What I’ve learned with Hairspray is that anything you do during the day, you will pay for onstage at night. Especially when you’re an older bride.” –Hairspray star Bruce Vilanch on the rigors of eight shows a week

The League of American Theatres and Producers Releases 2004 Calendar Year Statistics, Tuesday December 28, 12:00 pm ET
Cites Highlights for the Year on Broadway and Looks Ahead to Full Lineup of Spring Productions

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ — With 31 productions currently playing in Broadway theatres, The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. has reported a gross of $748.9 million in New York for the 2004 calendar year. This figure is up 3.2 % from the 2003 total of $725.4 million. The number of tickets sold for Broadway in 2004 reached 11.3 million, an increase of 230,000 (2.2%) from 2003.

Calendar Year Gross Paid
Attendance
2004 $748.9 million 11.3 million
2003 $725.4 million 11.09 million

Over 20 plays and musicals will be opening in the next 6 months, signaling a very strong Spring ‘05 season.

According to Jed Bernstein, President of the League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. highlights for the 2004-05 calendar year include:

* The producers of Billy Crystal’s “700 Sundays” have reported $600,000 in single ticket sales the day after the show’s Broadway premiere, Sunday, December 5. The lofty sum looks to be a record for a play.

* The season featured exceptional vehicles for other individual performers including Whoopi Goldberg, Mario Cantone, Dame Edna Everage and Eve Ensler.

* Plays including “Twelve Angry Men” and “Gem of the Ocean” received critical acclaim.

* A sensational star turn with Brooke Shields stepping into the role of Ruth Sherwood in “Wonderful Town.” Established hit musicals brought first time stars to Broadway, including Bruce Vilanchin “Hairspray” and Drew Lachey in “Rent.” Harvey Fierstein, beginning January, will place his own unique stamp on the role of Tevye in “Fiddler on The Roof,” replacing Alfred Molina.

* The legendary composer and lyricist Jerry Herman is back on Broadway, with “La Cage Aux Folles,” and Stephen Sondheim returns with “Pacific Overtures.”

Scheduled for Spring ‘05:

* Currently scheduled to appear in Spring Broadway productions are celebrities including:

– Denzel Washington in “Julius Caesar”
– Kathleen Turner in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”
– Jessica Lange in “The Glass Menagerie”
– Natasha Richardson in “A Streetcar Named Desire”
– John Lithgow in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”
– James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams in “On Golden Pond”
– David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry and Hank Azaria in Monty Python’s “Spamalot”
– A revival of “Steel Magnolias,” with an all-star cast including Delta Burke
– A one-man show starring Jackie Mason
– Christina Applegate in a revival of “Sweet Charity”

* Much-anticipated new musicals will include “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Spamalot,” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Pop-tuners featuring scores by Elvis Presley (“All Shook Up”) and The Beach Boys (“Good Vibrations”), will join veterans including “Movin’ Out” (Billy Joel) and “Mamma Mia!” (ABBA)

* The National Theatre of Great Britain will be represented by “The Pillowman,” joining its acclaimed hit, “Democracy.”

* Other new plays slated include “Brooklyn Boy” and “Doubt”

“Strong results for the year are partially a result of a dramatic upturn in overseas visitor attendance, with 1.2 million foreign visitors during the 2003-4 season, compared to 650,000 during the previous season.” commented Jed Bernstein, President of The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. “We are quite confident that if the Spring ‘05 season performs as well as we expect, that the overall 04-’05 theatre season will end on a very strong note.”

Since the 2004-2005 theatre season began last June*:

* Broadway has attained $419 million gross box office to date for 2004-5 season, compared to $ 422 million at the same point in the 2003-04 season. This slight decrease in grosses may be attributed to an unusual number of one-person shows this season, which generally charge lower ticket prices. These shows have replaced a handful of musicals, which were running last fall but have since closed.

* Ticket sales have reached 6.32 million for 2004-2005, nearly flat with the 6.34 million tickets sold in the same period in 2003-04

* 18 shows have opened on Broadway since the beginning of the 2004-5 season, compared to 21 for the same period during the 2003-04 season.

The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., founded in 1930 and operating under the trademark “Live Broadway,” is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 500-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 140 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry.

Broadway industry programs initiated by the League include Kids’ Night on Broadway®, Broadway On Broadway®, an annual outdoor concert in Times Square, The Broadway Line®, a national toll-free Broadway information hotline (888-BROADWAY), Broadway Ticket Center(TM), and LiveBroadway.com

Broadway theatre season runs from June 2004 – June 2005
——————————————————————————–
Source: League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc.

Don We Now Our Gay Apparel
Sequins and leather chaps festooned
“A Queer Carol” at the Community Center
By WINNIE MCCROY

“Bah, humbug!” said New York’s gay community to the icy winds of winter as they gathered on the evening of December 20 at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center for “A Queer Carol.”

