Reno sassy gay critic Oscar Ceezon reviews Bruka Theatre's muscal feat "The Wild Party". I love me some good scantily clad gentlemen callers engaging in an orgy ;)

Flapper dresses, gay characters, and a tantalizing orgy … what more could one ask for from a musical production? Bruka Theatre’s - latest theatrical piece, The Wild Party, provides audiences all that and more. Set in the late 1920s, The Wild Party explores our darkest and most intimate desires and the uncontrollable deviant behaviors that drive our lives. Queenie, a strikingly beautiful vaudeville dancer, and Burrs, a slightly creepy, possessive vaudeville clown, came together in a heap of fiery passion of love but are now unhappy in their relationship. Queenie decides to throw an epic party, with all of their friends, to put Burrs “on the rack” as she calls it. A colorful cast of quirky characters attend the party including a lesbian, an alcoholic boxer, a beautiful tap dancer with no tongue, and twin brother lovers. Queenie’s plan soon derails with the arrival of the stunningly handsome Mr. Black, who awakens within her strong feelings of love. Queenie’s flirtatious behavior toward Mr. Black causes Burrs to become mentally unhinged and mad with jealously. As the night progresses and the bottles of empty booze bottles begin to pile up, all of the characters get swept up in the chaos of and confusion of a wild party.

The musical asks the question of what it means to be the life of the party. What is the price of becoming the life of the party and what sacrifices one must make in order to maintain it? The show also explores a number of controversial and sensitive topics including incest, rape, prostitution, sex, and homosexuality.  The party becomes an insulated bubble for the characters to engage in sexual and social experimentation; a space safe from perhaps the cruel harsh reality of the world outside. Each character, burdened with unexpressed wants, spends the entirety of the night attempting to satiate their needs in some form or another. Some learn, unfortunately, the consequences of their lustful passions.

Bruka Theatre is renown for featuring boundary pushing, socially-relevant, and entertaining performances but I believe they  truly outdid themselves with his piece. The Wild Party is a fast-paced, dynamic, and musically intricate production.  The show features an all-star cast that create and maintain an engaging presence throughout the entire show. Each character had their own unique idiosyncrasies that made for rich and vibrant musical. There is always something happening on stage, no matter where audience members look. Stolen glances and playful bits shared between characters creates an genuine authenticity as well as a sensory buffet for the audience. Per usual, Bruka designed and constructed a brilliant set that enhanced the overall aesthetics and production value of the show. Finally, a cast of ridiculously attractive individuals shimmy out of their party attire, parade around in their silk boxers and hot negligee, and then proceed to have artistically sensual orgy … need I say more?  I do not profess to speak for the gays, but as a sassy gay reviewer, this receives my homo-stamp of approval. I absolutely loved this musical and plan to see it again. This is definitely a must see performance if you are in Reno area.

The Wild Party is currently playing at Bruka Theatre. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa, directed by Mary Bennett, Musical Direction by Bill Quinby ,and  Choreography by La Ronda Etheridge.

List of performance dates.

MARCH 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31
APRIL 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 2012 @ 8 PM   Matinee March 18 @ 2 PM

This past Saturday was a night of theatrical indulgence. First, I made my way to Good Luck Macbeth's theater to see their rendition of "Dial M For Murder". Reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel, this play has all the good qualities of a mystery; murder, an adulterous affair, blackmail, and a charismatic inspector to put all the pieces together. I have such awe and admiration for those that write mystery novels, screen plays, and the like; there is so much detail that the author must account for. In the case of "Dial M for Murder" a perfectly well conceived and thought out plan immediately turns to rubbish all because our slimy villain happened to overlook a seemingly minute detail that ended up being the game changer in our story. 

Afterward, we traversed the block and a half to Bruka Theater to see the last installment in their "Late Night TV Show" run; No Sex in the Biggest Little City. Inspired by an episode of Sex in the City, this TV episode was re-written a little bit to apply to Reno. When Carrie's - played by the masterful Mary Bennett - first voice over came on over the speakers I about peed my pants. The impressive cast of talented ladies - Stacey Spain, Kristin Moffitt Steedman, and La Ronda Etheridge - made this production come alive. It also didn't hurt that they had a ridiculously gorgeous man - Jason Burk - in a baseball uniform ... I'm just saying. 

