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Schenkkan’s script covers the fight for design conjures up trains, cars and clatter- the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, trodding the boards ing typewriters. the Democratic convention that year, and Like Act One, Robert Schenkkan’s All continues up to the election itself. the Way should be enjoyable for all. But In Schenkkan’s view, which Bryan while anyone who’s ever participated in Cranston brilliantly brings to life, Johnson theater is likely to have a special affection was a wheeler-dealer who could put on a by Brian Sands for the former, the latter should have an different face depending on whom he was Email: [email protected] especial appeal for afficionados of politics talking to. When he wanted to get some- thing, he could slather on the flattery; this New in New York City would be off-putting if it wasn’t generally in Just in time for the on pursuit of worthy causes. June 8, I recently caught up with a number Schenkkan structures the play as a of plays on Broadway. I wish I could say I series of debates: LBJ vs. Hubert Humphrey; saw some musicals too, but of the new crop, LBJ vs. Martin Luther King, Jr.; J. Edgar having already seen A Gentleman’s Guide Hoover vs. King; LBJ vs. George Wallace; to Love & Murder (the likely Best Musical King vs. Stokely Carmichael; and Southern winner), there were none that I felt any great Democratic Senators vs. anyone in favor of urgency to see. I mean Rocky? Really? the Civil Rights Bill. Meanwhile, Hoover Of the four plays I did see, two are and the FBI secretly tape most, if not all, of fabulous and, if you have a chance, do try these conversations. to catch them in New York as, with their Director Bill Rauch gives the produc- large, star-driven casts, you may not have tion a cinematic flair, expertly utilizing the another chance to do so. entire theater as a stage and building up the First and foremost is Act One (Vivian momentum as the play goes along. Only Beaumont Theatre currently running some unnecessary monologs that through June 15), James Lapine’s vibrant Schenkkan gives LBJ slow things down. adaptation of Moss Hart’s autobiography Fresh off the success of Breaking about his climb from an impoverished child- Bad, Cranston shows LBJ to be calculating hood in the Bronx to the pinnacle of Broad- (“Nothing comes free, not even good”) and way and Hollywood success. If Hart’s name ferocious (“Everybody wants power”) while is unfamiliar to you, he co-wrote You Can’t Tony Nominee Tony Shalhoub & Santino Fontana in Act One still haunted by his hardscrabble early years. Take it With You and The Man Who Came In addition to Cranston, the entire cast to Dinner, and directed the original Broad- disparate characters. and history. is outstanding. John McMartin makes Sen. way productions of My Fair Lady and Santino Fontana does solid work as All the Way (Neil Simon Theatre . He would probably be better the younger, ambitious Hart with the rest of through June 29) encompasses an ap- [continued on 34] known now had he not died suddenly at age the cast in firm support, each member proximately one year period in Lyndon 57 in 1961. inhabiting an assortment of parts. Johnson’s life beginning in November 1963 includes vintner dinners, the stroll, two Much as I enjoyed Act One’s first act Beowulf Boritt’s gorgeous turntable when Johnson is elevated to the Presi- grand tastings and a brunch on Sunday. In with its involving story, Lapine’s fast-paced set ingeniously whisks them to multiple dency after John F. Kennedy’s assassina- addition to the stroll, I attended the tasting direction and excellent acting, I arrived at on Saturday at the New Orleans Conven- intermission wondering if the rest of the under the gaydar ...from 28 ning publication. The photography, layout, tion Center. There were literally hundreds play would have a similarly episodic struc- articles and design were inspiring and visu- of wines to sample and over 75 restaurants ture (Hart’s Aunt Kate introduces him to the Cannery is located at 3803 Toulouse Street. ally stimulating. Many of the writers and preparing their best dishes for guests. If theater; he gets a job as an office boy in a Reserve tickets by calling 504.581.7032 or models were present along with the cre- you have never been before, make it a point producer’s office; his first play flops; he visiting www.prcno.org. Tickets are $75 for ators of this incredibly progressive maga- to put it on your calendar next year. appears in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor the gala and begin at $150 for the patron zine to mingle with guests. The talented DJ This Memorial Day weekend also Jones, etc.). party. Five! kept the party music going well into the marked the re-opening of the Riverwalk Act Two, however, focuses on Hart night. There was a spotlight performer who with new outlet shops, great exciting dining and his mentor, the already established was part of the entertainment who did a choices, more stores and an anticipated George S. Kaufman, struggling to make a Party Down hauntingly beautiful slow rendition of event venue. Although