This scripted reading of the Charles Dickens classic was given a “Queer Eye” makeover with the help of a talented cast featuring Flotilla DeBarge as the Ghost of Christmas Present, plus “Hollywood Squares” stalwart Bruce Vilanch, the master of ceremonies.

“In the words of Noel Coward, Christmas is at our throats again,” said Vilanch as he stood in front of a set artfully decorated by Richard Ellis with white poinsettias and billowing silks, a baby grand at stage left.

Coward might have been amused to see writer Joe Godfrey’s take on this Christmas classic, set in “the Chelsea bygone days” with Ebenezer “Ben” Scrooge, played in a nice turn a la Eric McCormack in “Will & Grace” by Malcolm Gets as the fussy owner of an interior decorating firm and Bob Crachit (Max von Essen) as his toothsome young assistant. Gay interior decorators might sometimes betray the bitterness of an unreformed Scrooge, they are hardly the stuff of fiction. In this telling, Tiny Tim is Cratchit’s HIV-positive partner, who suffers because of Scrooge’s belief that health insurance is a rip-off.

When do-gooder Fred, played by Ray DeMattis in a red tam-o’-shanter and scarf, comes by for donations, the charity du jour is Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Scrooge declined to donate, but audience members were far more generous; several people I spoke with said they took the opportunity that evening to support the Center by becoming a member.

His poetic license notwithstanding, Godfrey’s script remained impressively close to the original text. Whole passages remained unchanged—a nice touchstone when contrasted with the modern subplot he allows, which features additions like that of Cynthia Pierce as Svetlana, Scrooge’s Russian housekeeper, by way of Brighton Beach. Pierce also doubles as half of a lesbian couple, with Jeanine Serralles, who make up Bob and Tim’s extended queer family in a welcome show of diversity.

As in the original, however, the best action comes when the spirits begin to appear. “A Queer Carol” has things kick off with director Richard Sabellico bringing in Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s partner “dead some 12 years now,” clad in leather chaps and shining silver chains. Sight gags like this meld seamlessly with running jokes like a bit about decorating Kitty Carlisle’s condo, keeping the story light and fresh.

When a Marilyn Monroe ringer steps up in hot pink to play the Ghost of Christmas Past, we also get a chance to see the young Matt Cavenaugh play the irresistibly cute Ben Scrooge as a fey, sweater-knitting gay boy, reminiscent of the fancy pants stylist from “School of Rock.”

Vilanch even threw his hat in as Fezziwig, the gay reveler who quips, “Have you been naughty or nice? Because it would have been awfully nice if you’d been naughty.” Predictably, Scrooge and Marley began their downward spiral when they bilk poor Fezziwig out of his bankrupt design firm. After the disco ’70s coke binges, the gentrifying ’80s and the advent of the AIDS epidemic, the damage is complete, and Scrooge is an unrepentant miser.

Flotilla De Barge keeps things swinging as the Ghost of Christmas Present, clad in a green sequined top with her silk poinsettia headgear bobbing and bouncing with every move. De Barge’s deadpan comic delivery suited this character as she read Scrooge for his life of humbuggery.

By the time the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come makes a spectral appearance to portend Scrooge’s lonely end, he is scared straight, and wakes up to order a giant gift basket from Zabar’s for Crachit, give Svetlana a raise, and generally repent in his ways. Ben’s lost love, Jake, reappears as “Blake,” giving Scrooge a second chance for love at first sight.

Although the show was a staged reading, the entire production was infused with such positive energy the occasional flub proved innocuous. As the eleven o’clock number, “Joy to the World,” rang out, the crowd seemed absolutely ebullient.

During a time of year that can be stressful, even depressing, for gays and lesbians, “A Queer Carol” is deserving of the highest kudos for offering a hopeful and inspiring view of the healing power of friends, family and forgiveness.

The New York Daily News
THE KINGS OF BROADWAY QUEENS
By LETITIA ROWLANDS
——————————————————————————–

December 21, 2004 — THERE’S plenty of nudge, nudge and lots of wink, wink going on along Broadway at the moment, possums. With no fewer than four shows currently featuring men in dresses (well, maybe five, if you count the guys in kimonos in “Pacific Overtures”), The Post decided to send two real New York drag queens along to judge how the productions measure up.
So saying, the Broadway cross-dressers’ hair, wardrobe and makeup were subjected to the discerning eyes (and lipstick rating system) of our girls, All Beef Patty and Peppermint, who waitress and perform at the Greenwich Village restaurant Lips.

“Putting a gay man in a dress does not make a drag queen,” declares Patty, 30, who stepped into her first pair of high heels four years ago.

“There’s an art to making gender seem fluid, but not taking yourself too seriously at the same time.

“If it’s not done right, it can look ridiculous, like a man who puts on a dress once a year at Halloween.”

Peppermint, 25, who describes herself as “an energetic beauty” with an eye for fashion and makeup, was equally keen to judge the shows.