The show brought up many fond memories of college. Three of my gay friends and I use to get together once a week at a local coffee shop in Wisconsin called Fair Trade, where we would talk about our lives, families, relationships, school, work, etc. One day we decided that we were going to title our rendezvous sessions "Four Gays in a Relatively Small Metropolitan Area". For the longest time I had aspirations about creating  show with that name; then I realized one already existed, "Queer as Folk". One of these days one of my ideas for a television show will pan out. 

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!!!

This past weekend, Bruka theater premiered their latest theatrical hit with "Angry Housewives". When I first heard the title of the musical, I assumed it would a little bit of Betty Friedan mixed in with "Diary of a Mad Housewife" ... only in musical form. I thought brilliant; make women's studies more accessible by converting its messages into musical lyrics.

Angry Housewives follows the story of four eccentric housewives as they each start their own journey of personal transformation. The musical establishes the trials and tribulations of each woman. Bev, who is broke after her husband died, must deal with the immature and self-centered antics of her son Tim. Next we have Wendi who quits a project as soon as she begins it, Jetta who must maintain her incompetent husband's pampered lifestyle, and finally Carol who fills the voids in her life with food - which explains her rather pronounced derriere. All are dealing with financial and relationship woes at the onset of the musical. Wendi soon convinces the girls to start a punk rock group - under the name Angry Housewives - and enter a battle-of-the-bands like competition where the winner gets $2,000.

Of all the places I thought that a musical entitled "Angry Housewives" could have gone, punk rock band was one of the last places I thought of - which is odd given the poster for the production. I thought an alien abduction would happen before a punk rock band - that being said, I appreciated the twists and turns the musical took throughout the show. The campiness of the musical was probably what I enjoyed most; given the nature of the plot line, the musical in some ways makes fun of itself and let's audiences know, that yes, this musical is about four middle-aged women starting a punk rock band.

Once again, the Bruka community delivers a masterful and thoroughly enjoyable production. I remember sitting in the seats watching Adam and Bradford don their tap shows before breaking out in an incredible tap duet thinking to myself "is this really happening?" I was peeing my pants throughout the entire show, and though I am not a fan of punk rock, I learned that I AM a fan of musicals about punk rock. I certainly recommend this show to anyone who likes hearing the hilarious plights of four disgruntled women on their path toward self-discovery and independence. Make sure to check out Bruka's website or facebook page for a complete listing of show dates.

So now I am 25 - and for all intents and purposes I shall remain the tender age of 25. I learned a few things over this past weekend - the pearls of wisdom that come with age

(1) Saturday night I went out and decided to live my life like it was straight out of a Ke$ha song - glitter included. It was remarkable and amazingly fun, however the next morning when I woke up, the world was not quite as fun and cherry as I remember it being before going to bed. My body just does not respond to booze the same way. It now takes me all day to recover from a night of excessive drinking. I have noticed that there are people that are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who can do this - multiple times a week in fact - and somehow manage to get up and function like everyone else. I'm not really sure how they do it; then I learned that they have been doing it their entire lives and their body has just learned to adapt over time.

(2) I learned this weekend that Fed-ex Kinkos could possibly be one of the worst-run businesses in the world. My roommate Jes, creator and producer of the Uitlity Players, called Kinkos one clandestine night to make copies for us when they dutifully informed us that they were unable to print anything ... but ...you're Fed-Ex. Isn't your primary responsibility, as a business, is to provide me the means by which to print things? Isn't that like "In & Out" saying that you can't get a burger because they don't have meat? So Jes and I had go down their ourselves and when the printer we were using jammed and stopped working, not a single employee would come and help us - one even went so far as to walk right by us as we told him the printer was broken. Perturbed, I walked over to the counter to find a band of incompetent morons discussing their break time. Eventually, Jes was able to fix the printer, with no assistance from the wonderful staff at Kinkos. Dear Kinkos, you suck at life, merge with another company please and suck even more.

(3) There is something about four men playing "The Golden Girls" that is so epic it defies explanation.

(4) People will surprise you with their gratitude, thoughtfulness and love on your birthday in ways that are truly beautiful.

