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

The other night I was at my friend Franz's house doing a photo shoot. At the end of the shoot - where I played an elderly grandmother creepily offering mustard greens to the camera - I went up to Franz's room to see the entire set of pictures on a larger screen. As I walked into Franz's room, something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. As I turned I saw an original movie poster from the gay iconic film Hocus Pocus staring the stunningly talented and fellow ginger Bette Midler. I about gay gasped myself into next week as I stood in awe and reverence for the poster. I wanted to steal the framed artifact right from wall and rush home with it. Then I realized that my friend Franz probably had the same love and fervor for the movie as I did and would hunt me down to get the poster back. 

What is about Hocus Pocus and gay men? What is about an early 90s Disney movie about 3 witch sisters bumbling along in the 20th century that is so appealing for gay men? Is it because, in some respects, the Sanderson Sisters look and act like a group of 17th century drag queens ripe with musical numbers, big hair and ridiculous costumes? Or, much like our apparent fascination with vampirism, is it the age-old search for eternal youth and beauty through mystical means story again? I am not entirely sure but I feel as though every gay man I know is absolutely in love with the movie.  I am waiting for them to turn it into a Broadway Musical ... any day now. I mean if they were able to turn Shrek into a musical, why can't they turn Hocus pocus into one? 

Two a half years ago, a group a comedians sat in my living room, mapping out our improv shows for the upcoming season. At the time, GLEE was gaining incredible momentum and other TV shows were joining the musical bandwagon by having their own musical episodes. Almost as if it were a joke, we nonchalantly thought to ourselves "why don't we make our season finale a musical episode; we'll write a storyline, a script, and some original songs" - as if this was something people do everyday. Two and a half years later, this musical has been performed twice, re-written twice, and has had scores of musical numbers created for it - some of these numbers have been taken out or modified over the years, others are still in their original state. It's been an incredible journey, tiring and frustrating at times, but always an incredible journey. This year has seen the most change with the addition of new characters, new songs, new technical aspects, and an overhaul of some of the plot points. What we now have is comedic musical meant to make people laugh and inspire them to chase their dreams however far-fetched they may seem to yourself and the people in your life.

IMPROV-The Musical is the semi-autobiographical fairytale of a group in comedians in Reno, NV attempting to achieve their dreams of fame and success. People always say to write what you know ... I think we may have taken that advice a little too literally. The group decides to form an improv comedy troup - The Utility Players, who gain notoriety in the city of Reno. However,  a downtrodden comedian - aided by a dark and fabulous witch - attempts to steal the talent of comics around the world, including the Utility Players and establish himself as the one and only comedian in the world. Can the Utility Players - with the help of their own fairy godmother - stop this evil comedian and save the world's laughter?

Make sure to not miss this production. I have been given the honor of directing this production as well be in it. I am, obviously, playing the evil witch and fairy godmother - who are incidentally twins, convenient huh. My wigs and costumes for the production are ABSOLUTELY fantastic. As my choreographer likes to point out, my look is a combination of Black Swan, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Velma Kelly from Chicago... meets a drag queen ;). You have three chances to see this Artown sponsored show - the 19th, 20th and 21st. Doors open at 7 and show starts at 8pm. You can purchase tickets from me directly, check out one of our fabulous ticket hubs - Melting Pot, Prism Magic or Discology - or buy them online at Reno Tahoe Comedy North. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Hope to see you all there!!!

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.

I recently attended Good Luck Macbeth’s first musical production – The Fantasticks – the longest running musical in history. I was elated by GLM’s risky endeavor to produce a musical. I have noticed that a musical is easier to sell than any straight play - though harder to produce; probably because it appeals to a wider audience base. It is hard sometimes to remain engaged in the story and characters of your typical two hour play. Most of the time I just sit there and think to myself how much better this play would be if it were turned into a musical.  With a musical, you know there will be campy dance breaks and impressive vocal numbers.

The Fantasticks, which first premiered in 1960 and closed in 2002, is the longest running musical – eat your heart out Andrew Llyod Webber. The musical relates the story of two somewhat star-crossed lovers; Matt, a slightly older college student home on break, and Luisa, the bright slightly divaish girl who has never really seen the world or left her house for that matter. The two lovers are neighbors and are separated by a wall erected by their horticulturally-inclined fathers. I am still convinced that the fathers were carrying on a gay romance in secret and hid their love by talking each other’s “vegetable gardens”. The fathers feign the appearance of a feud with another, so that their children might end up together – because children always do the exact opposite of what they’re told. The two fathers concoct a scheme and hire a magician/bandit – who also at times serves as the narrator – and a bumbling gang of washed up actors to stage an abduction of Luisa and allow for Matt to save the day and be the hero. The first act ends with the bandits defeated, the lovers enamored with one another, and the gay fathers gaily flitting about. Like, Into the Woods, the first act is a self-contained story and the second act goes into detail about why things might not necessarily be happily ever after.  The lovers become board with another and the fathers become disgruntled. Each lover decides to go and “see the world” and break out of their conventional shells. Both, experience the hardships and deceit that is sometimes found in the world and they return to one another a little bruised and wore down but appreciative of the love they once had for each other and decide to get back together.