“You can dress up and wear makeup, but you have to consider how a character would fit into the drag community,” explains Peppermint, who’s done drag since she was 19.

“It’s that drag reality factor that really counts.”

“Fabulous,” “superb” and “demeaning ” were just a few of the words she and Patty had for their Broadway counterparts.

Here are their verdicts, show by show:

THE PRODUCERS

The Tony-winning Mel Brooks’ production is, like the movie it’s based on, about a scheme to make the worst Broadway show ever – leading Max Bialystock and his mousy accountant Leo Bloom to hire the flamboyantly terrible director, Roger De Bris.

Overall drag rating: Average

Peppermint: “Roger De Bris [is] a very, very funny character, who provides many unexpected laughs throughout the show, but his/her drag life is a bit short lived – about five minutes. Seeing De Bris put her drag on piece by piece seems like playing a tape of Mr./Mrs. Transvestite Potato Head, until the very saucy and very satisfying end result.”

Patty: “The dress and wig were fabulous but were not displayed in any useful way. [De Bris] was used as a vehicle to propel every gay stereotype imaginable and the drag was only a small aspect of the show.

HAIRSPRAY

Big girls with big hair star in this hit musical based on the 1988 John Waters film about overweight teen Tracy Turnblad’s transformation into a Civil Rights activist and star of local TV. Bruce Vilanch stars as Tracy’s loving, equally plus-size mom, Edna.

Overall drag rating: Very good

Peppermint: “Edna Turnblad is a very endearing, lovable motherly figure. She fits into the show perfectly – almost too perfectly from a drag perspective. … Edna is a great example of that a frumpy woman that lives down the street, that just can’t seem to get to the beauty salon, but captures your heart with her inner beauty.”

Patty: “The whole show had a very camp feel. Bruce Valanch made the gender of his character feel very fluid – there was no question he was a man, but also a mother. Also, the transformation from frump to glamour drag, using a lot of classic camp shtick, was inspiring. The characters were portrayed as people you could root for.”

DAME EDNA: BACK WITH A VENGEANCE

Housewife and self-proclaimed international star Dame Edna, aka Barry Humphries, returns to Broadway – with an onstage pianist and a quartet of chorus boys and girls – to dish out her brand of “tough love” to a willing audience.

Overall drag rating: Very good

Peppermint: “Dame Edna is refreshingly more crass than most people would expect from someone who bears a strange resemblance to Barbara Bush on acid. From her very glamorous entrance and energetic opening song, she’s a reminder of what may happen when Grandma – or even worse, Grandpa – has a few too many cups of eggnog at the holiday party.”

Patty: “Barry Humphries completely immersed himself in the character, in a way commonly seen in many drag acts. She has everything perfected – from costume and wig to makeup and movement. Humphries made gender seem very fluid, leaving audience members confused [about] whether to refer to Edna as him or her. .. It is quite an achievement for a straight man to do drag so well.”

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein’s uplifting 1983 musical tells the story of Albin and Georges, middle-age partners who run a drag nightclub in St. Tropez, and the chaos that erupts when their son decides to marry the daughter of a local morals crusader.

Overall drag rating: Fabulous

Peppermint: “This cast does an amazing job, the sets are beautiful and the production as a whole is unmatched by any other show promising “gender illusion.” Zaza [Albin's drag incarnation] delivers a lot of glamour and womanly appeal. Scene after scene, I can’t help but wonder where they keep all of those clothes! From a fashion standpoint, this show is a dream come true – and Zaza and Les Cagelles blow every other kick line out of the water.”

Patty: “The wardrobe and makeup were absolutely splendid and gave the show a very high camp factor. The change from male to female is done so well that some audience members are uncomfortable at first – not knowing what sex the performers are. But the performers don’t take themselves too seriously, and that gets them off the hook. This show is a must-see for anyone wanting a realistic glimpse of life in the drag community.”

A Queer Carol adding Bruce Vilanch and others to the roster of stars…
by BWW News Desk

Join us for A Queer Carol, starring TV star and Tony nominee Malcolm Gets and Emmy Award winner Bruce Vilanch

MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 7PM @ The Center, 208 West 13th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)

Reception 6:30PM

Directed by Richard Sabellico Written by Joe Godfrey

Tickets are $20 for Center members, $25 non-members. Purchase tickets now at www.gaycenter.org or at the door the night of the event.

You won’t want to miss this queer spin on the traditional holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, from the folks who last year brought Charles Busch’s Auntie Mame. The evening’s performers:

Malcolm Gets, best known as Richard on TV’s Caroline in the City, was last seen on Broadway in the Michel Legrand musical, Amour. His other New York theater credits include A New Brain, Hello Again, Merrily We Roll Along, Finian’s Rainbow and the City Center Encores! production of The Boys From Syracuse. Bruce Vilanch first penned jokes for his pal Bette Midler in 1975 for her legendary Broadway concert, Clams on the Half-Shell. After decades of writing special material for many stars and winning six Emmy Awards for supplying his delicious wit to such annual telecasts as the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Tonys, Bruce entered Broadway’s center stage, starring as Edna Turnblad in the Tony Award-winning play, Hairspray.

