OPINION

Theater Review: The Mystery of Irma Vep

From the moment I saw The Mystery of Irma Vep I knew it was destined to become one of my all time favorite comedies. I had first been introduced to it in 1995 while working as a house manager at Allenberry Playhouse, a small regional theatre close to my native home in south central Pennsylvania. Each night I was scheduled to work, I would grab a seat in the back and eagerly await the performance. During the 4 week run, I must have watched it at least 10 times and I would still howl with the audience as though it were the first time I was seeing it.

Another servicable production was presented in 2007 at New York’s Urban Stages. Again, it left me in stitches. So I was filled with absolute glee when I heard that Red Bull Theatre was reviving this 1984 gem from the genius mind of Charles Ludlam. Under the accomplished direction of Everett Quinton, Ludlam’s partner and original co-star, this 30th year anniversary production is every bit as outrageous and deliriously joyful as it should be.

The “penny dreadful” is a two person camp-fest which references countless classic films from Nosferatu to Wuthering Heights. Lady Irma Vep has died and her widow, Lord Edgar Hillcrest (Robert Sella) has taken a new love, Lady Enid Hillcrest (Arnie Burton). Jane Twisden (also played by Burton), is the head maid at Mandacrest, the estate on which they reside. She is not all enamored with Lady Enid and constantly compares her with the former lady of the house. Werewolves abound, drunken truths are revealed, and a trip to Egypt follows. There is delicious humorous value in all of it.

It is understandable why Ludlam was hesitant to immediately grant the rights to his show after the original 1984 production became a smash hit. In the hands of less skillful performers, it could be a complete train wreck. But Burton and Sella are both on point and manage to pull off the quick changes with tireless dexterity and sangfroid.

Shows with this caliber of wit are rarely seen and Red Bull Theater must be applauded for not only blessing us with this milestone production, but for executing it with the highest level of quality it deserves.

Mystery of Irma Vep is now playing through May 11th off Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street (between Bleeker and Hudson). For tickets, call 212-352-3101, visit www.redbulltheater.com or visit the box office (hours vary).

Bad Teacher is Better Than I Thought It Would Be

by Michael Tyminski

Bad Teacher: Thursdays at 9:30 on CBS

Last week, when discussing FX’s new take on Fargo, I brought up the fact that movie rehashes seem to be in vogue this year. However, what makes this year’s version seem considerably more different is that CBS, which tends to be more likely to stick to it’s own way of multi-cam comedies and procedurals seems considerably more game to jump in on these trends as it’s rating slowly descend back to earth. September’s Hostages was part of a cluster of hostage crises, January’s Intelligence was similar to ABC’s the assets, and tonight’s Bad Teacher is part of a string of movie adaptations we can expect to see over the next few months.

This version of Bad Teacher comes with a very fairly similar (if slightly more open ended) path of the original movie. Trophy wife Meredith Davis (Ari Graynor ) is kicked to the curb by her wealthy husband, and is forced to work as a middle school teacher while looking for a new sugar daddy. In this new world, she encounters a number of faculty members, including a stodgy faculty president (Kristin Davis )and a gym teacher from her past (Ryan Hansen) who show some skepticism about this new faculty member.

Typically, I find that CBS comedies tend to feel pretty monotonous in terms of their pacing, their jokes, and their styles. Instead, we get an interesting mix that combines zippy punchlines with a touch of surrealism and some great moments where Meredith goes on rants with much delusions of grandeur. For me the mixture was fairly reminiscent of a show like Sex and the City, with a bubbly tone that also carried a decent mix of snark to accompany it.

A large part of the credit goes to the amazing veteran cast the producers managed to assemble. Ari Graynor is a revelation as Davis, owning her character from minute one. Backing up Graynor are some formidable comedy veterans such as Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), Sara Gilbert (Roseanne), and David Alan Grier (In Living Color). We even get some extra support from Richard Kind, playing a close friend of Meredith’s who lets her crash in their guest house.

