Charles Busch to play "Mame"

I think of all the ideas circulating about that show, with or without music, this is the best. He will find the humor that made it so special with Roz. The musical is never as funny, despite its pleasures, so it's good to see the original script back. Let's hope it's a hit in Maine, and comes our way.

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This is a damn sight better idea than Cher.

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I know some of you will totally disagree and jump all over me but I find the whole idea of Mr. Bush playing Mame Dennis tasteless. First because he's a terrible actor and I use the term "actor" very loosely. Second we need less reenforcement of gay stereotypes not more. I know that many of the most vocal on this board will contradict me and drown me out but that's my opinion.

Shoot all the arrows you want but I find the whole idea campy for the sake of camp and devised solely a means of making a buck from gay men and their entourages who find this sort of thing appealing.

Another example of tasteless producing.

Bulldog.

Updated On: 2/5/04 at 05:49 PM

Etoile!

You know...I've been reticent about speaking about it...lest I seem 'tasteless' and a 'stereotype'.

But since you asked:

Who: ME, Rob Maitner
What: starring in BETTY'S SUMMER VACATION
Where: Native Aliens Flatiron Playhouse
When: Wed-Sunday, Feb. 11-15 8pm plus a 3pm matinee on the 15th AND
Tue-Sat, Feb. 17-21 at 8pm plus 3pm matinee on the 21
Why: Cause it's gonna be a hoot

Bulldog,

I think marginalizing a certain type of gay man because you don't think he puts the best face forward for the gay community is just as bigoted as straight people discriminating against gay people. To leave some behind in this fight (particularly those who were at the forfront of it) is a reprehensible idea.

If your argument is that he's a bad actor, then I don't have a problem with that. Except that I've seen his interpretation of Mame and it is a galvanizing performance filled with humor, warmth and love.

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Updated On: 2/6/04 at 12:53 PM

Who cares that you find it tasteless Bulldog? Really. Don't go see it, for whatever reason. I'd ask what shows you've actually seen him do, but then I remember how you don't have to see shows to put them down so maybe you saw him for 30 seconds in The Addams Family and decided he was a terrible actor. If you're THAT familiar with his acting. I've seen him in many things and he is a terrific actor.

Still, I'm sure Mr. Busch would be CRUSHED that the arbiter of betterness has given him The Reactionary Thumb Down. Big, fat, hairy whoop.

Matt, he will play the character as a woman. He is an actor playing a woman. The point is that he will do a good job of it. It's at a summer playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. They're doing friggin Cats this summer.

Yours for a better summer playhouse schedule in a remote location.

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Updated On: 2/6/04 at 01:23 PM

I LOVED The Lady in Question. He played the role of concert pianist Gertrude Garnet who battles her own selfish nature (and the Nazis!) with aplomb. Funny and touching and sensitive. Of course, it was a Theater in Limbo production (with Julie Halston in the Eve Arden role) so there was a vein of camp. This will probably not be the case with Mame.

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Matt,

What's interesting is that Busch does not actually provide a new twist on the role. He very much keeps the sensibility that pervades Russell's AUNTIE MAME. At the benefit reading, none of the other actors (save the marvelous Swoozie Kurtz and B.D. Wong, who truly provided a new twist on the role of Ito) captured the flavor of the original. It's a style of acting that is no longer employed these days, which can leave one feeling less than satisified at certain while watching certain shows (AUNTIE MAME, I fell, is one of them). Some may consider it 'camp'. But I prefer to think of it as 'arch' and 'grand'.

Let's face it, Busch's being a man will provide interest, of course. But what the audience expects and what it gets may be two different things.

Are there female actresses that can still pull off that style? Of course! But I don't thing either Goldie Hawn or Allison Janney will be going to do stock in Maine any time soon.

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Who said you shouldn't go? Fly, drive, take the train, the bus, or hitchhike. Buy your mascara and dress in your beads. That's totally your call.

A drag show one can see in the Village or other parts of the city. What's the big deal? Some of you (grown men YIKES!) are sounding as silly over this as teens drooling and ooo'ing and ah'ing over some of the current B'way fare.

Not something for which I'd make the time nor spend a dime.

Bulldog

Updated On: 2/6/04 at 08:52 PM

Oh you guys SO disappoint me. Can't you see I'm trying to be robbiej's own personal publicist? But no. For ONCE you have to stay on topic. For once you continue on about MAME. For once you continue discussing on and on about Charles Busch. Does he need the free publicity? I think not. Granted he's talented. But how about a little love for our very own robbiej? (Now I bet he's someone who would make an excellent Vera. Sorry, now I'm getting on the MAME topic.)

Back to robbie. It's all about robbie. Go see robbie. Come on guys. Where are your priorities?

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A check isn't necessary, sweetie. It's my pleasure.

Now did you say the next BWW meet and greet get-together is at the theater this weekend? So what day is everyone going? Will red the color of the day again? Or do we ask robbiej what color he'd prefer? And don't forget to order those tickets soon. Don't sit back a wait for the reviews. It's a small theater and robbiej is a big draw.

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For anyone concerned with Mr Busch's acting ability, lets put this into perspective here. We are talking about a production at the Ogunquit Playhouse. This is the same theater that has put on shows starring Karen Valentine, Lee Merriweather and the always intriguing Nancy Dussault. They thrive on former game show panelists. I can't wait to see this production of Mame. I'll bet it blows their production of Love Letters starring Jamie Farr and Loretta Swit out of the water. although it won't come anywhere near Brett Summers as Lady Macbeth

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Updated On: 2/9/04 at 04:02 PM

I don't see how a man in drag playing a woman is gay. He's playing a heterosexual woman. Does it matter who the actor is? Would we say that a black person couldn't play a part that we normally think of as a white person? What if Chita Rivera were playing Mame? A latina Mame? Is that wrong? Was it wrong when Whoppi Goldberg took on a mans part in Forum?

Anyway, men playing female roles is a theater tradition that dates back to teh days of the Greek tragedies...oh , wait a minute, Grreks, they're very suspect aren't they?

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This is the same theatre that I'm told is reorchstrating the score for GUYS AND DOLLS to lower the keys so that a future game show panelist, Sutton Foster, can sing the role of Sarah Brown.

Go Figure.

Maybe Busch should play Nathan Detroit to Foster's Brown. If he can pull that off in pants and without a skirt or a tuban perhaps the term actor can be used.

Bulldog

Updated On: 2/9/04 at 05:06 PM