Matthew Cavanaugh is currently featured in the soap opera One Life to Live playing openly gay character Mark Solomon. On Broadway he starred in Urban Cowboy and played Jimmy Smith in the First National Tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Flotilla De Barge, best known for her brilliant cabaret performances, has also appeared in many films, including Angels in America, Wigstock: The Movie, Ghost Light and Cruise Control.

Aloysius Gigl is best known for his work on the soap opera One Life to Live, playing the role of Vince. He has been featured in the movie Forrest Gump and on television’s Law and Order.

Joe Machota was an original cast member of Mamma Mia, playing the role of Sky for three years at the Cadillac Winter Garden. He replaced the vacationing Michael Crawford in EFX!, and played Ren McCormick in the first national tour of Footloose.

Max von Essen has starred on Broadway in The Dance of the Vampires and Les Miserables, as well as most recently Off-Broadway’s Finian’s Rainbow. This past summer he played Patrick Dennis opposite Charles Busch in Auntie Mame at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor.

This event is produced by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in collaboration with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

WGA noms: ‘West Wing,’ ‘Sex’ double-hitters
The Hollywood Reporter
By Cynthia Littleton

NBC’s “The West Wing” and HBO’s “Sex and the City” bagged two nominations apiece in the television competition for the 57th annual Writers Guild Awards.

The WGA’s East and West coast branches announced TV and radio nominees Wednesday. Nominees for feature film categories — which are usually a harbinger of screenwriting nominees in the annual Academy Awards derby — will be unveiled Jan. 13.

“West Wing” earned mentions in the WGA’s episodic drama category for the episodes “Memorial Day,” penned by John Sacret Young and Josh Singer, and “The Supremes,” written by Debora Cahn. HBO’s “Six Feet Under” was nominated for the episode “Falling Into Place,” written by Craig Wright, while HBO’s “The Sopranos” rounded out the category with a nom for episode “Long Term Parking,” penned by Terence Winter.

In the episodic comedy field, “Sex and the City” earned mentions for episodes “Splat!” written by Jenny Bicks and Cindy Chupack, and “The Ick Factor,” written by Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky.

Fox’s Emmy-winning “Arrested Development” earned a nom for the episode “Pier Pressure,” from writers Jim Vallely and series creator/executive producer Mitch Hurwitz. The pilot of the now-canceled Fox dramedy “Wonderfalls,” penned by Bryan Fuller from a story by Fuller and series co-creator Todd Holland, was recognized, along with the “Ida’s Boyfriend” episode of Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle” written by Neil Thompson.

In the longform category for original screenplays, the noms were spread among three telefilms that aired on basic and pay cable: FX’s “Redemption,” by J.T. Allen, HBO’s “Something the Lord Made,” by Peter Silverman and Robert Caswell, and Showtime’s “Spinning Boris,” by Yuri Zeltser and Cary Bickley.

Cable productions also dominated the longform adapted screenplay field. The three noms in that category went to Showtime’s “Cavedweller,” adapted by Anne Meredith from the novel by Dorothy Allison; TNT’s “The Wool Cap,” adapted by William H. Macy and Steven Schachter from the original story “Gigot” by Jackie Gleason; and HBO’s Emmy-winning “Angels in America,” which Tony Kushner adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.

Fox’s “The Simpsons” nearly swept the animation category, bagging four out of five nominations. “Simpsons” episodes vying for WGA Awards glory are “Today I Am a Clown,” by Joel Cohen, “Fraudcast News,” by Don Payne, “Milhouse Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” by Julie Chambers and David Chambers, and “Catch ‘Em If You Can,” by Ian Maxtone-Graham. Cartoon Network’s “Justice League” rounded out the category with a mention for episode “Starcrossed, written by Rich Fogel, John Ridley and Dwayne McDuffie from a story by Fogel.

In the comedy/variety series category, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” was the only late-night program on the Big Three networks to earn a mention. Fox’s “Mad TV” bagged a nomination, as did Showtime’s “Penn & Teller Bullshit!” and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

In the catch-all category encompassing comedy/variety: music, awards, tributes and specials, the contenders are two awards shows that aired on CBS: the 58th annual Tony Awards, written by Dave Boone and Bruce Vilanch, and the Kennedy Center Honors, written by George Stevens Jr. and Sara Lukinson.

The writing team on CBS’ soap stalwart “The Guiding Light” has no competition, literally, as the sole nominee in the daytime serial category.

In the children’s programming category, Showtime’s “A Separate Peace” earned a nom for Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of John Knowles’ classic coming-of-age novel. The ABC telefilm “A Wrinkle in Time” was nominated for Susan Shilliday’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless fantasy novel.