If there is one knock on the pilot, it’s in the storytelling. While I appreciate the fact that Bad Teacher did not draw out it’s origin story too long – it’s wrapped up before the credits begin – it also seemed to shoehorn in sitcom conventions a touch awkwardly. This was particularly notable when the show went to the “heart” moment in the third act, as it created the sort of emotional whiplash when one considers that a real bond was not well formed in the initial two acts.

The Final Verdict: While I was initially skeptical, I’ll be the first to admit that Bad Teacher is the most I’ve laughed at a CBS show aside from How I Met Your Mother. It’s a fast, fun, series that doesn’t try to occupy too much mind space (perfect for both the CBS lineup and 9:30 on a Thursday). Check it out, you won’t be disappointed with it.

Theater Review: Mothers and Sons

by Ryan Leeds

Playwright Terrance McNally and the cast. Photo courtesty of Joan Marcus. — Playwright Terrance McNally and the cast. Photo courtesy of Joan Marcus.

Every so often, a play comes along which reminds us of why we love the theater so much. For in it, we find moments of enlightenment and truth which transform us into better people. We walk out, deeply moved, challenged, and changed by what we have just seen. Terrance McNally’s new Broadway offering, Mothers and Sons is such a piece.

The play opens in the elegant apartment of Cal Porter (Frederick Weller), shared with his significantly younger husband, Will Ogden (Bobby Steggart), and their adopted son, Bud Odgen-Porter (Grayson Taylor). Cal is making small talk with an unexpected visitor, Ms. Katherine Gerard (Tyne Daly). Katherine is the mother of Porter’s former lover, Andre. Years before, Andre was a promising stage actor whose life, like many gay men of his era, was snuffed out by the AIDS epidemic. Even after twenty years, an unfulfilled personal life coupled with the shame of a homosexual son is too much for Katherine to bear and she has come to their home to air her grievances, frustration, and disapproval. Meanwhile, Cal and Will remain proud of the lives they have led.

The subject of parental discontent over sexuality is too often drawn in shades of black and white. Here, there is proper room for gray. What is most humanizing about McNally’s script is that it does not vilify Katherine. It could simply portray her as rigid and unforgiving, and yet Tyne Daly has provided us with well-rounded matron of complexity, sure to resonate with many theatergoers. If a look is worth a thousand words, Ms. Daly is giving us the entire Wikipedia in 90 minutes. Her fellow co-stars shine equally in this sympathetic, heartfelt, and timely play about facing uncertainty and forging forgiveness.

Mothers and Sons is now playing on Broadway at the Golden Theater 252 West 45th Street between Broadway and 8^th avenue. For tickets, call 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com, or go to the box office.

Top 5 Easter Eggs in Games- Manhattan Digest

by Tim Morris

The best goodies in the basket.

In honor of Easter Weekend, I decided it would be a good idea to compile a short list of my favorite Easter Eggs in video games. Easter Eggs are fun secrets that exist in various games, normally accessed without the use of cheat codes or hacking software. Oftentimes they’re interesting or humorous things that developers want gamers to search for and over the years they’ve truly helped games have more staying power. Here they are, my top five Easter Eggs in games:

5. Half-Life – Made by Valve, Half-Life‘s console has allowed gamers and modders alike to adjust the experience however they see fit. By loading up the “c1a1c” map and activating “-noclip” mode, the player can gain access to areas outside the map. One of these is a black box that is covered with the mug of Valve founder Gabe Newell on the inside. I’m talking a thousand copies of this man’s face.

Copyright Valve Source: YouTube — Copyright Valve
Source: YouTube

4. Grand Theft Auto IV – Ever wondered what the heart of Liberty City looks like? Well, it… it looks like a heart. Don’t believe me? If you fly a helicopter to the Statue of Happiness, there’s a set of doors that says, “No hidden content this way.” Go through it, and you’ll find a giant heart bound by chains. If this is some kind of social commentary, I’d love to know more about it.

Copyright Rockstar Source: Smosh — Copyright Rockstar
Source: Smosh

3. Chrono Trigger – Sometimes, if you try really hard and do your best in a video game, you get to meet the developers. Well, not really, but there is a hidden developer room in Chrono Trigger. To access it, clear the game once and start a New Game+. Once you do that, a gate will appear at the start. Take it to do battle with a super-powered Lavos, and should you emerge victorious you’ll encounter the developers (in-character) at the End of Time.

