. As hesaid to me later, “If I slow down, I mightforget what to say.”

Even more impressive is how con-sistently funny and sharp he is. Thereare no longueurs. Every line gets alaugh. His words are polished to a highsheen.

And what words they are. Trans-gressive—”Necrophilia is still love, youknow, too.” Outrageous—referring tothe proliferation of ribbons for variousdiseases, “I think we should have brownribbons for anal warts.” Naughty—”Ithink we have too many gay people.We should have Coming In Day. I wantit to be more elitist.”

Occasionally a gag had passed itsexpiration date (“I was neglected bychild molesters at a Catholic highschool.”). But some were so original itseemed they had to come from real life(“I wanted braces [as a kid] so I shovedpaper clips in my gums.”).

And of course Waters shared hisviews on the President. “Trump saidone funny thing when he called Eliza-beth Warren ‘Pocahontas’.” As for theinauguration, “musical taste is an im-peachable offense.”

Nothing is sacred. “Caitlyn de-serves our contempt.” And regardingthe controversy re bathrooms fortransgender people, “Take a shit athome.”

new album Saint Thomas The ApostleHarlem, recorded at the titular churchin New York.With a searing voice andbackground in classical and jazz piano,Galás has continually asserted the con-nection between her art and activism,tackling subjects like torture, genocideand AIDS in philosophically thoughtfuland musically incendiary ways.

The concert will feature what Galáscalls “death songs” that comprise hernew album. Sung in Italian, German,French, and Greek, the performanceincludes Galás’ dramatic settings ofdeath poems by Cesare Pavese andFerdinand Freiligrath, as well as rendi-tions of songs by Jacques Brel(Fernand, Amsterdam) and saxophon-ist Albert Ayler (Angels—Galás hasalways believed that Ayler’s work isalso vocal music). This is one not tomiss.

Curtains UpTwo interesting, offbeat plays will

be having their local premieres in April.The Storyville Collective presents

Robert Askins’ Tony-nominated Handto God at The Theatre at St. Clauderunning April 6-29. In it, young Jasonwishes Tyrone, his sock puppet that’svirtually attached to his hand, wouldvanish but that would kill all the fun inthis very serious comedy.

Tyrone, you see, may be the Devil.Literally. Or he may just be a violent,foul-mouthed part of Jason’s personal-ity that he has heretofore kept undercontrol.

Hand to God broadly sends upsmall town religious hypocrisy. Grantedthat’s an easy target but who careswhen Askins’ unique voice melds ahilarious cartoonishness with an almostoperatic intensity of emotion. PartGrand Guignol, part wacky farce, Handto God may make Avenue Q looktame, but ultimately it describes onefamily’s touching, if wild, attempt tomove on from its past.

Michael McKelvey directs MichaelHarkins, Kyle Woods, Meredith Owens,Andrea Watson and John Fitzpatrick asJason.

Rockfire Theatre’s production ofFailure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkinscenters on the three Fail sisters and thefamily clock shop in Chicago in 1928,the last year of each sister’s life. Eachof the sisters, however, finds and knowslove before passing after a single hope-ful suitor shows up at their shop.

Failure takes a bittersweet, charm-ing approach to this melancholic tale.“The first thing we tell you is that thesethree women are going to die,” saysDirector Matt Reed. “The story thatfollows is so magical and enchanting,despite—and sometimes because of—that looming tragedy.”

The play opens on April 8 at theSanctuary Cultural Arts Center in theMarigny and continues until April 22.

I’m looking forward to both of these.

trodding the boards...from 26

As Waters wondered “How canyou be bad at 70?”, he wistfully ob-served regarding those men of a cer-tain age who express nostalgia forpunk rock, “Shaved head or bald? Idon’t know any more.”

Waters comes clearly preparedbut his talk flows so naturally it seemsas though he’s making it up in a brilliantstream of consciousness. Going strongwell into the second hour with his rat-a-tat style, one almost wishes he wouldvary the pacing just a little bit. But theatmosphere of insouciant fun that hecreates is so infectious that one hatesto quibble.

Taking questions from the audi-ence, his comment that “The CornerPocket is my favorite bar in the country”

got some of the loudest applause ofthe evening. Might The Corner Pocketbe destined to achieve the samenotoriety as Harry’s Bar in Venice?

Waters also revealed that grow-ing up in Baltimore, he “would takeIngmar Bergman movies and turnthem into sexploitation movies.”Wouldn’t you love to see one ofthose?