Two PBS programs earned noms in the documentary — current events category: “P.O.V.,” for the episode “Last Man Standing: Politics Texas Style,” written by Paul Stekler, and the “Frontline” installment “From China With Love,” written by Michael J. Kirk.

PBS programs also swept the category of documentary — other than current events. Four installments of the “American Experience” series earned mentions: “Emma Goldman,” written by Mel Bucklin, “Reconstruction, Part 1,” written by Llewellyn M. Smith from a story by Elizabeth Deane and Patricia Garcia Rios, “RFK,” by David Grubin, and “The Fight,” written by Barak Goodman.

The remaining contenders in the category were the fourth episode of the “Broadway: The American Musical” series, “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” written by Jo Ann Young, and the episode “Revolutionaries,” from the “They Made America” series, written by Carl Charlson from a story by Harold Evans.

CBS productions dominated the news categories. The two nominees in the news — regularly scheduled, bulletin or breaking report category were the report “Remembering Ray Charles,” written by Jonathan Kaplan for CBS’ Chicago O&O, WBBM-TV, and “The Reagan Funeral” report from “ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings,” penned by Steve Alperin.

In the news — analysis, feature or commentary category, the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes” earned two mentions: for the segment “Change of Heart” by Rebecca Peterson and Scott Pelley, and segment “Martha Stewart,” by Barbara Dury and Morley Safer. The third nomination in the category went to the WWOR-TV New York segment “Homes for the Homeless” by Jacqueline Calayag.

In the radio field, CBS Radio and ABC News Radio each earned two noms in the top category of news — regularly scheduled. CBS’ mentions went to writer Robert Mank for the “CBS News Hourly” report and to Gail Lee for “Remembrances.” ABC’s noms went to two writers for the “World News This Week” report, Marianne Pryor and Stuart Chamberlain Jr. Rounding out the category was Infinity Radio Network scribe Bill Spadaro for the “1010 WINS Afternoon Drive” report.

The WGA Awards, administered by the West and East coast branches of the guild, cover programs broadcast between Dec. 1, 2003, and Nov. 30. Winners will be revealed Feb. 19 during ceremonies held simultaneously in Los Angeles and New York.

2005 Nightlife Awards 1/31 to Feature
Foster, Morton, Vilanch and More
by BWW News Desk

Joy Behar, Bruce Vilanch, Sutton Foster, Ute Lemper, Euan Morton, Maureen McGovern, Karen Akers and Kate Clinton to perform in support of NY Nightlife award winners.

Producer Scott Siegel is proud to announce the 2005 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS. The Nightlife Awards take place on Monday, January 31, 2005 at 7:00 PM at The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues). Tickets are $25, $50, and $75. (Tickets to the after party are an additional $50). Show tickets may be purchased via Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100 or online at www.TheaterMania.com. For mail order tickets and tickets to the after-party, contact siegelentertainment@msn.com or call 212-365-4345. The Town Hall box office opens in January.

Critics called last year’s Nightlife Awards show “An avalanche of entertainment!” (William Wolf, Wolf Entertainment Guide) and “An epic night of grand entertainment” (Andy Propst, American Theatre Web). This year’s show promises to be even grander with such stars as Joy Behar, Bruce Vilanch, Sutton Foster, Ute Lemper, Karen Akers, Euan Morton, Maureen McGovern, Allan Harris, Julie Halston, Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch, and Kate Clinton and many others performing in support of New York City’s nightlife.

More than twenty critics and experts vote on the best performances of the year in New York City’s cabaret, comedy, and jazz clubs [see attached list of judges]. The winners, rather than make acceptance speeches, will perform to show why they were chosen.

The Nightlife Awards is the only broad-based critics award show honoring our great city’s nightlife, and it’s the only award show in the world that is PURE ENTERTAINMENT! There will be more than twenty live cabaret, comedy and jazz performances on the stage of Town Hall, performed by the most talented club performers in New York (and, therefore, the world)!

The 2005 Nightlife Awards is conceived and produced by Author/Critic Scott Siegel, who also created Town Hall’s popular and critically acclaimed Broadway by the Year series (going into its fifth season), and the smash hit Broadway Unplugged concert in September.

Last year’s Nightlife Awards concert featured performances by (among others), Alan King, Betty Buckley, Annie Ross, Margaret Whiting, Douglas Sills, Christine Andreas, Lea DeLaria, Jackie Hoffman, Raul Esparza, Jim Caruso, Paula West, Allan Harris, Demetri Martin, Judy Gold, and many more. Also appearing were film director Robert Altman, and actors F. Murray Abraham, Sandy Duncan, Tammy Grimes, and Tovah Feldshuh. The 2005 edition promises to be at least as star-studded.

The 2005 Nightlife Awards is sponsored, in part, by ASCAP, TheaterMania.com, Edythe Kenner, Peter & Barbara Leavy, Thoroughbred Records, and Trattoria Dopo Teatro.