(5) The rapture did not happen; try explaining that one family Christian radio. I guess your math skills are really atrocious. If the rapture did happen, I do believe the good lord came down, put up his/her feet and watched the show, and said "well gosh, that is some quality entertainment right there".

I really had a wonderful birthday weekend with so much love and blessings I cannot wait to see what the next 25 years of my life bring me - oh that's a scary thought.

 Aside from starring in a musical porno film with Matthew Morrison. Hmmm musical porno, I think I am on to a new creative endeavour here. It will fit in nicely with the new GLEE church I want to open - this church would also perform GLEE weddings.

 My fellow Renoites, you have another opportunity to catch the last TV show in Bruka's run of "Late Night TV Shows" - The Golden Girls.

This infamous television show featured some - if not the - funniest and smartest women in comedy and television; Betty White, Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, and Rue McClanahan. These iconic women have left impressions on all us. For many us, these four women created a generation of gays and are responsible for the bright flames of our faggotry. In many ways, the show allowed for audience members to reminisce. What comes to mind for me when I think of the Golden Girls? Firstly, I think of staying up with my mother when I was young and watching episodes - like I said, a whole generation of gays.  When I came back to the show years later I found a greater appreciation for not only the humor but the strong social messages woven into the storylines. Four elderly women, all sexually active, struggling with such issues as divorce, gay siblings, pregnancy, sex, HIV/AIDS, suicide, and more. The four women shed light on struggles faced by the elderly - as well as many other populations in our society.  

We performed the episode, "the Artist", to a packed audience, who stood in awe of four men who were able to convincingly portray these characters. When Adam (Dorothy) first walked on stage, the audience went absolutely nuts. The mannerisms, the tone of voice, and the costume have all been worked and refined to get it as close as possible to the actual characters. Any who attend this show will not be disappointed. The show starts at 11:00pm at Bruka in the heart of downtown Reno, with doors opening at 10:30pm. Admission to the show is just a mere $5.   Hope to see you all there!!!

I have many grandiose fantasies about my future career in the entertainment arena; a touring drag show with Lady Gaga, an academy award winning performance with Meryl Streep, and being in a hit Broadway show with all the performers from GLEE just to name a few. Another one of my dreams is to have a theater showcase episodes from the Golden Girls and I would have the chance to don a pair of cushioney orthepedic tennis shoes, as myself and three other drag queens attempted to parody the iconic girls. That dream has finally come to fruition for me.

Bruka Theatre to close out their late night television show series wisely decided to put on the still ever popular Golden Girls, only with a slight twist; the "girls" would all be played by men. I came to learn that a number of major metropolitan cities including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York also do a version of "Golden Girls" live, so in some respects we are modeling ourselves after what other cities are doing. On the other hand, drag queens are few and far between in the Biggest Little City in the World and in some of those areas they are a dime a dozen.

I was cast to play the simple-minded Rose Nylund. What she lacks in higher cognitive functioning she makes up for in her kind heart and generous spirit. Rose Nylund was of course played by the infamous Betty White, who is the only living Golden Girl.

The episode Bruka decided to pick is called "The Artist". Lazzlo, a Hungarian artist shocwasing an exhibit at Blanche's museum, decided to ask Blanche to pose for him naked in order for him to sculpt the perfect woman. Throughout the episode, Lazzlo asks Rose and Dorothy to pose for him as well causing a ridiculous feud to occur.

We had a read through last night and it was absolutely ridiculous. The show does not lose anything with replacing the title roles with men; in fact we all thought it added an additional layer of humour to the episode. My hope is that this will do so well at Bruka that they will bring it back for their next season and do a run of it with maybe three or four episode instead of just the one.

Bruka Theater has once again nailed the mark on quality entertainment with the run of their most recent work “The Complete History of America (Abridged).  This three man production – featuring the comedic talents of Chad Sweet, Bill Ware, and Adam Whitney – takes audiences on a journey highlighting the cliff notes of American history. Beginning with early explorers and ending with a film noir scene encapsulating the 50s-80s. Not really knowing what to expect from the show, I went in with an open mind to the experience at hand. What I got was the 90 minute American history lesson I always wanted to have.