Perhaps best of all was his in-genuous response to a query aboutwhat the weirdest experience hehad when making a movie: “Duringthe filming of Cry Baby, teenagegirls tried to buy sewage from un-derneath Johnny Depp’s trailer.”

Throughout the evening, Wa-ters came off as gracious, friendlyand down-to-earth (maybe he shouldget together with Carole King). Let’shope he’ll come back to New Or-leans soon.

That he has been here as fre-quently as he has, is due to the

efforts of Presenter Daniel Nardiciowho has been bringing unique talents tothe Big Easy for a few years now. Hehas two more shows this season fea-turing talents as singular as Waters.

First up, on April 10, Dina Martinareturns to Café Istanbul with her newshow Soft Palate, Fallen Arches. Self-described as a “tragic singer, horribledancer and surreal raconteur” with hergash of a mouth outlined in stop-signred lipstick and a bushy jet-black mopof hair, Dina could pass as a frowsy,pixilated distant cousin of ElizabethTaylor.

Combining a free-spirited faux naifpersona, out-there humor, and subver-sive wit, in her last two outings in NewOrleans, Dina has played to housespacked with a combination of hipsterand arty types, gay and straight, allloving every minute of her hour-longperformances. Not sure what this won-derfully witty and fabulously bizarretalent has in store for us this time, butI can’t wait to find out.

The following evening, April 11, atthe Joy Theater, Nardicio presents theNew Orleans debut of vocalist, com-poser and avant-garde icon DiamandaGalás who is touring in support of her

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Renegade Bears St. Patrick's DayBeer Bust @ The Phoenix

Pageant time @Show Club of the Year Oz

big easypaparazzi

28 • 28 • 28 • 28 • 28 • The Official Mag©©©©©: AmbushMag.com • Mar• Mar• Mar• Mar• March 28-April 10, 2017 • Ofch 28-April 10, 2017 • Ofch 28-April 10, 2017 • Ofch 28-April 10, 2017 • Ofch 28-April 10, 2017 • Official Gay Easter Parade Guide • GayEasterParade.comficial Gay Easter Parade Guide • GayEasterParade.comficial Gay Easter Parade Guide • GayEasterParade.comficial Gay Easter Parade Guide • GayEasterParade.comficial Gay Easter Parade Guide • GayEasterParade.com

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Bartenders Jake & Shawn donatetheir talents at Gay Easter

Parade's 7th Sponsorship Party

Toast of the Coast

International HouseSt. Joseph's Day Altar

Ambush's Tony Leggio @NOLA Motorsports

Crescent City Rougaroux RFC (photo by Michael Santiago Cintron)

Natasha Sinclair stalked by LanaLuscious @ GrandPre'sShowtime on Rampart

Amon-Ra Rush Party in TheBalcony Bar @ Lafitte's

Satyricon Rush Party@ GrandPre's

The Corner Pocket

snappaparazzi

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Bartender Tom flapping with hisflamingo @ Phoenix

Hoppin’bunnies Hollywood & Will@ Double Play

Bartender Michael cuttin’@ GrandPre’s

The 3 leprichaums...bartendersBob & Jeff with manager Foster @

Cafe Lafitte in Exile

Lafitte’s welcomes DJ E

St. Patrick’s Day with bartenderCameron & DJ Kyle @ Oz

Pinch me, it’s St. Patrick’s Day @Dance Club of the Year Oz

Sexy Jake shows us a good time@ Four Seasons in Metairie

Cookie & Marsha slingin’ cocktails@ Golden Lantern

Get your Pride fix @ BourbonPride with Kory & Doug

Bartender DJ & manager Davidready for you @ Kajun’s Pub

The Page’s own Willie Mickie &recurring bartender Ray

Don, Greg, Dan & Rodneygrabbing a cocktail @ The Page

Brad & Hollywood celebratingChuck’s retirement @ Double Play

DB in town for cocktails@ Double Play

Willie & Chris having a cold one@ The Page

For the best cuts in the Marigny,catch Adikus & Trent@ Two Guys Cutting

Bartender Richard slingin' 2 for 1sWednesdays @ Rawhide

Stalking James & Double Playbartender Urban @ Rawhide

Shawyn celebrating is 38?birthday with partner Kent @

Rawhide 2010

Bartenders Joseph & Khryschianwith the big boss, Wood

Enterprises’ Derek @ Good

Friends BarMichael joins Clover Grill’s Joe(not known as Billy) @ Good

Friends Bar

Dwain Hertz & Baroness Pontalbajoin Dingo @ Oz

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