Reverend's Reviews: A Bold Menagerie

"Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

These words of the narrator, Tom Wingfield, open Tennessee Williams' classic play The Glass Menagerie, first produced in 1944. While the words may be the same, the revival now playing at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles through October 17 is a bolder, longer and — most surprisingly — funnier staging than has likely ever been mounted. It also brings the play's autobiographical and homosexual subtexts roaring to the fore.

Director Gordon Edelstein and an exceptional cast headed by Judith Ivey take what purists may perceive as excessive liberties with the work. However, Williams actually encourages this in his original forward: "Being a 'memory play,' The Glass Menagerie can be presented with unusual freedom of convention." Taking full advantage of such license, the current production is set in a New Orleans hotel room that Tom has taken refuge in after fleeing his stifling family home in St. Louis (wherein the action ordinarily takes place). Furniture is occasionally moved while the play's three other characters enter and exit or are viewed through a translucent wall to evoke the original setting, but the hotel room remains dominant.

Tom (played superbly by Patch Darragh) sits at his typewriter, situated alongside the collection of tiny glass animals from which the play draws its title, and begins to write. He reads aloud as he types Williams' dialogue. Immediately, Tom's function as a stand-in for the author becomes apparent. Tom's overbearing mother, Amanda (Ivey), and sensitive sister, Laura (Keira Keeley), enter when evoked. The pivotal "Gentleman Caller," Jim O'Connor (a very impressive turn by Ben McKenzie of TV's Southland and The O.C.), also appears as written although Tom is clearly more romantically/sexually interested in him here than is usually presented.

Laura is treated as tragically as ever, although her after-dinner conversation with Jim is, while faithful to Williams' text, significantly lighter and funnier. This actually has the effect of making Jim's eventual rejection of her that much more painful to watch. Keeley is excellent as Laura, and makes the physically- and emotionally-stunted character touching without being pathetic.

For many, the main draw of the Taper's production will be the chance to see Ivey as Amanda Wingfield, who is probably Williams' most memorable female creation after/alongside Blanche DuBois. Ivey is great if at times overripe, the result perhaps of overindulging Amanda's "giddy and gay" side. She also seems to be channeling Beth Grant in Sordid Lives when she displays excessive sympathy ("Awwwwww, you're a Christian martyr, yes, that's what you are!") during her telephone calls to potential magazine subscribers. But when Amanda gets serious, so does Ivey, and she gives the woman a rage that eclipses any prior incarnation of Amanda I've seen.

I largely appreciated the production's more overt depiction of Tom's homosexual tendencies even if at times it felt excessive. Tom comes across as more flamboyant than usual and even speaks with a slight lisp; there are moments when he sounds like Truman Capote. An uncomfortable moment arises while he drunkenly relates his late-night encounter with "Malvolio the Magician" to his sister. With his pants down around his ankles and clad only in boxer shorts, Tom mounts his bed on all fours and makes it very clear that he served as one of the illusionist's "tricks"!

Edelstein & Company's Glass Menagerie certainly isn't our parents' version, but it makes for a revelatory and often enthralling night of theatre.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

MD Poll: The Best of Times

The classic gay musical La Cage aux Folles recently made history by becoming the first show to win Tony Awards for every single one of its Broadway productions. And now, it has been named your favorite From Screen to Stage show of the 2009-2010 season!

See the comments section below for the complete results.

Reverend’s Interview: Mighty Matthew Montgomery

During his first year studying theatre at USC, Texas-born Matthew Montgomery was nicknamed “The Wonder Freshman” for his acting talent and ability to snag major roles in virtually every production. Today, a little more than ten years later, Montgomery is one of a handful of openly gay, consistently working film and theatre actors along with the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Nathan Lane and Neil Patrick Harris.

Montgomery has caught many a queer eye via leading roles in such popular gay-themed vehicles as Gone But Not Forgotten, Long-Term Relationship, Back Soon, Socket and last year’s bittersweet romance Redwoods (all are available on DVD). He is currently starring in Pornography: A Thriller, a creepy murder-mystery that debuted at last year’s Outfest and will be released on DVD in July.

I recently enjoyed a leisurely, wide-ranging chat with the 32-year old Montgomery over coffee in West Hollywood. The actor, who often appears nude in his films, is even better looking in person … despite keeping his clothes on! He laughed and quickly turned red when I reminded him of his “Wonder Freshman” moniker.