The show had a consistent energy of a 1920s vaudeville act complete with musical numbers, quick costume changes – including some well-timed moments of drag from Whitney -, a plethora of characters, impersonations, and accents, and a slapstick humor that kept audiences laughing all night. All combined to create a truly entertaining and memorable experience.  I enjoy the intimacy of the show; the actors directly interact with the audience and play off the energy we give them. There was a moment when Sweet emerges as a convincing Barack Obama – minus the whole he’s white thing – and answers questions directly from the audience. I asked the question why America’s colors were “red, white and blue”. Sweet answered, without missing a beat, that that was a terrible question and a blatant example of the failing school systems. Thanks for that one Chad ;) The show actually wove a number of instances of improv; a signal to the audience that they are experiencing something unexpected and unplanned. The show, though primarily scripted, incorporates current and relevant pop culture and political references – such as my beloved Wisconsin – throughout the show.  There were even moments where the antics of the actors on stage caused each other to break; I love seeing those moments, when something happens so perfect in the moment, it causes the actor to break. Each actor brings something unique and complementary to the production. Whether it is Adam’s hilarious accents, Bill’s stoic disposition, or Chad’s passion the trio successfully carried the show.

The show closes this upcoming weekend, so I encourage everyone if you are looking for a fabulous way to spend your Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night. Check out bruka’s website for more information. 

Last night, I got all dolled up and headed over to Bruka Theater for their preview of Richard III. It has been about a month exactly since The Buttcracker closed & since I have returned to Bruka. I absolutely loved that I was able to walk in - for free - with the press to enjoy a first-time glance at the production - I felt extremely posh and "with it". Though I had never seen the production and knew very little about the storyline, I was excited to see Bruka's interpretation of the piece. A modern day mob story is the theme for Richard III. Instead of seeking the throne, Richard aims to become the godfather of the land through manipulation, corruption, and murder - ya know, fun stuff. I appreciated the more modern interpretation. I thought the cast did a brilliant production and seeing my friend Jamie in a nun's habit will forever burned into my membrane.

The only thing that was a little confusing was that I didn't realize that Richard III is supposed to be ugly or deformed in some manner, so when Richard came out on stage I was continually distracted by his large hump threatening to burst through his suit. It wasn't until after the show did someone fill me in on the fake hump. Oops ......my bad.

While I was watching the show and noticing the body count invariably getting higher and higher as the scenes progressed, I wondered to myself; Does anyone survive a Shakespearean tragedy and if so, how did those brave few manage to survive to the end. So I thought I would share my list of ways to survive should you ever find yourself in a Shakespearian tragedy:

(1) Don't be of any importance to the plot line or hold a title in the show - ideally try to be a police office; everyone is typically too busy killing each other to notice the police.

(2) Don't be the heir to any throne - should you find yourself next in line for the throne abdicate your title and retire to Boca Raton. It will just be easier that way

(3) If any bajiggity disgruntled queen or dying comrade begins an epic monologue that ultimately concludes in a curse, high-tail your ass out of there. For curses in a Shakespearean play not only comes true but pretty much dictates the rest of the story.

(4) Don't go crazy ... Ophelia ... enough said

(5) Don't fall in love - it will usually be unrequited, devastating, or ultimately result in your death.

(6) Especially don't go crazy with love

(7) Don't seek revenge, it will never end well for you ... aka the entire cast of Richard III

(8) Don't kill anybody, everyone is related and Karma is a bitch.

(9) Never have children. Children will betray you, attempt to steal your thorne, or get themselves captured and are used as ransom against you.

(10) Never rely on a messager, just deliver the damn message yourself. Without fail the messager will be killed, delayed, or betray you in the end.

I don't know how you would ever find yourself in such a situation but if you do here are some sure-fire ways to make sure you live through that final monologue - which is oddly enough usually delivered by the cops. Also, if you are looking for a fantastic show and a little bit of culture then make sure that you do not miss Bruka's production of Richard III

 This week begins hell week for the upcoming Bruka production of “The Buttcracker”. The premise of the show is that an international ballet company had scheduled to do the Nutcracker at Bruka theatre, but unfortunately due to some unforeseen circumstances, the ballet company is unable to perform. The Bruka Theatre community decides to band together with only 24 hours to put on our own version of the Nutcracker – aptly named The Buttcracker.