some of the shops hit out of Once in a Lifetime which Hart had Is everyone ready for summer? With Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” that and Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar had not originally penned solo. As they go back and Memorial Day over, this season has kicked gave you goosebumps. I ended my evening opened yet, the crowds at the Gambit late forth through various try-outs, you see Hart off in full splendor. I began my two weeks at Gravier Social Club for the art opening of night shopping extravaganza garnered a blossom into the assured artist he was to with the Saints and Sinners Literary Festi- artist Lionel Milton. The art of ELLEONE is th huge crowd. It looks like NOLA is finally become. val. The 11 Annual Saints & Sinners representative of a life in motion; vivid, getting all the stores other cities have. This is the rare play that crackles not Literary Festival was throughout the entire vibrant and real. Neiman Marcus Last Call is fabulous. over love or money but as Hart confronts weekend. I attended their opening Book The rest of the weekend was pretty laid And jumping back to Saturday, a past Kaufman over artistic matters; you watch Launch Party and Fundraiser at the back seeing Godzilla on Saturday (read winner of entertainer of the year (four times them argue as though watching a lovers’ Beauregard-Keyes House on Thursday. the review in this issue) and Young thank you) Elizabeth Bouvier has returned quarrel and when, at Lifetime’s opening The weather was gorgeous for a courtyard Frankenstein’s theatrical premier at to the city and brought Foreplay back. My night’s curtain call, Kaufman modestly says soiree as attendees got to mingle with the Rivertown Theatre in Kenner on Sunday. friends and I managed to stumble into the (as he actually did) “I would like the audi- authors and professionals in the LGBT The show was just as comical as the movie show on Saturday night after the grand ence to know that 80 percent of this play is publishing industry. This historic home was and the folks at Rivertown did it justice with tasting. Barbara Ella, your current King Moss Hart,” you’re likely to have a lump in a perfect setting for the kick-off event that great singing dancing and acting. Cake Queen, was guest hosting some fabu- your throat. With exceptional acuity, Act included a reading from some of the con- On Monday, I joined everyone else in lous performers. Foreplay happens once a One captures the excitement of the cre- tributors of the Saints and Sinners New New Orleans to watch the Super Bowl of month so make sure you check them out. ative experience. Fiction 2014 publication. The following Drag, the finale of RuPaul’s Season Six I hope everyone had a grand Memorial Tony (Monk) Shalhoub makes a suave evening was their Glitter with the Literati . My friend Marvin and his Day, now onto our next big event, Gay narrator as the older Hart looking back on reception at the Herman Grima House, partner Robbie hosted a house party in Pride. his life but is even more memorable as another home in the French Quarter rich celebration of the momentous occasion in Hart’s gruff father and, especially, as with history. Authors on hand this evening which our own home girl Bianca del Rio won Kaufman who seems to have had some included New York Times bestseller Chris- the title. Congrats! To Quote A Queen Monk-ish tics of his own. With quick changes topher Rice. Our summer festival season is upon us I know this may be a little excessive, of costumes and hairstyles, Shalhoub is Friday was a very busy evening, after and this weekend, I attended two events for but in light of Bianca’s win, I thought it would convincing and superb in all these roles. the Saints and Sinners event, I went to the the New Orleans Wine and Food Experi- be fun to see some of her favorite quotes Andrea Martin brings a misplaced launch of The Tenth at Hyph3n Art Gallery ence. On Thursday, the Royal Street Stroll from RuPaul’s Drag Race this season. sense of superiority to Aunt Kate; we feel for located in the Faubourg Marigny. The took place as hundreds of wine connois- “Not today Satan, not today.” her when Hart’s father tosses her out of Tenth is a bi-annual national magazine that seurs (and those who play like they are like “This is not Sisters of the Traveling their cramped apartment but it’s difficult to documents, the history, ideas, culture and me) walked the block perusing galleries Pantyhose.” blame him. Martin also shines as Hart’s aesthetics of the black, gay community. shopping and enjoying all the different wine “I’m delivering clown realness.” wise and warm agent, and as Kaufman’s The first volume entitled The Masters was tastings of each vineyard in the two dozen And my favorite, “It looks like she went elegant wife Beatrice; it’s almost hard to introduced to the crowds who packed the plus locations. This five day festival that into Claire’s Boutique, fell on the sales rack believe one actress plays all three of these studio to celebrate the release of this stun- began on Wednesday is in its 22nd year and and said ‘I’ll take it.’” 32 • The Official Mag©: AmbushMag.COM • June 3-16, 2014 • Official Southern Decadence Guide© since 1982 • SouthernDecadence.com NEXT Ambush DEADLINE Wednesday, Feb. 13  504.522.8049 [email protected]

