Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
#1Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/28/13 at 3:43pm
Extraordinary article by Frank Rich in this week's New York magazine about a theater manager who was instrumental in Rich's early life.
Clayton Coots in front of the Blackstone Theatre in 1966.
FRANK RICH: Ancient Gay History … is really just yesterday. My surrogate parent Clayton Coots was one of countless closeted men who didn’t live long enough to see this moment.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#2Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/28/13 at 4:23pmWow. That is amazing. Thank you Frank (and PJ).
JbaraFan1
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/04
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#3Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/28/13 at 4:32pmI can't wait to get home and read it, the name sounds familiar from Rich's excellent "Ghost Light" book.
#4Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/28/13 at 5:12pmNamo, I believe he was the mentor in the book who was obsessed with "Hurry, It's Lovely Up Here." Ghost Light is one of my favorite theater-related books.
#5Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/28/13 at 5:15pm
Yes, he is--he used to play the piano all alone in the Martin Beck, with only the ghost light.
NYadgal
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/04
#6Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/28/13 at 6:40pm
Fascinating. Beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this!
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#7Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/28/13 at 10:33pm
That's a gorgeous article. Frank Rich is such an insightful man.
I loved, "Dear Pal Frank."
And this really resonated with me:
Thus the Clayton Coots story, like so many others of his time, trails off into fragments, ellipses, and mysterious dead ends.
madlibrarian
Broadway Star Joined: 8/15/06
#8Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/29/13 at 2:33pm
So who headed the '63 touring cast of Shot in the Dark?
Perhaps someone with the Best Plays or some such source could look it up and let us know.
IAMWHATIAM
Broadway Star Joined: 1/31/06
#9Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/29/13 at 3:01pmThat's a really wonderful and moving piece. Thanks for posting it.
#10Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/29/13 at 4:01pm
Beautiful piece. Frank and I have been in touch over the years, and I had the great pleasure to share with him how deeply moved I was by it the other day. GHOST LIGHT is my favorite book. Period.
#11Frank Rich and His Gay Mentor
Posted: 5/29/13 at 8:06pmWow, I misted up reading that. Reminded me of my uncle Beau, he was married to my mom's step sister and was a test pilot during the "Right STuff" period, late sixties. A very refined Southern Gentleman, cultured, smart and funny. He ended up getting bashed one night in a motel. He was a closeted homosexual who every so often would go out drinking and pick up tricks and take them to cheap motels. They were trapped in a very different day and age.
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