“The funny thing,” Montgomery told me, “is that I’m back at USC now, finishing my Bachelor’s degree in theatre.” He dropped out of college after two years, and eight years later decided to return and complete his studies even though he is a successful, working actor.

One wonders what Montgomery’s professors would think of Pornography: A Thriller. The actor states: “It’s kind of a mind f**k of a movie, which is what I said to myself when I read the script and what really attracted me to the movie.”

Montgomery plays Michael Castigan, one-half of a contemporary gay couple that gets caught up in the mysterious, decade-old disappearance of a legendary gay porn star. The film is disturbing for its suggestions of sexual violence, and is potentially confusing to viewers who don’t pay close attention. It is similar in tone and style to such David Lynch productions as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive.

“There aren’t a lot of films out there like (Pornography) — particularly in the gay genre — that push the boundaries and try to think outside of the box,” Montgomery explained. “I was really attracted to the challenge of telling a story in a non-linear way, both from an acting standpoint and from a visual and cinematic standpoint.”

Pornography marks the debut of writer-director David Kittredge, for whom Montgomery has nothing but praise. “For David’s first feature film, he could have easily gone the romantic-comedy direction or tried to tell any kind of easier story, but he chose to take a chance on something that could potentially be polarizing for an audience. I really appreciated that.”

While I believe Pornography: A Thriller can be interpreted as a negative critique of the gay porn industry, Montgomery disagreed. “Some of the criticism that we’ve received is from people who said it’s very admonishing of the porn industry or of people who watch porn in general. Actually, I think the industry of pornography is just the backdrop of the film, and it’s really about how the lines can easily get blurred between fantasy and reality. I think the porn industry here serves as a very universal metaphor.”

I inquired as to Montgomery’s thoughts on another of his movies, Socket, in which he plays a gay man who becomes sexually aroused by electricity. He replied: “The thing that I really loved about Socket is that it was such a blatant metaphor for drug addiction in our community, and I felt that (director) Sean Abley really did such a great job of transcending that into a sci-fi metaphor, something which hadn’t been done before.”

Montgomery gives his two best performances to date, in my opinion, in the soulful romances Back Soon and Redwoods. In the former, he plays a man who becomes an unwitting host for the spirit of a dead woman reaching out to her bereaved husband. As the men grapple to understand their metaphysical situation, they become involved with each other sexually.

“It’s a really bizarre premise,” Montgomery reflected. “That was the second film I did (after Long-Term Relationship) with director Rob Williams. He came to me with the script and I read it and said ‘What is this?’ It was really kind of the opposite of our prior film together, which was a very light, funny, romantic comedy that didn’t take itself too seriously. Back Soon was very much on the opposite end of things, more supernatural and much more serious.”

Montgomery has become involved as a producer of several of Williams’ movies, including Back Soon, 3-Day Weekend and last year’s hit Make the Yuletide Gay. Largely in response to popular demand, they are now in development on Make the Yuletide Gay 2, which will reunite many of the original cast members.

The actor-producer is also prepping three other upcoming films, Role/Play, Finding Mr. Wright and Sticke Figures, the latter of which Montgomery has also written. In Role/Play, Montgomery and his real-life partner, Steve Callahan (who also appears in Pornography: A Thriller), will star as an out gay activist going through one of California's first gay divorces, and a closeted soap-opera star recently outed, respectively. Hiding out from negative media coverage, the two men meet at a secluded Palm Springs resort, where they soon find common ground as they explore the fickle nature of fame in the gay community and the issues facing gay celebrities in the media.

Montgomery and Callahan have also been acting together on the stage in recent months as part of the international tour of Terrence McNally’s controversial play, Corpus Christi. Callahan plays Judas to a gay Jesus, and Montgomery is the apostle Bartholomew. Tour information, including upcoming performance cities and dates, may be found at the official website of 108 Productions.

“It’s a really incredible play,” Montgomery says, perhaps primarily to those who haven’t seen it. “They are also filming a documentary on it.” He is particularly excited that Corpus Christi will be making its West End premiere in London in July, featuring this cast. Montgomery and I joked about whether his West End debut would qualify him to finally complete his college studies. “Can I get some school credit?” Montgomery laughed. “How about a degree? Doesn’t that get me a degree?”

