OHIO/CINNKY: Jerry Spring for Governor!

I thought my out of state friends would enjoy this little bit...

Jerry Springer 1980 Governor Ad, where he admits to paying a hooker with a check.

OHIO/CINNKY: Jerry Springer the Opera Review --- AWESOMENESS

(Picture from Facebook and New Stage)

I volunteered for New Stage Collective this weekend as an usher for Jerry Springer: The Opera, and I have one very strongly worded thing to say...

It was amazing.

The whole thing is an orgy of camp and insanity. It's funny because I guess I didn't know what I was getting into when I walked in the door -- are we noticing a theme here when I go to New Stage? LOL -- because I didn't know what all the fuss was about. I had heard about the protesters, but I didn't know why they were protesting.

After all, it's just a musical about the Jerry Springer show? Right?

Abso-fucking-lutely wrong.

Though the first Act (1 hour) was what you would expect from a musical about Jerry Springer, you start to realize one thing: this ain't no Broadway show. It is done in complete operatic style with only the narrator (Jerry Springer) speaking any of the words. For a Broadway queen like me, I found myself annoyed when things like I Just Wanna Dance come up and you just want this giant, drag-queen inspired dance number...

...but the opera is part of the camp. It makes it infinitely funnier. The actors at New Stage were excellent, and, though there were only a brief moment here or there (I can't really point one out because there were so few and far between) where you think the cast is in on the joke with you, they play it off dead pan and straight faced throughout.

But it's the second act (1.25 hrs), I discovered, that got people all riled up.

Apparently saying that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was "raped by an angel" is offensive to some people. Or, having Jesus imply that he's a little gay is wrong in some people's book. Blah blah blah. Go home and shut up protestors. The show is humorous and fun, and it's meant as a satire, not as anything serious.

If God did not mean us to have fun, he would not have given us the ability to laugh.

I 100% recommend this show. If you see nothing else ever in your lifetime, this one is worth your time and money (or simply your time, as volunteers get in for free -- Ms. Erica over there is more than willing, I'm sure, to take up as much of your time as you're willing to give :-) -- and PS some of the actors and workers there are HOT; seeing HotTom over there is always fun, though).

I don't want to run down the individual cast reviews, but I'll point out some highlights:

1) Will Reed (who plays God in the second act) is phenomenal. Thank God for him :-).

2) The guy who plays the trannie ("chick with a dick with a heart") is really very, very good... and to pull off that roll as a straight male, well, sister's got some acting talent!

3) The actress playing Baby Jane was beautiful and sentimental. That's a weird way to say that she put an amazing amount of emotion into that role. It stood out for me, moreso than any of the other recurring parts.

4) The I Just Wanna Fucking Dance ... I love a woman who is proud of her body and willing to show it off. And her voice was to die for.

Anyways, go see it, love it, and then check out next season ... *SQUEALS* HISTORY BOYS!!!!! *SQUEALS!!!* (I do know what that's about...)

LOL, I'm not very good at reviewing things. It's hard to say "God that's good" over and over and over again and not sound repetitive.

GAY STUFF: Text Message Regarding My Weekend, so far

A brief text from a friend regarding my weekend so far... working on a full post, esp due to the excellent post by Donna Rose over at Bilerico today.

And when I see HRC [in my inbox]...I usually only do two keystrokes...delete and confirm delete.

More to come, off to see Jerry Springer: The Opera today!

OHIO/CINNKY: Jerry Springer the Opera -- ONE WEEK

I have like 100 things to post, including my 7 busses in 24 hours story, but I'm tired from taking 7 busses in 24 hours. I'm going to nap, but I wanted to post this vid of the run through of New Stage Collectives Jerry Springer: The Opera. . . OPENS IN ONE WEEK!!



Just a reminder... Per Penny Tration, here are the opening night plans (which I will not be a part of, but you may want to be ... I'll be there Friday night ushering.) After the show, there is an after-party for the cast and watchers at Below Zero Lounge. It should be a fabulous night, kids!!!

And don't forget to check out New Stage Collective's website for ticket purchasing information.

GAY STUFF: Linda Eder

Yes, this is a Kristy song.



I love this woman, she has a great voice. So let's introduce you to two more songs. The first one I want played at my funeral. The other one makes me want to sword fight.





And because I'm like super queer these days and pumped about Jerry Springer: The Opera coming to Cincy in two weeks...

OHIO/CINNKY: then after water

(re some of my photo's lately, I've been having problems lugging my nice camera around lately, so I've been using my camera phone. many apologies.)

Spent some time at New Stage Collective this weekend as part of the Fringe festival. See, I'm impoverished at the moment, so I am falling back on "old habits" -- volunteering to peddle my way into a good show.

I had emailed Erica over @ NSC to beg to usher for Jerry Springer the Opera, blogged about once and twice before, and she asked if I would be interested in helping out with this.

I did, and I have to say this about the play I say, then after water... the best way to ruin a great festival, excellent acting, and an amazing location is to put this show on. My major problem with the play was not that it was poorly written or poorly executed. Rather, since I knew nothing about the back story walking in, I spent the entire show trying to find out what was going on. Oh, I finally got to say in the final 5 minutes of the show, that's why everyone's sad. I know I can be slow, but I really tried to figure out who had died, or maybe been kidnapped, the whole time. Knowing what I know, it would be nice to go back and watch it and see if it was worth it. But I don't want to risk falling asleep again.