Copyright Square Enix Source: Let's Play Archive — Copyright Square Enix
Source: Let’s Play Archive

2. Halo: Combat Evolved – Never ones to shy away from having fun with their player base, Bungie always had fun gags to show players who completed the Halo games on the hardest difficulty setting. In the first entry, the extended ending shows Sgt. Johnson batting an Elite for his assault rifle. However, the scene takes an unexpected yet hilarious turn once the Pillar of Autumn’s self-destruct sequence gets activated. You need to see it to believe it.

1. Mortal Kombat – The game that practically invented the ESRB rating system tops my list. Sometimes before a match, a green ninja appears and drops hints on how to encounter him. This ninja’s name is Reptile, and he was the biggest secret in the game. To battle him, you had to wait for The Pit stage to appear in single-player and hope that a silhouette flies past the moon. Once those conditions are met, you must get a Double Flawless and finish your opponent with a fatality in the second round. Then, and only then, do you get to fight Reptile. This is also the only way of fighting on the bottom of the pit, which is covered in spikes and made a return in Mortal Kombat Trilogy years later. Click here to see the method in action.

Years of Living Dangerously Brings Human Side To Climate Change

by Michael Tyminski

Years of Living Dangerously: Sundays at 10 Eastern on Showtime

I’ll be the first to admit: when I scheduled this review, I saw the title and completely misjudged what I thought this show was going to be about. After years of Showtime putting on shows like Weeds, Shameless, Ray Donovan, Dexter, and Dead Like Me, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to assume from a title like Years of Living Dangerously that we would get something much along those lines. Instead, Showtime is actually looking for it’s answer to HBO’s Vice with a hybrid documentary/news vehicle that takes it’s reporters to far away places for some in-depth journalism.

Years of Living Dangerously takes a different tack to the science based show. We instead get a mix between Vice and Nova, with a little sensationalism thrown in for good measure. Much as Fox’s Cosmos is focused on physics, Years of Living Dangerously focuses on the effects of climate change. However, what makes Years of Living Dangerously different from it’s forbears is the use of celebrity correspondents, putting movie stars like Don Cheadle and Harrison Ford on the ground to report on the night’s stories.

I find that with Years of Living Dangerously, the quality of the stories tends to vary wildly. Thomas Friedman gets pulled into the ecological roots of the Syrian revolution, only to end up with a story that focuses more on the revolution itself than the ecology that led to it (in fact, outside of some background with NSA chief Susan Rice about the National Security concerns of climate change, it’s the by far the least science oriented story of the three). While the reporting is obviously top notch as a human interest story (it doesn’t hurt that Friedman is a journalist by trade), it also felt like it the story hit best when it was a story of the human toll of revolution, as opposed to really explaining how climate change started a revolution (some more background on the revolution itself would have been nice).

Don Cheadle, meanwhile ended up with the strongest of the night’s stories: a piece about how the drought is affecting middle American towns, and how to explain to them that the drought that caused the towns main industry to dry up was the cause of climate change, not an act of god. This story works in part because Cheadle is very comfortable letting the story be of his subjects instead of making himself the story (more on that later). Furthermore, more than most, the story has a clear coherent beginning and end, with a great takeaway (namely, that the messenger matters more than you would think).

At the other extreme, is Harrison Ford’s story. Whereas Cheadle and Friedman are essentially themselves, one gets the vibe that Harrison Ford is trying to slip into some sort of character, asking condescending questions and generally using a voice that sounds like Batman, Rohrschach, or any number of other loose cannon heroes. Making matters worse is the shows insistence of building to an event (Ford’s confrontation with the Indonesian forestry minister) that never actually occurs. It’s the sort of thing that grates enough, but also makes you glad that the show opted to rotate between beats on it’s three major stories, as twenty minutes of Ford playing an action-hero with a journalism day job is the sort of thing that will distract from the show’s key message (or worse yet force people to tune out due to excessive sanctimony).