2005 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS JUDGES

KIRSTEN AMES — Producer, Festival Talent, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival MICHAEL ANTHONY — WHPC – 90.3 FM, Jazz Journalist JANE BORDEN — Time Out NY ANGELA BOWERS -HBO ADAM FELDMAN, Time Out NY DAVID FINKLE, Village Voice WILL FRIEDWALD — Village Voice STEVE FUTTERMAN – The New Yorker AMELIE GILLETTE — The Onion IRA GITTLER — Jazz Times and Downbeat CELIA IPLOTIS – Eye on the Arts PETER LEAVY — Cabaret Scenes BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON — Cititour.com WARD MOREHOUSE III — AM NY DAVID PEROZZI – ABC-TV REX REED, The New York Observer ROY SANDER — formerly Back Stage and CitySearch BARBARA SIEGEL — TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate SCOTT SIEGEL — TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate NAOMI STEINBERG — Comedy Central JONATHAN WARMAN – HX Magazine K.LEANDER WILLIAMS — Time Out NY

Naked Boys Stopped From Singing in Atlanta
By Andrew Gans
December 13, 2004

A production of Naked Boys Singing, the long-running Off-Broadway revue celebrating male nudity, was shut down Dec. 11 in Atlanta.The Associated Press reports that police closed The Armory Bar in midtown Atlanta after watching part of the 8 PM show. Police claimed the show was adult entertainment, not theatre, and the bar did not have an adult entertainment license.

Doug Youngblood, who manages the bar, said police overreacted to the show, which has been running at The Armory since August. Police spokesperson John Quigley told AP, “You have to investigate, and if what you’re seeing may be considered adult entertainment, I suppose they feel it needs to be shut down.”

The bar was allowed to reopen later that night, although the 10 PM performance of Naked Boys Singing was canceled.

Naked Boys Singing!’s original 16-song score includes such numbers as “Fight the Urge,” “The Bliss of a Bris,” “Muscle Addiction,” “Nothing But the Radio On,” “Members Only” and “Window to Window.” The musical comedy revue opened in New York July 22, 1999, after a successful run at the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles. The show’s contributing writers are Stephen Bates, Marie Cain, Shelly Markham, Jim Morgan, David Pevsner, Rayme Sciaroni, Mark Savage, Ben Schaechter, Robert Schrock, Mark Winkler and Bruce Vilanch. Schrock directed with choreography by Jeffry Denman (The Producers) and musical direction by Stephen Bates, who died in 2003. The musical revue now plays Theatre 4, 424 West 55th Street.

In this photo provided by the press office of the League of American Theatres and Producers, Joan Rivers and Bruce Vilanch (as Edna Turnblad in the Broadway musical “Hairspray”) unveil the new Broadway Gift Card, which can be used to purchase tickets to Broadway shows. The photo was taken on Dec. 2, 2004 at the Broadway Ticket Center, located in Times Square at 1560 Broadway. (AP Photo/ Melanie Seinfeld)

The Broadway Gift Card

To Purchase: Click Here!

Playbill.com
Wicked, Lion King Take Top Honors in 2004 Gypsy of the Year
By Robert Viagas
December 8, 2004

Wicked may not have won the Tony Award this year, but it snatched top fundraising honors in the 16th Annual Gypsy of the Year Competition Dec. 6-7.The company of the “Oz”-inspired show raked in $365,918 toward a $2,754,631 total for the fundraising event to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The dancers of The Lion King impressed the judges, winning the coveted award for best skit.

The winners were announced Dec. 7 at the Neil Simon Theatre.

Gathered by 50 Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring shows over the past six weeks in nightly curtain-call appeals, the total is the second-highest ever, behind 2003’s $3,359,000 but ahead of 2002’s $2,265,000. The Wicked contribution is greater than the overall total for the entire event in 1991.

The 2004 “Gypsy of the Year” competition gave two performances, Dec. 6 and 7 at the Neil Simon Theatre, hosted by Bruce Vilanch, currently appearing at the theatre as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. The event featured a mixture of satirical skits, inspirational songs, and virtuoso dance numbers, all performed by the “gypsies,” the Broadway dancers who go from show to show and provide singing and dancing support to the leads. This year’s event featured several stars as well, including Whoopi Goldberg, Brooke Shields, Dame Edna and, just for fun, Joan Rivers.

Wicked also was honored as runner-up for best skit, imagining Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Madonna starring as, respectively, Galinda, Nessa and Madame Morrible in a Las Vegas production of their show.

Fundraising runners-up among musicals were Avenue Q ($154,208), Mamma Mia! ($154,032), The Phantom of the Opera ($151,124), The Lion King ($150,822) and Rent ($144,179).

The top fundraising national tour was Mamma Mia! ($147,929), the top fundraising Off-Broadway show was Menopause, The Musical ($13,200), and the top fundraising Broadway play was 12 Angry Men ($110,724). Shields quipped that the last two made a good pair: menopausal women and angry men.

