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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2003)
• tune 20. 2003 36 THEATER ................▼ " .............. W estover H eights C L I N I NYC 2003 C Just Out takes on the gayest Broadway season ever Offering general internal medicine and excelling in sexual health care by Serving the com m unity for 17 yearo 2330 NW Flanders Suite 207 503 226-6678 - ? Jr l rain& à$ • im ratories ° oro, ' w w w .rd ro p .co m Connecting Portland to the World since 1985 I ’ i i i i I iiiu I x o h lr u ItH fillx owned IS I‘! Internet access - dialup & high speed DSL Web hosting Unix shell access Spam filtehng Static IP addresses Affordable $5-15/mo dialup, $20 DSL Visit www.rdrop.com or dial in for details! 56K/ISDN access and signup 503-972-0365 You can even connect to a real live human al 503-574-4195 G ay o w n e d a n d o p e ra te d egon Camera Everything Photographic We have a knowledgeable, friendly staff helping you find the right cam era, binoculars, or photographic accessories. A 'fam ily' owned and operated business since l ()97. 582 SW Adams Avenue (541 ) 753-2653 Corvallis, OR 97333 www.oregoncamera.com J o n K r e t z u espite the tragedy of 9/l I, persistent ter rorist threats, S A R S paranoia, a precipi tous decline in tourism and a steadily depressing national economy, New York City somehow manages to rise above— like the gutsy lady she is. There is still no more exciting place to spend a week filled to over flowing with theater, dance, music and art or just reveling in the sheer joy of spending time in this unique adult playground. Broadway had one of its best seasons in recent memory this year— every show l saw was filled to capacity (despite the never- ending rise in ticket prices, which now top out at $ lOl for all musicals and even a few straight plays). These sold-out crowds responded to everything with rapture. It was also the gayest season in memory. There were gay plays, gay musicals, shows with gay subtext (we all know Frog and Toad were just a hit more than pond buddies), shows with gay diva icons feasting on scenery (God bless Bernadette, Vanessa and Harvey) D ick Latessa and Harvey Fierstein’s star-turn and shows that were just so fabulous they in H airspray is pure musical comedy bliss. were gay hy association. It all reached an In set: John W aters takes a bow at the apotheosis in the Tony Awards, which were production’s opening last year in New York almost an entirely gay affair with the sole exception of host Hugh Jackman’s hair. expert, particularly leading lady Marissa Jaret T h e excitem ent was palpable wherever I Winokur as Tracy Tumhlad, whose energy went, and nowhere more so than at this year’s could light up several Broadway theaters. All Producers phenomenon: Hatrspray. in all, if you miss Hairspray you’re missing two hours of total joy. This musical adaptation of John Waters’ camp classic is a monster hit, and deservedly so. T he only other new musical of note this Basically a gtxxl old-fashioned musical (with a season is a real surprise. Choreographer Twyla truly funny kx>k by Mark O ’Donnell and Tharp has taken the entire catalog of Billy Joel’s Thomas Meehan and a clever and catchy score classic nx:k ’n’ roll songs and used them as the hy Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman), Hair- inspiration for a thrilling two-act dance drama spray tweaks the traditional form with a wealth called M inin’ Out. Joel’s tough and tender of gay humor, sweetly subversive in-jokes, wild tunes— played hy a kick-ass hand led by the ’60s surrealist designs and a healthy smattering of talented Michael Cavanaugh— provide the new millennium political correctness— all of launching pad for Tharps dazzling choreogra which the audience laps up like parched puppies. phy and dramatic invention. T h e wonderful cast is led hy the iconic Every member of the Movin’ Out cast is a Harvey Fierstein (gay, of course!), reprising remarkable dancer/actor, hut mention must he Divine’s original film role as Edna Tumhlad. made of its leading quartet: the amazing fire Fierstein delivers possibly the greatest drag brand Elizabeth Parkinson, the lyrical Ashley leading lady performance in musical theater Tuttle, the sinuous David Gomez and, above history with wit, affection and razor-sharp tim all, John Selya, who gives the single greatest ing. To watch him and the ageless Dick Latessa dance performance I’ve seen since Barysh do their star-turn duet “Timeless to M e” is to nikov’s glory days. Movin' Out is a rare com bi experience pure musical comedy bliss. nation of music, dance and drama— a Broad T h e rest of the Hairspray ensemble are all way ballet— that astonishes and exhilarates. j Auto, Home, Life, Health & Business epb&b "Your Independent Insurance Agency " insurance Klliott, Powell, Rudrn Ic Baker, Inc. Hartford still offers earthquake insurance on older homes H ■XL T iik .1 ---- artford Marc Baker Downtown Portland (5 0 3 ) 2 27-1771 www.epbb.com Gay actor Denis O ’Hare s nebbish accountant (left) finds a reason to love baseball in T a k e Me Out This seasons other musical highlights can he found in a pair o f marvelous revivals. Nine is Maury Yeston’s adaptation of Fellini’s film mas terpiece 8 i/2. Its seductive score and dreamlike hook needs a strong directorial design hand to pull its varied strands into place. Unfortunately, this popular and very glamorous production lacks just this element of cohesion, and it sim ply pales against the memory of Tommy Tune’s original 1972 production. T h e original was art; the revival is a magazine layout. Nine is basically hampered hy David Lev- eaux’s excessively Euro-centric, so-chic-and- metaphoric-its-incomprehensible direction and an unwieldy design. (W hat is with that fkxxling stage and toy gondola sequence wherein all those gorgeous women have to carefully remove their faux-Manolo Blahnik pumps and splash about self-consciously in ankle-deep water?) T he Nine ensemble, however, soars above the silliness. Movie star intem ationale A nto nio Banderas is perfectly cast in the Marcello Mastroianni role, and he certainly does every thing within decency to seduce the audience— he sings beautifully, is effortlessly channing and pours on the Latin emoting when necessary. Chita Rivera is imperious, timelessly beautiful and just plain delicious in an ultra-fabulous tango routine with Mr. Banderas; Jane Krakowski is gor geous, sultry and surprisingly moving; and Mary Stuart M&sterson is sleek, sings well and just about manages to overcome her sub-spaghetti - and-meatballs dialect with nuance and style. T he other current revival on view, however, is far more effective. Gypsy is one of Broadways greatest achievements— the most heartbreaking musical ever written. Its portrait of renowned stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and her powerhouse mother is as strong as musical drama gets. Sam Mendes, one of the best directors work ing today, delivers a devastating production that truly honors the show’s tragic core. He is also * blessed with the Mama Rose of Bernadette