The Final Verdict: Years of Living Dangerously is a mixed bag. On one hand, the show has a very deft touch with adding an emotional dimension to what could easily veer into dry territory. On the other hand, Years quality will seem to vary wildly depending on who is telling these stories– it’s no surprise that the show’s best moments come from people who have experience with journalism or the documentary format. The documentary is also the rare show that really doesn’t fit well in my ratings system: I’d say check it out, but if they ever release the individual stories as an anthology of mini-documentaries, it might be a better way of absorbing Years.

Theater Review: “The Bardy Bunch”

by Ryan Leeds

There’s something delightfully warped about squeaky clean children sticking daggers in their opponents as they cheerfully sing, “It’s a Sunshine Day”. Don’t worry–It’s not nearly as dark as is sounds. In fact, it is probably the campiest scene you’ve seen on any stage in quite some time. This outrageous moment unfolds near the end of act one in the brilliant and hysterical The Bardy Bunch , now playing off-Broadway at theatre at St. Clements.

This Shakespearean send up pits the Bradys and Partridge familes against each another. Both have been booked to perform at the same venue and neither are content to share the spotlight. In true fashion, all of the Elizabethan elements conjoin and no one is spared from the bloodbath that will inevitably ensue. Othello is here, along with Macbeth, Hamlet, and Shylock. Romeo and Juliet are also evoked as the Brady teens and Patridge teens bat forbidden eyes of romance across enemy lines.

Writer Stephen Garvey has created a witty and clever script that is executed with tongue in cheek perfection from a fun and talented cast.While many of us grew up with these two families, we are well aware of how delightfully tacky both shows were. Yet we cannot get enough of them. Here, “so bad it’s good” dialogue is blended with the eloquence of the Bard, and the results are side splitting.

The show has a limited run, playing only through April 13th. I have already sung the praises of this retrospective gem to friends and plan to catch it again before they pack up the bellbottoms. To paraphrase the dippy song, “I think I love it/So what I am so afraid of?/ I’m afraid that it might sell out before you can get your hands on a ticket!”

The Bardy Bunch plays off-Broadway through April 13th at the Theatre at St. Clements, 423 W. 46th between 9th and 10th. For tickets, visit http://thebardybunch.inticketing.com/events/series/The+Bardy+Bunch

Why I’m Going To Bear Week After Avoiding It For Years

by Ryan Shea

Bear Week, Provincetown, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: PTownbears.org

Bear Week 2014- Finally Popping That Cherry…

I’ll be the first one to admit it- I can be a bit judgey (is there even a correct spelling for that word?) when it comes to the bear community. I know I wasn’t really like that when I came into it roughly 6 years ago, but over that time my thought process on it has changed drastically and for the most part has left me with a negative viewpoint on it and not so much a positive one. Throughout all my blogging that I have done about living in the gay world for the past year, my friends have consistently said to me that even though my articles can be thought provoking and spark a conversation, they always seem to have a negative thought process and don’t point out the good things that happen in the gay world.

Something that I always shit on for the past couple of years has been bear events. Noticeably TBRU (Texas Bear Round Up), Bear Pride in Chicago and the creme de la creme of them all, Bear Week in Provincetown. As someone that has gone to smaller events in the past, they have left me with a bitter taste in my mouth for personal reasons. I went to several when I was in and out of college in Rhode Island and I think the reason why I felt a bit left out and not in the “in” crowd was that those parties were more designed for the chub/chaser community and I was in between. I guess my viewpoint after I left my last bear event roughly two years ago was that many were like that, but it also came down to my deep insecurity that I have felt over the years since entering in this community.

I have often written in my previous posts about the trials and tribulations that I have dealt with in this community, from the physical (too much weight, too little weight, body hair) to the mental (gossiping, cliques) and everything in between. It has hardened me for sure to a point where I have a hard time remembering the guy I used to be which was friendly, outgoing and generally happy for the most part. Luckily, over the past couple couple year or so I have come in contact with so many authentic & amazing gay friends who have championed me getting to be the guy that I used to be. They have done well in making me realize that not all gay men are bad and that if you need to talk to someone that they will be there for you. I have the utmost gratitude towards them for changing my attitude in all of this.