With or without his Bachelor’s, Matthew Montgomery’s star is clearly on the rise in the GLBT independent film industry, the theatre world, and beyond.

For more information about Matthew Montgomery, visit his official website.

UPDATE: Pornography: A Thriller is now available on DVD from Amazon.com.

Interview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Awards Watch: GLAAD Tidings 2009

GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), the nation’s GLBT media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, has announced the nominees for its 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

As expected, A Single Man and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire led the nominees for Outstanding Film - Wide Release, where they are joined by Everybody's Fine, I Love You, Man and Taking Woodstock. Meanwhile, Casi Divas, The Country Teacher, Little Ashes, Phoebe in Wonderland and The Secrets fill out the Limited Release category

Nominations for television include three-time winner Brothers & Sisters in the drama race and freshman series Glee and Modern Family in comedy, plus One Life to Live for daily drama.  Pedro and Prayers for Bobby are among the TV movie nominees.  Plus, Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon will be honored with the Vito Russo Award, presented to "an openly GLBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for our community".

See the comments section below for a quick look at all the English-language nominees.  The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in New York on March 13, in Los Angeles on April 17 and in San Francisco on June 5.

UPDATE:  Video salute to the 2009 film and TV nominees.

Reel Thoughts: Whores for the Taking

On November 22, I had the pleasure of joining the cast of Phoenix Rising Artists Collaborative as they presented their last night of Charles Busch's hilarious play, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. All proceeds went to the Desert Mountain States Chapter of the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, which has been helping people fight the diseases since 1949.

As part of the fundraising effort, Charles Busch graciously agreed to personally sign a copy of his novel, Whores of Lost Atlantis, and send it to the person who made the highest bid. At the show, the highest bid offered was $100.00, but we at Movie Dearest are happy to open the bidding up to you, our readers, for the next two days.

If you would like to pledge a donation, please let me know at reelthoughts@aol.com by midnight Thanksgiving night. If your pledge is the highest, we will inform you how to make your donation, and will send your name and address to Mr. Busch, so that he can personally sign and send you your book.

Whores of Lost Atlantis is Busch's fictionalized story of how a wild group of actors came together to create a show not unlike Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, in a bar not unlike the East Village's notorious Limbo Lounge. Busch is as delightful a novelist as he is a playwright, so you'll love trying to discern what events in the book really happened.

By Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Reel Thoughts Interview: The Marshall Plan

Arizona’s Joe Marshall is taking New York by snowstorm this Christmas. Marshall was a fixture on Valley stages, but now he’s finding success Off Broadway after moving to New York City earlier this year. In June, he staged his play Dirty Secrets, and now, he is opening his newest show, The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever! It’s a title Kathy Griffin loves, and recently, Margaret Cho stopped by to show her support.

The show concerns a strapped West Hollywood gay theater that is thrown into a tizzy when their eccentric playwright storms off before their big holiday show. Can the group of drama queens don their gay apparel fast enough to open on time? Does Liza wear false lashes?

A Tucson native, Marshall founded the Alternative Theatre Company in 1991 in Phoenix to fill the void for GLBT theater after the closing of the landmark Janus Theatre. He focused on producing modern gay plays by John Glines, such as Chicken Delight and Men of Manhattan, and later, Marshall’s own gay-themed plays. Dirty Secrets, about a twisted trio of gay men, and the gay Neil Simon-esque antics of A Night in Vegas were hits about a decade ago.


For a few seasons, the Alternative Theatre Company had a home in the gayest strip mall in Phoenix near the queer boutique Unique on Central, and Marshall grew a loyal fan base that he treasured. But disputes with the landlord shuttered the theater and the company went into hibernation. Marshall moved to Tucson in 2006.

NC: What has been happening since you left Arizona?
JM: Ohmigod! I left Arizona? Oh wait, it’s becoming clear to me now. I did leave Arizona. Well, needless to say, I moved to New York. Shortly after arriving, I approached Lawrence Page, the new owner of The Actors Playhouse, about producing my play The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever! We work shopped it last December in Tucson, resulting in a rewritten/reworked production. After holding a staged reading, with 37 actors, and a big enthusiastic audience, we got the green light to move forward.