Official Pride Guide© since 1982 • NOLAPride.org • June 3-16, 2014 • Facebook.COM/AmbushMag • The Official Mag©: AmbushMag.COM • 33 grippingly told. Like Act One, its nearly complished writers should be able to make three hour-running time flies by. Yet unlike you feel empathy for anyone, McNally fails fierce the Moss Hart bio, I never became emotion- to enable us to care much about Cal ally involved; rather, I felt like I was watching (Frederick Weller) and his husband Will a really, really good You Are There episode (Bobby Steggert), two spoiled callow or an extremely fine modern history lesson. yuppies; we never understand why they Still, it deserves its Tony nomination for are the way they are. by Frank Joseph Best Play; if either it or Act One wins, justice In the cast of four (Grayson Taylor E-mail: [email protected] will have been served. plays Cal and Will’s son), only the esti- A Day in the French Quarter X 2 Justice was ill-served, however, by mable comes close to turning a OK, so my weekend started May 16th. My good friend Allen Gordon from Huntsville denying Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses construct into a real person. Her Katharine Alabama, came to New Orleans for the first time to celebrate his 23rd birthday! So in gay a nomination. Gerard is tart, stern and uptight, but Daly tradition with friends visiting NOLA, you bar hop in one night!! We hit up Café Lafitte's, Joneses is not a perfect play. But it’s allows her to thaw ever so slightly, tossing Good Friends, GrandPre’s, Corner Pocket, Bourbon Pub and, of course, finished at Oz, challenging, sophisticated, and simply dif- off an occasional bon mot in the process. If and danced my ass off with DJ JRB!! ferent from most other fare on the Great an actor can be judged by how well she For places to eat we started at Chef White Way. For that alone it should have listens to those on stage with her, then Daly Ron’s Gumbo Stop on Causeway. The been recognized. is giving a master class here. different gumbo's are fabulous! Then The Realistic Joneses (Lyceum Mothers and Sons is especially dis- headed to Yo Mamas for peanut butter Theatre through July 6) begins with a appointing as it is a kind of sequel to bacon burgers!! slightly disgruntled middle-aged couple, McNally’s eloquent Andre’s Mother which He sometimes did drag at Parker’s in Jennifer and Bob Jones, sitting in their appeared on PBS’ American Playhouse in Huntsville. So of course we had to hit up a backyard not quite squabbling but discuss- 1990 starring Sada Thompson and Rich- few drag shows. So we met up with Josh ing how they now merely “throw words at ard Thomas. While the landscape for ho- Finn, Grant Arceneaux, and Butch Peno at each other.” New neighbors, John and mosexuals has changed much in the last 24 the Pub for my very first drink & drown. It Pony Jones, soon emerge from the trees years, the criteria by which we measure was fun running into old & new friends. and introduce themselves. He’s a bit wacky, art—originality, freshness, the ability to move I like Oz’s new Sunday Tea with DJ Tim she rather bouncy. us, etc.—hasn’t. Pflueger along with GrandPre’s brunch at Over the next few months, this odd 1pm & a totally different Sunday Tea on the couple of couples get to know each other. Coming Soon Romantic, or maybe merely sexual, en- back patio (at GrandPre's) hosted by Johnny Holy Jesus! , tanglements ensue, and we discover that Love. I love how every bar has their own Tim Rice and ’s rock both men are suffering from a rare neuro- different version of a Sunday Tea Dance musical, arrives at UNO’s Lakefront Arena SDGM Reba Douglas & Allen logical disease that affec\ts communicative honey on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in on Monday, June 9, reimagined as a rock Gordon @ Lipstixx skills. (John and Pony moved to this “small- the French Quarter. spectacular featuring a cast of pop, rock, ish town” to be closer to an expert on the We ran into SDGM Reba Douglas & SDGM Aubrey Synclaire at the Pub. The Lipstixx and R&B stars. illness.) show was fun. I also got to see Mia Bonet & Jasmine Essex as well. Then off to see the , lead vocalist of Incu- With its existential yearning and inti- Sunday Ladies of Oz, Dominique DeLorean, Zhane Kennedy, Mercedez L’Oreal with host bus, will be ; Grammy-nomi- mations of mortality, Joneses reminded me Blanche Debris! nated *NSYNC vocalist JC Chasez will play somewhat of Albee’s A Delicate Balance. Next weekend started Thursday, May 22nd. I went for the first time to the Thursday Pontius Pilate; Grammy Award-winner and But this is also a play about language and New Orleans Food & Wine Experience on Royal Street. I met up with Tony Leggio & Destiny’s Child member Michelle Will- its failures, or how we fail to best use it. Braddsten DeLong. We walked along Royal Street from the Hotel Monteleone all the way iams will take the female lead as Mary Joneses quickly becomes subtly scary down to Rab-Dab. Walking