v-" ~,\1:, .~I' [?CRIO·@~W [~]£CRIcg c=o n @ RICH'S WELCOMES THE ONEAND ONLY "1:1 , ' " ~~ ' ¥•.:...... ,...•.I r '.". '. 1·. B ·E·..... ,~ '. D. .. .1..; ''........' .'...~..~.• ~ ; perfOrtHiHa a Apecial ~; CIHbtoHr Uti-COHCe• • rt' s•• ',I ~~ Door~ OpeHat T..:..·I..C[...·I/.·.'.....D·.~.I'.1 8pttt . .$.~,1.fl·•:~.1." ~•.••.": • :J 21&Up On Sale Friday, Marcil IZ &SatMrday. Marcil 13 dHrin9 Re9Hlar OperatiH9 "HoHr,\ BnING OOa~M VOLUME25, NUMBER 2 MARCH 72-MARCH 78, 7999 9 THEATRE Crimes of the Heart at Dallas' Pocket Sandwich Theatre Reviewed by Steven Lindsey 16 THEATRE Hedda Gabler at Houston's Alley Theatre Reviewed by Gary Laird 21 SNAPSHOTS Miss Gay Teen Universe 25 ON OUR COVER The Divine Miss M Returns to Her Roots with 1999 Club Tour 29 FRESH BEATS Vinyl Wonders from the Cutting Edge of Dance Music by Jimmy Smith 33 LETTERSTO THE EDITOR Saturday, March 13th 35 CURRENT EVENTS Dust off that TOGA and Party 43 ALL ABOUT HEALTH & FITNESS Treating Gym-Relayed Injuries with R.I.C.E. Under The Sheets With us! With by Michael Kasten the hottest DJs spinning for you. No Cover in Erotic Leather or TOGA! 51 BACKSTAGE There's No Reason To Rain On His Charade as Steven Brinberg Brings Simply Barbra to Theatre LaB Houston's Annual Fundraiser Sunday, March 14th 57 STARSCOPE Mercury and Mars Go Retrograde by C. Lichtenstein Boxer Party 63 RANTING & RAVING by Jeffrey L. Linthicum 64 TEXAS TEA 72 CLASSIFIEDS 89 THE GUIDE TWT(ThisWeek in Texas) Ispublished by Texas Weekly Times Newspaper Co., at 3300 Reagan Street in oonos. Texas 75219 and 500 Lovett Suite 102 In Houston, Texas 77006. Opinions expressed by columnists are not necessarily those of TWTor of Its staff. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising In TWTis not to be construed as any Indication of the sex- ual orientation of said person or organization. Subscription rates: $79 per year, 540 per half year. Back issues available at 52 each. Payment must accompany all orders. Copyright © 1999 by Texas Weekly Times Newspaper Co. All rights reserved. Partial or complete reproduction of any advertisement, news, article or feature, copy or photograph from TWTIsspecifically prohibited by federal statute. THIS WEEK IN TEXAS MAGAZINE Texas' Leading Gay & Lesbian Publication Since 1975 • Weekly Circulation: 20,000 DALLASOFFICE EDITOR HOUSTONOFFICE 3300 Reagan Street ALAN GELLMAN 500 Lovett Blvd .. Suite 102 Dallas. Texas 75219 COMPTROLLER Houston, Texas 77006 Dallas Fax (214)520-8948 STEVEMILES Houston Fax (713)527-8948 (214)521-0622 (713)527-9111 ARTDIRECTOR E-mail: [email protected] RICHARD BANG E-mail: [email protected] ASSOCIATEEDITOR Chris Salza ARTDEPARTMENTDavid Parnell, Jeffrey L. Linthicum CONTRIBUTINGWRITERSS. Joe Arkeen. John Alan Cohan, Mark Deaton, Chris Gray, Phil Johnson. Michael Kasten. Gary Laird. B.J. Laray, Jeffrey L. Linthicum, C. Lichtenstein, Steven Lindsey, Donelevan Maines, Jimmy Smith STAFFPHOTOGRAPHERSFrancis Alvarez. Graham. A. J. Marroqulnez, Robert Miller. Shawn Northcutt. Jerry Stevens, Tio. Albert Tovar NATIONAL SALESDIRECTOR. Steve Miles. (214)521-0622 • FAX (214)520-TWIT Advertising rates are available on request from the salesperson In your nearest city. Austin- James Fronk (512)916-9811 - Houston / Galveston -Steve Nally (713)527-9111 All other Texas cities- Steve Miles (214)521-0622 CLASSIFIEDADVERTISING • Dallas-Chase Gutierrez. Houston-Brian Keever i TWT© 1999 Miles _ Gellman Enterprises i Published by Texas Weekly Times Newspaper Company Represented Notionally by Rivendell Marketing Co., Inc .• 212-242-6863 " ~ ~ f))~» ~@tf~t Sal~ ~m I Surpasses Its~{fmtn Jt '13rif£iJmt Production Of ,. C1(J!JI'£J07 cI!I{f; Ji~J!Li(r... ~ouCanIt 1)0 ~ '13etter !ForJt Sassy qood Pt,me/ est known for singing vampires, radioac- nuanced portrayal. Playing a dim bulb is one Btive cave women from outer space and of the easiest sounding, yet most difficult, similar oddities, Dallas' Pocket Sandwich roles an actor can undertake and McClendon Theatre has traded camp and kitsch for a comes across as the dimmest bulb in the mainstream, Pulitzer Prize- winning play. The entire chandelier. I could ramble on and be results? Near perfection. satisfied with the dream of seeing her Granted, this isn't their first foray into this onstage again in the future. territory, it's just the first time I've seen it Equally talented and full of zest are Alison done so darn well. They've taken Beth Murphy (Meg) and Dori Swyhart (Lenny). Henley's charming Crimes of the Heart and Both bring new dimensions to their roles that produced stellar performances good enough are heartwarming and hilarious, as well. to send Sissy Spacek back to the coal mines Murphy's sexy smoker's voice and impecca- for good. (You may remember Spacek from ble delivery are pure joy. Swyhart boasts a I her role in the 1986 film version). great stage presence and the ability to keep The story centers around the reunion of the her character fresh without playing the role three generally screwed-up Magrath sisters- for sympathy. Lenny, Meg and Babe-who have gathered As sisters, all three are greatly diverse in because of the attempted murder charges fac- appearance, but exude a completely believ- ing Babe, the youngest of the bunch. An ailing, able sibling rhythm and cohesiveness. 