The Actors Playhouse, steeped in gay history, was always secretly my first choice. Productions at the venue have included Howard Crabtree's Whoop-Dee-Doo, Harvey Fierstein’s Safe Sex and Torch Song Trilogy, Ten Percent Revue, An Evening with Quentin Crisp, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, Boy Meets Boy, Fortune and Men's Eyes, among many others.


The theater is located in New York's Greenwich Village. The typical 'black box' decor is no longer. The walls were stripped down to its original brick and imported tri-colored slate stone. New flooring was installed, the stage was reinforced and mahogany wood trimming was installed with a new landmark-approved marquee. Needless to say, this is the perfect location for a gay Christmas play, conveniently located right near Christopher Street and the original Stonewall Inn.

Similar to Phoenix, the talent pool here is amazing, but a thousand times larger. I no longer have to ask strangers walking down the street "Hey, want to be in a play?" We just listed our auditions and received over 300 submissions within a couple of days.

NC: I hear that Dirty Secrets had a well-received production Off Broadway. Tell me all about it?
JM: Yeah! Can you believe it? It was the first of my works to open Off Broadway. I remember opening in Phoenix to scathing reviews. At last I’m feeling justified. Dirty Secrets is always fun to revisit – hard to believe I wrote it over 10 years ago. Some rewrites, but all in all, the play is pretty solid. However, the ending changed again, and two weeks prior to opening, the actor playing Tom had to drop out due to family issues in LA. The producer told me I would have to step into the role. This time around, I found it emotionally draining to perform five times a week.


NC: Do you miss Arizona?
JM: In many ways, yes. I miss the guerrilla theater process we had in Phoenix, throwing a full-scale production up with little or no financial support. The loyal audiences who respectfully attended many of my productions, good, bad or indifferent. Friendships I’ve held for over 20 years. Phoenix will always be the city that allowed me to achieve many of my goals, something I’ll never forget.

NC: What kind of star encounters have you had since hitting the Big Apple?
JM: Good Lord, unlimited encounters; unlike California, actors actually use mass transit here. I’ve seen many a celebrity on the subway, walking down a busy street, eating in crowded restaurants. And the strange thing is, for the most part, they’re left alone.

I have to say the most impressive encounter was John Glines, who attended a performance of Dirty Secrets and after the performance sharing dinner with my partner, his partner and our director. Shortly after the show, my partner Adrian Maynard, and I were invited for cocktails at John’s home where he shared many stories about famous people he either worked with or had the opportunity to meet.


John Glines has always been a mentor for me. The Alternative Theatre was founded by actually producing a season of John’s plays. One claim to fame of his was winning a Tony for producing Torch Song Trilogy on Broadway. And you can’t overlook his groundbreaking acceptance speech, where he was the first person to ever thank their same-sex partner on national TV. I got to actually hold his Tony Award at the end of the evening. Of course, it took six cocktails for me to actually get the nerve to ask. “Hey, John, can I hold your Tony?”

NC: Other than your play and celebrities, any amazing things happen to you in New York?
JM: I live in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn with Adrian. Every Thursday we take a 20-minute subway to Coney Island for the free summer concert series. We’ve seen Frankie Valli, Connie Francis, Hall and Oates, Blondie, Pat Benatar and Donna Summer. Talk about amazing. Each week the crowd gets more and more gay. We’re expecting next week to just be a big gay disco party with 25,000 of our closest friends.

The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever! is now playing in previews and officially opens November 29 at The Actors’ Playhouse in New York. Performances continue through January 3. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit their official website.

Interview by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Reel Thoughts Interview: Meet the Kinsey Sicks!

The Kinsey Sicks, America’s favorite Dragapella Beauty Shop Quartet, doesn’t hold back when it has an opinion, as evidenced by the title of its latest show, Wake the F#@k Up, America! Equality Arizona has partnered with the voluptuous foursome to strike fear in the hearts of bigots statewide for a night of bawdy and brilliant comedy and song.