into all the art galleries & boutiques trying all the different wines Magdalene; English singer-songwriter and with its intimations of incipient menace. Or & foods. It was really fun & relaxed. Sex Pistols lead singer John Rotten Lydon maybe that’s just life. Memorial weekend was a good time. I bartended at Oz Fri-Sun and had a blast... it will portray King Herod; and Ben Forster, Eno is able to sustain his quirky plot was packed and I just stayed and danced till 7am letting the sun guide me home. who won ’s Superstar competition and dialog that leaves much unsaid for Monday Memo- in 2012 and played the lead role in the UK about an hour or so, but then things fall flat rial Day was the 15th and Australian arena tours of JCS, returns and it’s blahblah time for the next twenty MASCARa Race... as Jesus. Plus there’ll be over 50 more tedious minutes. Fortunately, he brings the where it's pretty much singers, actors, dancers and musicians on final 20 minutes or so back into focus for a a drag race bar hop. stage! moving ending. You start off at Clover Tickets range from $39.50 to $124.50 Director Sam Gold is attuned to Eno’s Grill with chilli cheese and can be ordered through rhythms but his quartet of marquee actors fries, then go to Café ticketmaster.com, by calling 800.745.3000, seemed to be playing them with somewhat Lafitte's & take a pep- and at the Lakefront Arena box office. Sounds different styles. Toni Collette’s Jennifer permint shot, Raw- like it’ll be a helluva good time! hide & drink a 12oz was achingly natural and wonderful, a per- beer, Good Friends formance of wisdom mixed with pain and an & drink a separator, inner ability to laugh at it all. America’s Next Bourbon Pub & drink Michael C. Hall (John) did have that Drag Superstar a mind eraser, Oz & same take but his was a more stylized Let me add my voice to the large drink Oz’s strongest execution as though he was in a Christo- Weezy (Wayne Penton) leads Team Oz chorus of New Orleanians congratulating daiquiri, then cross pher Durang play. Marisa Tomei (Pony) our local gal Bianca Del Rio for her win on the finish line at Clo- in 15th MASCARa Race and Tracy Letts (Bob) were in-between, RuPaul’s Drag Race. Brava! ver Grill. At each bar you put on a different shifting between these two modes. I I first met Bianca, aka Roy Haylock, piece of drag and shoot or drink something trodding the boards would’ve preferred a cast in greater har- over 15 years ago when I was a spear there. It’s a lot of fun. I was in the pit crew mony but maybe this was the desired effect. ...from 32 carrier for New Orleans Opera’s produc- for Team Weezy running for Team Oz. It While I can imagine another approach tion of Samson and Dalila. Upstairs in the was Wayne Penton running for Oz and the Richard Russell a wise and sly mentor to to this intriguing play, I’m happy I saw it. After costume section there was this quiet guy pit crew was (me) Frankie Fierce, Nicho- Johnson. Michael McKean’s J. Edgar all, we should cherish any playwright who sewing away furiously. I wondered if he las Zanca, Joshua Adams, Andy Bergeron Hoover is smarmy and an expert manipula- comes up with the line, “I found this com- would ever come out of his shell. Boy, did & Josh Duffy. We had loads of fun. In tor. pany that will send you the transcript of any he! between the race and the awards show at Brandon J. Dirden portrays Martin audio book.” Roy went on to win four Ambie Awards, Rawhide at 5, me & Andy had to go get Luther King as dynamic yet not a hothead; I can’t say I cherished the 90 minutes three for Best Costumes (Hollywood seafood nachos and roast beef at 801 that is left to William Jackson Harper’s I spent at Mothers and Sons (Golden Heaven!, When Ya Smilin’ and Cabaret) Royal. Mmm good! smoldering Carmichael. Both these young Theatre through July 6 at least). Terrence actors are first-rate as is Peter Jay McNally’s play about a mother who visits and one for Best Original Work (Holly- wood Heaven! with Ricky Graham and I can’t wait for Gay Days Disney World Fernandez as the older, more conciliatory her dead son’s former lover 20 years after Bob Bruce). with my buddy Corey Torres at all the One Roy Wilkins. As a top aide to LBJ who was he passed away from AIDS is formulaic, Since Katrina blew Roy up to New Mighty Weekend events put on by Johnny outed and had to be dismissed (LBJ was as preachy, cliché-ridden, predictable and York, I’ve enjoyed seeing Bianca in a vari- Chisholm. Plus I get to go to the Disney supportive as possible and remained friends manipulative. That McNally, a four-time ety of clubs there, starting in East Village parks. June 4-June 9………… with him), Christopher Liam Moore creates Tony winner, actually uses a line like “I don’t a touching portrait of a man in wretched know why I told you that” is, frankly, embar- dives and moving up to the gargantuan XL. I wish Bianca and Roy the best as they Till next time folks... thanks for read- circumstances. rassing. slowly but surely take over the world. ing my stuff!! All the Way is a fascinating chronicle, Worse (can it get worse?), while ac-

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