BC/EFA channels the money to a variety of activities that support those living with AIDS, and support research into a cure.

*

The satirical knives were out at the 16th annual “Gypsy of the Year” competition, with Donna Murphy’s frequent absences from Wonderful Town a cherished target.

New Wonderful Town star Brooke Shields was described as “stepping into the shoes of the hardest-working woman on Broadway — Donna Murphy’s understudy.”

Twelve Broadway and Off-Broadway shows entered skits, songs and dances into the competition at the Neil Simon Theatre Dec. 6-7. Some were demonstrations of the glory of dance, like The Lion King’s “Driven,” which featured Afro-jazz choreography by Gregory A. King, and which was named best skit of the year. Some were touching, like Menopause, the Musical performing a medley of “Lean on Me” and “Say a Little Prayer.”

But most were slashingly parodic of themselves, their producers and their fellow shows.

Hairspray rolled out a parody of “Hollywood Squares,” called “Broadway Squares,” a game show in which actors playing the likes of Liza Minnelli complaining about David Gest to the tune of “Be Our Guest,” Kristin Chenoweth as “The Wicked Witch of the West Wing,” plus a gravely Harvey Fierstein and a porky Bernadette Peters. The Donna Murphy square remained stubbornly empty throughout.

Wonderful Town rewrote its opening number, “Christopher Street” to poke fun at the other shows running on “45th Street.”

Mamma Mia! imagined its show sanitized and bowdlerized for a post-election “Red State” tour, in which Sophie castigates her mother for being such a slut. They apologized that they had tried to eliminate all the openly gay men in the chorus — but found the show didn’t work with only women.

Phantom of the Opera reimagined itself as an Avenue Q-style puppet musical, with Miss Piggy as “Pigstine” and Kermit as the “hideously deformed” leading man, the “Phrogtom.”

Speaking of Phantom, Ryan Lowe, who plays the countertenor Mary Sunshine in Chicago, stopped the show with a full-out version of “Think of Me” from the gothic musical, performing both Christine’s soprano and Raoul’s tenor parts.

Officer Lockstock and Little Sally (Don Richard and Jennifer Cody) from the long-closed Urinetown returned to take comic potshots at the surviving shows. Sally glumly said she’s reduced to auditioning for Bombay Dreams and Lockstock deadpanned that he didn’t know she was “looking for temp work.”

He said that the desire to work on Broadway was something “you just can’t shake” like viral laryngitis at La Cage.

Continuing like a vaudeville comedy team, Lockstock asked Sally if she’d seen Donna Murphy in “Spider-Man 2.” Sally lamented that she saw the film — but Murphy was out that day.

She said that she’d seen Good Vibrations, and “it made me appreciate how brilliant Dracula was.”

Lockstock said he’d heard Spamalot was good, but she moaned, “I’m sure Seussical looked good on paper, too.”

Wicked was honored as runner-up for best skit, “The Wicked Truth,” imagining Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Madonna starring as, respectively, Galinda, Nessa and Madame Morrible in a Las Vegas production of their show.

Afterward, Kayden sighed, “I love Tony-losing musicals!,” a reference to the fact that Urinetown won Best Book and Best Score, but lost Best Musical to Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Host Vilanch punctuated the skits with a series of faux “Rialto News” bulletins, including one about the dancers of the Beach Boys-music-fueled Good Vibrations showing up at rehearsals for competing Elvis-song-sparked musical All Shook Up, “and it was 40 minutes before they realized they were at the wrong show.”

Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) appeared, ostensibly to introduce the judges, who this year included Cherry Jones, Tovah Feldshuh, Mario Cantone, Jai Rodriguez and high-rolling contributors James Bashor, Judy Dove, Barbara Ann Klein and Marion Duckworth Smith. However, Dame Edna wound up giving the audience a not-so-mini version of her solo show at the Music Box, flinging gladiolas, “lovingly” insulting audience members, and going on just long enough so Vilanch afterward commented, “And that’s our show!” while pretending to wave good night.

The Queer Movie Poster Book By Jenni Olson with foreward by Bruce Vilanch

Films about “the love that dare not speak its name” have been around for decades, but only recently have they formed an out-and-proud genre. In the first overview of its kind, The Queer Movie Poster Book traces the history of gay film through its posters and promotional art. Sometimes alluring, sometimes lurid, often coded, the posters speak volumes about the social mores of the times and the struggle for queer identity. Historian Jenni Olson includes over 150 posters — from Wallace Beery drag follies to the latest indy productions — which showcase the varied spectrum of queer cinema. Fascinating sidebars discuss dykesploitation films (typically made by straight men for straight men), gay porn (an overlooked means to social liberation in its own right), and films with transgender themes (studded with pulled-from-the-headlines movies). From the earnest to the campy, The Queer Movie Poster Book constitutes a vibrant feast of popular art and a valuable document of gay film culture.