209 20th Street overbearing grandfather, a starry-eyed lawyer The fourth woman in this estrogen- laden- 'II' and Babe's outright confession only add to the group is Raynelle Briggs as cousin Chick. I IOn Galveston, Texas mayhem (and hilarity) surrounding the further She makes the most of her scenery chewing La Pa~ complications and intertwining of the sisters' smaller role, providing one of the funniest 'Pl£lt'\O 1:D~ (409)763-1984 lives. moments of the year with her early-on panty One of the main things this play has in its hose predicament. She could easily replace favor, in addition to wonderful comic writ- Tina Turner as a new hosiery spokeswoman, ing, is the ability for a small ensemble cast to not to mention provide some great quick- really strut their stuff. With only one excep· change tips for some of our favorite drag lJNDEB NEW MANAGEMENT! tion, the entire PST cast is superb. Much like queens! Steel Magnolias, Crimes features some Michael Van Zant scores one for the male ENTERTAINMENT incredible parts for women, and all four team with a solid performance as Barnette actresses in this production are remarkable. Lloyd, Babe's lawyer who has a fondness The Southern spin and colloquialisms that for his ditsy client. His wardrobe reeks of Wednesday & Thursday 8 pm • Midnight could only come from the burg of Hazlehurst, Matlock, but his at-ease drawl and confi- Mississippi add heaps to the deep- fried wit. dence make up for his fashion disaster. I normally save the best performance for Of course, much of the applause is due to Friday & Saturday 9 pm • I am last, but I can't wait that long to discuss the Director Jamie Baker, who has kept the pace pure brilliance of Brandy McClendon as quick and the performances balanced. Sunday 7 pm · II pm Babe. Now, I'm basing this opinion on this Rodney Dobbs, Set Designer, has even ere- single role, but I'm confident that ated a mini-masterpiece in his Green Stamp- McClendon has been and will be equally furnished, downhome kitchen set. It's by far Happy Hour Daily 5 pm · 7 pm! deft in her other acting endeavors. Her one of the most believable in PST's recent comic timing and subtleties are completely past. Great Bar, No Bull! second nature, making for a brilliantly Overall, I don't think you can do much PAGE 8 MARCH 12· MARCH 18 1999 MARCH 12 . MARCH 18 1999 PAGE 9 ( better for a sassy good time. By adding such t. powerful performances and a play of this caliber to its already great comedy reper- ~ toire, Pocket Sandwich Theatre is definitely becoming a greater force to be reckoned with on the Dallas theatre landscape. Plus, the fun, casual atmosphere and low ticket prices make it accessible to nearly everyone just as any art form should be. And in case any of you are hankerin' for a good old-fash- ioned melodrama, Captain Blood-The Pirate Melodrama is up next at PST. Free Restaurant Review: My new recom- mended food selection is the Grilled Chicken Pocket Sandwich. It's by far the J best offering on the menu. The cobbler was ! pretty dang good, too. Crimes of the Heart continues at Pocket Sandwich Theatre, 5400 E. Mockingbird, Suite 119, through March 27, 1999 with shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Food and bev- erage service are available 90 minutes prior OUSTONGYM to showtime. Tickets range from $6 to $12 (plus food and beverage purchases). For 713.880.9191 reservations and more information, please 233 Birdsell Near Memorial Park call (214)821-1860. ~ I and Downtown I M·F 6·10 • Sat. and Sun. 10·6 MARCH 12 - MARCH 18 1999 PAGE 11 better for a sassy good time. By adding such powerful performances and a play of this caliber to its already great comedy reper- toire, Pocket Sandwich Theatre is definitely 1 becoming a greater force to be reckoned ~.' with on the Dallas theatre landscape. Plus, j the fun, casual atmosphere and low ticket i prices make it accessible to nearly everyone just as any art form should be. And in case any of you are hankerin' for a good old-fash- ioned melodrama, Captain Blood-The Pirate i Melodrama is up next at PST. Free Restaurant Review: My new recom- mended food selection is the Grilled Chicken Pocket Sandwich.