There will be people that say you should know something about what you are going to see before you go. I disagree with that because I don't think I should already know the end of the play before it begins. It's like journalism: give us the point first, and then work from there. Don't start me off in the middle of the story.

From the Cincy Fringe Festival flyer:

Available Light, "Columbus's own theatrical force of nature" (Columbus Alive)
presents then after water by Jennifer Fawcett. Inspired by real events, this
60-minute drama is an amazing love story about an act of violence that shatters
five lives at once. Moving in time between 1979, 1980, and 1999, then after
water tells the story of Ana and Ben, a young couple, who are suddenly
separated while driving home from a party, and David, the couple's son, who
still struggles with the consequences of that night, 20 years later.

Having read that, I really wish I'd liked it because it could have made for such a great psychological piece, and a really good drama. The acting was pretty good (the trucker was a little too much at times, but Ben and Ana were cute as a couple). I liked the three car setting, though I think they got a little "trigger happy" with how many times they could move them there in the last 20 minutes or so. But it and I were not meant to be, and I have to say that I'm glad I didn't pay for it.

On the bright side, it was my first time in NSC's AMAZING space, and the people that work there were great. And, of course, cutie-patootie Tom (one of the Stage Managers of this season) was a real DOLL. I would go back just to hang out with him :-)

PS If you were there, that was me behind the concessions counter. Although it was a poorly attended play. I am curious to know how the rest of the festival is going, and not just the bar things. But this was my first time participating in the festival, and next year I'm volunteering for something that involves half-naked men.

OHIO/CINNKY: Jerry Springer, the Opera, Take 2

Follow up to blog post about New Stage Collective's presentation of Jerry Springer: The Opera.

I am on darling Penny Tration's listserv -- which always serves as an exciting and wonderful reminder of what's going on in the world of gay Cincinnati -- and she informs me that her partner is the lead role in the play!!!!! :-) So you know, definitely, that I will be watching for him!!! (He's made darling Penny so so happy; I've known her for many many years, and it makes me glad to know that she's this happy. Through everything else, and I'm sure she's 100% aware of what's gone on, she's been wonderful to me and truly dear. There is so much grand and good karma that I wish upon her.)

Anyways, I have been informed that there will be an after-party after the premiere on June 26th @ Below Zero, at approximately 1030pm. Now, I have been judgmental about Below Zero in the past, as I had not been there. I will say this, now that I have visited: it is a very nice bar. I did not get a sense of the crowd as it was last call when AM and I walked in, but it was a very nicely laid out bar. And I was very happy to see some friendly and wonderful faces working there. I had a great time, the 30 minutes I was there. I'm sure I will have a great time there after the opening of the show.

To check out the show and purchase your tickets -- Penny is trying to get the show sold out at the premiere, which should not be difficult -- go here, they are $21. There are no assigned seats.

PS I just noticed that my tag for the company, New Stage Collective, is "New Stage Collection. Hrm. Fixed!

OHIO/CINNKY: New Stage Collective

In my desire to become more involved with my city, I learned one of my coworkers at the hospital, in addition to being a season ticket holder to several local arts organizations like the Cincy Ballet and CCM, volunteered for the New Stage Collective. I've always been impressed with this group, along with other local theatre organizations like ETC, so I asked her to shoot me an email with information on how to volunteer. She takes the information and tells me that the season is almost over, but let me see, they were doing something this summer...



I don't think she expected the QUEENY response, the twitching, jumping, and gasping, I gave her. I tried to express to her the importance of the song I Don't Want to Fucking Dance, especially to a drag queen, but it looks like that is on my plate for the summer. Info from the New Stage Collective website about the event:

NSC is thrilled to present the regional premiere of the sensational, award-winning musical Jerry Springer: The Opera. The only work in British history to win Best Musical in all of their major awards: Olivier Awards, Critic's Choice, Evening Standard, and What's On Stage - along with many other awards, Jerry Springer: The Opera is a fascinating mix of the highest form of art and the lowest form of culture - opera and daytime television. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Jerry Springer: The Opera presents a series of unusual characters that each are desperate for their “Jerry Springer moment." In Act 1, we attend a particularly dramatic taping of Springer’s show. In Act 2, we find Jerry hosting in a very different place as he is forced to experience the worst day of his life, and his guests take the level of debate to operatic heights.

“I remain convinced that this is a musical with a touch of genius about it. It’s filthy, it’s funny, it’s brilliantly original and, taken all in all, about as much fun as you are likely to have with your clothes on. A unexpectedly moving, thrilling, truly ground-breaking hit.”
-The Daily Telegraph

“Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee’s rhapsodic look at talk-show trashiness has the power to exhilarate that you associate with old-style Broadway musicals. Caricaturing or condemning reality television is easy; finding the emotional hunger behind the same phenomenon and translating it into witty, oddly moving music is genius.” -The New York Times

Show goes on June 26-August 13. I'm going, and I'll probably be volunteering. Who's with me???

And, for the uninitiated, this is the song:



(And no, the movie bits are not part of the stage show.)