Author Biography: Jenni Olson is one of the world’s leading experts on queer film. A filmmaker currently developing her first feature, she lives in San Francisco.

Bruce Vilanch is lead writer for the Academy Awards® ceremonies, and one of the most sought-after jokesmiths in the entertainment industry. He lives in Los Angeles.

NOW APPEARING: A short, 4-minute trailer of SANDANCE, the documentary independent filmmaker Emcye Edwards has been creating about the Palm Springs International Film Festival, can now be viewed on the Palm Springs Tourism website. Film features another generous explication from Bruce.

www.palm-springs.org

Broadway Gypsies Compete in Annual
BC/EFA Fundraiser Dec. 6 and 7
Playbill.com
By Andrew Gans
December 6, 2004

The 16th Annual Gypsy of the Year Competition — benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS — will be held Dec. 6 (4:30 PM) and 7 (2 PM) at the Neil Simon Theatre. Bruce Vilanch, currently on Broadway as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, hosts the annual competition, which follows six weeks of intensive fundraising by various shows on and off Broadway as well as touring productions throughout the country. It’s a chance to celebrate the Broadway gypsies while raising funds for the worthy organization.

Awards are presented in two categories: for best skit and for most money raised for BC/EFA. Last season, the competition raised a record-breaking $3,359,000. Best skit honors went to Aida with Urinetown as first runner-up. The Boy From Oz — starring Hugh Jackman — raised the most money for BC/EFA, $633,000, an all-time high for one show. Other front-runners: Hairspray, $303,024; Phantom, $155,964; and Gypsy, $147,366.

Tickets are priced $20, $40 and $90 with VIP seats available for $350 and priority seats for $200. For further information, call (212) 840-0770 ext. 268. For further information, visit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on the web at www.bcefa.org

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation’s leading industry based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization.

Playbill.com
By Andrew Gans
December 1, 2004

Sutton Foster, Maureen McGovern, Karen Akers and Bruce Vilanch are just a few of the stars who will take part in the 2005 Nightlife Awards.The third annual awards ceremony, which will be held Jan. 31, 2005 at New York’s Town Hall, boasts “no acceptance speeches — just pure entertainment” and will feature performances from all of the evening’s winners. Others scheduled to entertain include Ute Lemper, Euan Morton, Allan Harris, Julie Halston, Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch and Kate Clinton. Show time is 7 PM.

The yearly event will be judged by over 20 members of the New York press and entertainment industry. This year’s judges include Kirsten Ames (Producer, Festival Talent, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival), Michael Anthony (WHPC – 90.3 FM, Jazz Journalist), Jane Borden (Time Out NY), Angela Bowers (HBO), Adam Feldman (Time Out NY), David Finkle (Village Voice), Will Friedwald (Village Voice), Steve Futterman (The New Yorker), Amelie Gillette (The Onion), Ira Gittler (Jazz Times and Downbeat), Celia Iplotis (Eye on the Arts), Peter Leavy (Cabaret Scenes), Brian Scott Lipton (Cititour.com), Ward Morehouse III (AM NY), David Perozzi (ABC-TV), Rex Reed (The New York Observer), Roy Sander (formerly Back Stage and Citysearch), Barbara Siegel (Theatermania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate), Scott Siegel (Theatermania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate), Naomi Steinberg (Comedy Central), Jonathan Warman (HX Magazine) and K. Leander Williams (Time Out NY).

In a previous statement, critic/author Scott Siegel, who created the awards, said, “It is our particular intention to give New York City’s nightlife — its clubs and performers — the same importance in the public mindset as Broadway. This is an award that will have immediate credibility and importance because it will be given by the broadest possible spectrum of this city’s most influential authorities on cabaret, jazz, and comedy from those who see acts in the big rooms to those who cover the nightlife waterfront.”

Awards are presented to winners in each of the following categories:
Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist in a Major Engagement
Outstanding Cabaret Male Vocalist in a Major Engagement
Outstanding Duo/Group Cabaret Performance in a Major Engagement
Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist
Outstanding Cabaret Male Vocalist
Outstanding Cabaret Musical Comedy Performance
Outstanding Cabaret Musical Revue/Group/Variety Performance
Outstanding Cabaret Piano Bar Performer
Unique Cabaret Performance
Outstanding Female Standup Comedian
Outstanding Male Standup Comedian
Outstanding Group Comedy Performance
Unique Comedy Performance
Outstanding Jazz Soloist
Outstanding Jazz Combo Performance
Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist
Outstanding Male Jazz Vocalist
Unique Jazz Performance

Tickets for the Nightlife Awards are priced at $25, $50 and $75 and are available by calling Ticket Master at (212) 307-4100. (Tickets to the after party are an additional $50.) Town Hall is located in Manhattan at 123 West 43rd Street.