So when all this Bear Week talk came around again, I originally scoffed at the idea due to it being way outside my budget for the most part. Then a couple of weeks ago my friend was nice enough to get me a room at his place at an affordable rate and really went out of his way to make me feel comfortable with going. Obviously the reason why I’m going to Bear Week isn’t because of finance at all, it is more about starting over and coming into my own again. NOt letting a ton of shit that has brought me down in the past affect my future, and really enjoying this experience authentically and for myself to grow in the process. Also the friendships that I will make, and naturally the hot guys that I will meet (I mean this is a self improvement article but I gotta be honest about everything okayyyyyyy?) I am definitely excited to pop my Bear Week cherry and enjoy what will happen in the beautiful Provincetown in mid-July.

Who else is going to Bear Week for the first time? What should I expect?

Haven’t booked yet or want to learn more? Log on to the official site for more details!

Theater Review: All The Way

by Ryan Leeds

Since the days when sketch comedy became a part of our popular culture, it has been challenging to view portrayals of celebrities and/or politicians with an objective eye. It is especially difficult if those personalities are larger than life figures. Difficult, but not impossible. Currently, Bryan Cranston is proving this theory wrong in a layered and complex performance as President Lyndon Baines Johnson in Broadway’s All the Way.

This rich political drama begins in 1963, shortly after the assassination of President Kennedy. With Johnson now at the helm, he is forced to pass the Civil Rights Act, which has both the nation–and congress–at complete odds. It is a pivotal moment for Johnson. While he honestly feels as though it is the right thing to do, he must fight against archaic opposition from those more concerned about their own political careers and approval from constituents.

Over the course of 3 hours, deals are dealt, hands are shaken, secrets are whispered, and there’s “a whole lotta cajoling goin’ on”. Johnson’s southern charm is prominent, but so are his razor sharp tactics. No one is spared from his drive to succeed, not even his own wife, Lady Bird Johnson (Betsy Aidem), whom he enlists to speak in front of audiences in the days leading up to the 1964 election.

Though the cast is 20, most of them play multiple roles of actual figures. Robert Petkoff is perfectly obsequious as Senator Hubert Humphreys, who serves both as Johnson’s right hand man and punching bag. Rosyln Ruff renders a brief performance during a memorable scene. Her character, Fannie Lou Hamer, is appearing at a press conference on national television to describe the cruelty she endured as a young black girl. William Jackson Harper ignites the audience with a fireball performance as Stokley Carmichael, a civil rights organizer demanding equality. It is effectively staged, as Carmichael delivers his plea from the orchestra. There is potency in the language and an immediacy which cannot be ignored.

Cranston is clearly the star here, but the rest of the cast can fully hold their own. With simple use of projections, scene changes are made within the confines of the US Congressional House. This is truly theater at its’ finest. Robert Schenkkan’s script is crisp, riveting and thoughtful. He has successfully given us the first must see hit of the year.

All the Way is now playing on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theater, 250 West 52nd Street between 8th and Broadway. For tickets, call 1- 800-745-3000, visit ticketmaster.com, or go to the box office.

Theater Review: “Beyond Therapy”

by Ryan Leeds

Photo Courtesy of Marielle Solan. Pictured L to R: Karl Kenzler, Cynthia Darlow, Michael Schantz, Liv Rooth, Mark Alhadeff, Jeffrey C. Hawkins

It’s hard to believe that, not too long ago, in days pre-dating OkCupid, eHarmony, and other smart phone apps, that our means of meeting Mr. or Mrs. Right were limited to a newspaper clipping and blind optimism. Those days were the eighties, the era in which Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy is set. Currently, the Actor’s Company Theatre (TACT) is diving head first into the crazy pool with this send-up of psychiatric madness.

Bruce (Mark Alhadeff) and Prudence (Liv Rooth) are two bags of nerves who meet at “The Restaurant”, a dining spot in which couples maintain so much privacy that they are completely ignored by the wait staff. Shortly into the date, Bruce takes every wrong turn imaginable by crying (to show his sensitive side), and admitting to a relationship with his lover, Bob (Jeffrey C. Hawkins).