Founded in 1993 by four friends who attended a Bette Midler concert in drag, the Sicks pair razor-sharp parodies with flawless harmonies. Oy Vey in a Manger, its holiday show, demonstrates the troupe’s Jewish sensibilities, but everyone can enjoy the Sicks’ comic sense. From sold out concerts nationwide to the Off Broadway sensation Dragapella!, to its popular and long-running Las Vegas show, the Kinsey Sicks prove a huge audience exists for the take-no-prisoners humor it provides, mixed with out-of-this-world singing.


You’d never guess that Rachel (Ben Schatz), Winnie (Irwin Keller), Trixie (Jeff Manabat) and Trampolina (Spencer Brown) actually led lives pre-Kinsey as activists, lawyers and actors before donning their gay apparel and becoming the fabulous quartet that will invade the Chandler Center for the Arts September 25 for one night only.

I spoke with Rachel, the group’s muscular worrywart, and sometimes her creator, Ben Schatz. I thanked her/him for doing the interview, despite coming straight off of a rehearsal and performing in Provincetown, Massachusetts. “Let’s see what you think afterward,” she joked.

The Sicks managed to make it through the Bush era, even “switching sides” to sing “I Wanna Be a Republican,” so I asked Rachel how life was for the Sicks in the Obama age. “Oh, much better. The sex is better,” she replied.


The Sicks are excited to come to Chandler and help Equality Arizona. “We believe in being equal. It’s my favorite sugar substitute.”

I warned Rachel about the crackpot pastor in Tempe who wishes President Obama would die and preaches that homosexuality is “an abomination which God punishes with the death penalty.” She sounded sad for a moment. “Ahhh, he’s just pissed off because we had a difficult break-up,” she said.

I gamely suggested that the Sicks might go kick some wacko right-wing ass, but Rachel demurred. “I think we’re wacko enough ourselves, thank you very much. It’s hard to kick your own ass. Try it!”

I asked Rachel what Dragapella lovers should expect from the show? “Years of therapy,” she quipped.

I asked whether or not the Kinsey Sicks ever goes too far, and Ben stepped in to answer. “We do sometimes push the envelope, but we’re constantly reevaluating to see how we can hone our material, and some routines are great for some audiences but not for others.” But is the material too biting? Do they go too far? “People do often complain that we use too much teeth. But that’s generally after the show,” Rachel replied. And sometimes the group’s members feel that they went places they shouldn’t go? “Well, I certainly hope so!”

I asked Rachel what she thinks of America now, and the whole political climate. She said, “I think we need more lunatics. I’m lonely. I’m hoping that at one of these health care forums, I can find a mentally-deranged date.”

I mentioned how Rachel is referred to as the most muscular of the Sicks and she corrected me. “That’s only my genitals.”

I asked Rachel to dish a little and tell me things about the other Sicks that they wouldn’t want to see in print. “I absolutely would never say that they’re all untalented cows … but I would think it. And how many cows are talented when you really think about it?”

I asked Rachel if she is looking forward to coming to Arizona and she quickly replied, “You know, I love Arizona. It’s my favorite iced tea, and a damn good place to perform.” Ben cut in and added, “We’ve always had just a phenomenal time, we get such a great reception. It’s such a relief to know that there are so many tasteless people all gathered in one state.”

The Sicks have been through Clinton, then Bush, Rove and Cheney, and they’re still here, so I asked Ben what the secret is. “There will always be idiots to make fun of, so my work is never done.”

Back to Rachel, I asked her what one thing people should know about the show. “No refunds,” she replied. And what would she like people to take away from their performance? “Several of our CDs.”

I thought in closing, it would be fun to do a little word association with Rachel, just to see how sick she was. She did not disappoint ...

NC: Ann Coulter ...
Rachel: The sex was HOT! Although someone needs to tell Ann that up close, you can totally see his Adam's apple.

NC: Swine flu ...
Rachel: This is why you should never have sex with a pig without using a condom.

NC: Venereal disease ...
Rachel: Not an obstacle. Call me. PLEASE!!!

NC: The Defense of Marriage Act ...
Rachel: When I was young I saw my parents performing a "marriage act" and believe me, there was no defense for it.

NC: Death panels ...
Rachel: I don't know why they want to pull the plug on grandma. If she wants to use a plug, Obama has no business pulling it out of her.

NC: A good man is ...
Rachel: An oxymoron.

For more information on The Kinsey Sicks' fundraiser for Equality Arizona at the Chandler Center for the Arts, click here.

Interview by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.