Not to sound obvious, but aside from the fantastic performances by all cast members, one of the best parts of the show was the ridiculously hot and suave magician/bandit man. He fluttered onto stage – all 6 “6, 250 pounds of him - with tight-fitting Zorro costume – cape included – and an adorable little fedora on top. I took one look at him and thought “ooohh honey baby child you could be my phantom menace anytime. All you would have to do is wear that outfit and sing to me with your dark and resonating voice.” Another favorite aspect of the show is the mute. Though she had no lines, throughout the show she had a comedic presence that contributed and enhanced the overall production.

The show is unfortunately closing this weekend, but if you haven’t had a chance to see it, I whole-heartedly recommend it. There is a show tonight, Friday night, and Saturday with an admission price of $15 and a start time of 7:30pm.

I'm not going to say that my voice is horrible - on the offhand chance that a Broadway musical director is reading my blog as we speak - but I also wouldn't comment that it is anything stellar. As I was growing up, I had an affinity - dare I say obsession - with singing. I sang everything; usually extremely loud and off key. My mother repeatedly threatened to throw me out of moving vehicles if I sang on the way to school in the morning. It's not her fault; I often tried to emulate Whitney, Mariah, or Celine. My young gay pre-teen couldn't understand that it is hard for a 12 year old white boy to sound like Whitney Houston but lord knows I tried.

Over the years, I slowly and surely improved my vocals through proper instruction and practice with musicals. Well, the moment of truth came when fellow Utility Player Amanda was not at our most recent show. I had to step in for "Boy Band" and work with the three members of our band to come up with a solid performance. We pulled Jes' dad and stepmom up on stage - obviously - thus making the game a little more comfortable - with familiar folks there - however increased the pressure immensely; Jes' dad and stepmom wanted a phenomenal performance and we could not disappoint.

Typically when we have rehearsed this game I have gone last. Typically I don't have the best sounding voice, but usually can improv a decent rhyme scheme and hilarious lyrics that the audience doesn't care. Matt, Ian, and Ariel stepped up to the plate and delivered their improv verses with hilarity. Now it was my turn. Pressure on. Ariel had just delivered an incredibly performance, passed me the mic, and gave me the "alright you're up look". Time to bring it home. I decided to focus on Jes' stepmom - Cindy. Prior to this moment I was thinking of all the things to rhyme with Cindy. Time was running out and my options were unfortunately limited - not many things rhyme with Cindy. What happened after that moment was a mix of luck, divine intervention, and great improv coaching. Check out the video below; I think that I pull off the "straight-dude-trying-to-get-with-the-older-woman" well.

Well lordly, it has been ages since I have been able to steal away and write a blog entry. The past couple of weeks have been some of the busiest, craziest, and most exciting weeks of my time here in Reno. In the past two weeks I (1) Got a Job - THANK YOU LORD (2) Quit A'DOLLed Fantasy - long dramatic story and (3) Got cast in another musical - one of my all-time favorites, Zanna Don't!

So my life this week has been wake up at 6 in the morning, bike my ass to work, be in an office all day, bike my ass home, go to Zanna Don't rehearsal, then quickly zip over to Utility Players rehearsal, come home, masturbate, and then pass out, wake up and repeat. This has left very little time for this queen to sit down and write. However, all of these wonderful things came into my life - or incidentally left my life - at the most perfect moment. Being a part of Zanna Don't is one of the greatest experiences in my life. I have never done a professional musical theatre production before and the experience thus far has been enlightening, rewarding, and one I certainly will not forget. I have never been around theatre people for any extended period of time and so did not know what to expect from the whole experience. I walked into rehearsal and was instantly welcomed and accepted by the group. I am taking the whole experience in and trying to learn as much as I can. The best part of the experience thus far is our very gay choreographer Adam - who also stars as Zanna in the production - who is supplying us with amazing moves for the show. Now, my dance background is very limited so when he looked at us and started screaming "Do a shane, I want to see those shanes NOW!"