Bruce and Prudence plead for guidance from their psychiatrists; both are who are irreverent and completely insane. Bruce attempts to find meaning in life’s madness with Charlotte (Cynthia Darlow), a spacy crackpot who can’t remember simple words, details about her clients, or where she placed important files. Furthermore, she converses with a stuffed snoopy dog and uses it to speak in a doggie voice with Bruce. Darlow is outstanding and her comic timing is impeccable.

Prudence attempts to gain insight with Stuart (Karl Kenzler), but that is a sure fail. Stuart and Prudence were once romantically intertwined and Stuart can’t seem to cut the string. In his twisted mind, the best way to win back his lost love is to force himself on her and belittle her. It makes no sense that anyone tolerates this nonsense. Come to think of it, there is very little here that makes sense in the entire play. But that is the point. Rather than offering a seminar on the meaning of life, Durang suggests that it is all a collision of confusion and chaos, all of which is completely funny.

Under the direction of Scott Alan Evans, TACT once again manages to score a breezy and winning production. It is a complete diversion from the group’s mounting of last fall’s serious and somber Natural Affection, but it is equally as well crafted and entertaining.

Beyond Therapy is now playing off-Broadway through April 19^th on Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd St. between 9^th and 10^th avenues. For tickets, call (212) 239-6200, visit www.telecharge.com, or go the box office.

Theater Re-Reviewed: “After Midnight”

by Ryan Leeds

Honey is drippin’ from the stage of the Brooks Atkinson theater. Since opening in November 2013, After Midnight has been blowin’ the proverbial roof off of the building, mostly in part to the Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, handpicked by jazz genius Wynton Marsalis. A tribute to the legendary Duke Ellington, After Midnight highlights some of his finest arrangements, blended with first rate vocals and dance.

American Idol’s Fantasia Barrino opened the likeable revue (and will incidentally return to the show on May 13th), portraying the role of Special Guest Star. This, as an ode to the Cotton Club tradition, the posh Harlem nightclub where Ellington made his mark. Each week, jazz greats including Judy Garland, Lena Horne, and Bessie Smith would take to the microphone, amidst the glamour and brass accompanying them. The tradition continues here on Broadway. After Fantasia, k.d. Lang stepped into the role, and soon, Vanessa Williams will soak up the spotlight prior to Barrino’s return.

But now, 6 time Grammy award winning Toni Braxton is infusing her own R&B style on the work-and giving new life to already iconic songs. Braxton’s interprets “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “Stormy Weather” with a delicious mix of vulnerability and sass. Her dulcet tones combine her established sound as a pop artist with the flavor of Blossom Dearie. It doesn’t hurt that she can sell both numbers with ultimate grace and sexiness. Braxton makes a dazzling Broadway debut.

Joining her in this juke joint is Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, a 10 time Grammy award winning artist, who is also appearing on Broadway for the first time. Edmonds replaces television’s Dule Hill as the Host, a role which drives the show through the poetry of Langston Hughes. Edmonds is making a much smaller splash here and appears uncertain of his next line and choreographed move. His tentative delivery pales in comparison to his predecessor’s more self-assured manner.

Most of the original cast remains, as well as members of the best orchestra Broadway has heard in years. Braxton alone is worth the price of admission (she appears only through March 30^th) , and the ensemble continues to pour their souls into the footlights. Adriane Lennox’s scene stealing numbers remain my favorite, as well as the trio of beauties (Bryonha Marie Parham, Carmen Ruby Floyd, and Rosena M. Hill Jackson) who melt the house, specifically with “Beyond the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”

After Midnight now playing on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson theatre (256 W. 47th between Broadway and 8th Avenue). Tickets available at the box office, online at www.telecharge.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Toni Braxton and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds appear through March 30. Vanessa Williams succeeds Braxton beginning April 1- May 11 and Fantasia returns May 13- June 8^th

OPINION

The best goodies in the basket.

Bear Week 2014- Finally Popping That Cherry…

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