Now, prior to becoming involved in this production I had never seen the Nutcracker – neither live nor in film format. I understood it to be a rich part of the holiday tradition but for whatever reason I never saw the appeal. Growing up with my parents, it would have taken a lot to convince my mom and dad to attend a ballet where toys come to life and prance about the stage. One of our first rehearsals we took some time to watch the original Nutcracker movie with Macaulay Culkin. Oh my lord, what a god awful movie that was. The whole premise of the Nutcracker is ridiculous. It all begins at a Christmas Eve party where a group of children act like some ADD-suffering, Crack-smoking, pillagers taking candy, toys, and whatever else they can get their hands on, while the parents watch with amusement. All of a sudden, a mysterious uncle arrives at the party and apparently fucked-up shit happens whenever he shows up. Then some toys come to life, some rats get biggigidy, a Nutcracker appears, and we all get transported to a world full of sweet and fairies. On paper, the Nutcracker sounds epic and exciting. In actuality, I don’t know why people go Coo-Coo for Coco Puffs over it.

Thank god Bruka is doing a parody of the Nutcracker. We might not be the best dancers but we have enthusiasm, a comedic wit, and some of the most fabulous costumes you have ever seen. Lauren Gifford from Prism Magic is supplying all of the costumes for the shows and they are outrageous.  So if you are looking for a fun dysfunctional family get together make sure to check out Bruka’s upcoming holiday production of Buttcracker III: The Resurrection.

Friday night, I got the night off from Zanna Don't rehearsal so that we as a cast could go to Bruka theater's latest showcase – the dark comedy “Dog Sees God”. A few members of the Zanna cast were in the production so I was happy and excited to be able to go and support them in this show. The script, written by Bert V. Royal, is a twisted parody of the beloved children's comic strip Peanuts. However Royal never received permission from Schultz for the right to use names and such from Peanuts. In response, Royal cleverly altered names and traits of the various characters. You have Tricia, a throwback to Peppermint Patty, who is a dumb, slightly alcoholic, mean girl or Van, who has discarded his precious blanket for the comforts of marijuana, or Van's sister – everyone's aggressive go-getter – who has landed herself in prison for lighting someone's hair on fire. The complexities and arduous trials and tribulations of life have warped these characters. In other words … high school happened.

The story opens with everyone's beloved beagle dead from a bad case of rabies and C.B, everyone's straight-edged conventional character, contemplating life without his faithful dog. The seemingly innocuous event of the beagle's death has brought a dark cloud of depression, confusion, and anger to the world of Peanuts. Though at one point all friends, the group has broken apart and are pursuing their own life and interests. Here is the teaser description found on Bruka's website:

“Brüka Theatre proudly presents DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD. Meet the characters from the Peanuts comic strip, ten years later. Writer Bert V. Royal re-imagines the ingenious characters that contradict their younger comic-strip selves and places them in a world full of controversy. Violence, sexual identity, drugs, and even suicide; Dog Sees God will take both teen and adult audience members to a world that they know all too well, and asks the question: Is there afterlife after high school?”

In all honesty, this is one of the funniest & darkest plays that I have scene in a long while. The campy one-liners and crude offensive comments sent the entire audience into hysterics and the emotionally poignant scenes brought a hushed silence over the crowd and more than one person could be heard sniffling – trying to fight back the tears – as the lives – and deaths – of these familiar characters played out before them. I totally sobbed like a baby, which is not really a shocker to anyone who knows me. Most of the time when I see plays, I sit through the production and think how it would have been infinitely better if it were a musical. I had no such inclination during this production and as an audience member was completely satisfied with the whole show. The show deals with a number of emotionally charged and heavy issues including drugs, alcohol, homophobia, teen sex, death, and suicide so it is definitely not a show for the faint of heart. However the show ends on a slightly uplifting note that leaves audiences with some small shred of hope of the life we lead after high school.

The show runs the entire month of July on the Bruka's mainstage. Tickets are $16 for students and seniors, $18 in advance, and $20 at the door. It is well worth the price of admission and I am probably going to see this show a second time. This show might bring up some sensitive memories for attendees but ultimately shows us all the power and impact of how a simple gesture of kindness can alter the course of events in a person's life. It is definitely not a show to miss!