.... I have no idea what a shane is but in true drag queenary form I faked it as best as I could. The production is the last three weekends in August and everyone should come out and see it. The show is opening the same weekend as Reno Gay Pride - which is fitting because this musical is the GAYEST musical there is ... it even beats out the Big Gay Musical. Here is the link for the facebook event for the show. I get to play the principal in the show as well as a few other small minor roles.

So I hope to write some more updates this weekend, but this queen has been tired. It has been a while since I have had to get up consistently early in the morning and my body is not adjusting too kindly to the experience. Hopefully that will change in time. Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!!!!

My friend Ben sent this to me last night and I just about died when I saw it. I am a a big video game nerd by nature, however, usually my nerdiness only extended to World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy games, and of course Zelda. My friend sent me this link to a new Wii game that is to premiere this summer called DANCE ON BROADWAY

The game features dance steps/songs from hit Broadway musicals including Hairspray, Fame, and Dreamgirls. The object is mimic the vocals and choreography to the best of your abilities, challenge your friends, and challenge yourself for high scores.It is sort of mixture of Dance Dance Revolution and Rock Band. The popularity of the musical has reached the video game enterprise - probably due in large part to the popularity of GLEE.

This is like every little gay boy's dream; a video game that trains and hones your skills as a Broadway performer and prepares you - as much as a video game can - for the real thing. I wish that I had something like this when I was young. However, in all honesty, it is probably best that I didn't. My mother routinely threatened to kick me out of the house if I continued to belt Whitney Houston early in the morning on the way to school.

So, I need to purchase a Wii immediately, write it off as a business expense, and get this game. Check out this LINK for an advance look at the game. Next, I am hoping that in the next year, they come out with a GLEE version of this game!!!

I kid you not and even as I type this blog entry I am secretly nervous that she is already sending her woodland creatures to do her nefarious bidding.

Here is where I draw the similarity. Imagine that instead of an ancient evil in the form of fiery eyeball,  Sauron transformed himself into the body of a hot tanned 23 year old woman. My vocal coach for IMPROV the Musical is fabulously amazing and slightly scary in a fear for my life sort of way. Now imagine a group of individuals – all with various levels of experience and knowledge of music – singing through a song. You're jamming a long, swaying to the music, and believing that; wow we are doing really well!. Then, without warning, one of us slips out of tune and like the mother-fucking EYE of Sauron, our vocal teacher's head is up and suddenly scanning the perimeter to determine the culprit. She surveys each one of us individually until she has determined who is at fault. The fear of being the one who is to blame – furthermore the fear that we might be the one that screwed up and not even realize it – makes us all panic a little bit causing us to screw up even more. The result is mad pandemonium with us all singing in different keys – and as I am often told, some keys that are not even of this Earth ;).

She tells us that we need to visualize the note and imagine it in our head before we sing. That would imply that I know how to find the note or be able to reproduce it on command ;)

So I am about two months away from performing in IMPROV - THE MUSICAL, an original musical production featuring The Utility Players. I am fulfilling one of my life missions of performing in a musical. In the musical I oddly enough play a fairy godmother named Ginger - weird huh - who concentrates her energies and powers on the entertainment arena. She has a company called G.A.Y.S. - which stands for Ginger Aspiring Young Stars. Ginger sets seven strangers living in Reno on their path toward achieving their dreams. Ginger, unfortunately, has a nasty twin sister who is suffering from jealous sister syndrome. I also play Gemini - the twin sister featured on the right - who is a sassy manipulative mofo. Imagine Susan Surandon's character from Enchanted meets Ursula from The Little Mermaid. She makes it her job to foil all of Ginger's projects. As Ginger points out in the beginning of the musical;

"the last time my sister interfered in one of my plots, Paris Hilton released a CD ... I am still getting crap in the office for that one"

I really enjoy being part of a musical. I eventually will develop a theory that most plays, television shows, movies, and other media would be infinitely better if they were a musical. If we were able to sing our feelings, backed by a resounding chorus - with a the chance of group dance break - then people would (A) more likely share their feelings (2) resolve their issues with style and pizzazz.

I also really enjoy a lot of the elements found in IMPROV - the MUSICAL. Like the name suggests, there are improv elements woven thoroughout the whole musical. The Utility Players - an improv comedy troupe based here in Reno - will play improv games, actors will improv certain lines and scenes, and even one of the songs will be an improv song.  Also the musical is extremely campy and has components of a fairy tale woven through it including fairy godmothers, a love story, an evil witch, a Jester, and more.

The musical is officially sponsored by Artown and is going to take place in the ballroom of the Siena Casino July Thursday 29th at 7:00pm. Here is a link to the fanpage for the event on facebook. Make sure to head there and like it so that you can stay up-to-date with all new information, photos, video clips, and more. I hope people grab a ticket and make it out to see it!!!!