Girlyman, PR Gayboys, Legends with Joan and Linda

Wow, a big weekend in Philly.
On Friday night, Bill and I checked into our favorite little boutique hotel in Center City, Alexander Inn. Great place, great prices, fantastic location.
Friday night:
Great band. Second time seeing them. If you have never heard of Girlyman, go buy their two CD's. What a terrific show. 2 hours. Funny, smart, beautiful sounds. And World Cafe Live is one of the greatest places to hear real music. (just stay away from the food). Can't wait for the new CD in a couple months.
Saturday Morning: Reconnected with long-lost friend, Nancy Grayson. 20 years, and she has not aged a day. So glad to have her back in my life. Fabulous woman.
Saturday Afternoon:
Finally got to meet our favorite bloggers, Tom and Lorenzo, the Project Runway Gay Boys.
http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/
I love these guys. Not only are they huge fans of our favorite TV show, they are genuinely wonderful guys. Their blog is the most witty and intelligent writing on the web. It's a must for each mornings coffee and surfing routine. We spent a good part of the afternoon getting to know each other...And talking about LAURA. Ahhhh, Ms. Bennett. We are so glad to have a new icon in our club. Thanks for the great afternoon guys.
Saturday Night:
Bruce and John joined us for an evening of..............
TRAIN WRECK..."Legends" with Joan Collins and Linda Evans. What a mess of a show. Isn't there anything better out there for these women to use to exploit their (slightly-past) fame? I would have rather seen them stand there in fabulous outfits, and not utter a word than to listen to that crap.
But all is forgiven, 'CAUSE WE GOT TO MEET THEM AFTER!!!. Pictures and all. Linda was fantastic, lovely, gracious and fun to talk with. Joan was, well, how do you say "bitchy diva" without sounding too gay. No use...She was just as you would expect. Add those two pics to the wall of fame.
Sunday Morning:
After a wonderful brunch at Cuba Libre, we went over to Tom and Lorenzo's to see there (very stylish) loft and say goodbye. The gave us a lovely gift. Project Runway 8 x 10 signed by (swoon) our girl Laura. Laura, if you are reading this, we thought you should have won. I hope this parleys into a lifestyle branding for you. There are of tons of women who want to live your life (and a couple of us men too). You have that quality that Martha used to have in the old days (before prison, when we all liked and admired her skill). Cheers.
A great birthday weekend, Thanks to my dear sweet Bill, John, Bruce, Tom and Lorenzo, Nancy, Joan and Linda, and Laura. What a grand life.

A Chorus Line

As a little birthday surprise, Bill took me into the city to see a show. No details, just a Broadway show. We walked up Shubert alley, hung a left, and there it was. That old familiar marquis "A CHORUS LINE". I felt 19 again. As a matter of fact, throughout the show, I felt 19.
This new revival is just so-so, but it is oh so long on nostalgia. How can you help but compare it to the original. The original wasn't that long ago. No surprises. It felt like going through your high school yearbook.
Most of the actors were just ok. A few stand out songs like Dance Ten, Looks Three and Sing were fresh and really entertaining. The others were flat, but still very watchable.
Charlotte as Casey was really mis-cast. Maybe it was her bad ankle, but I felt that her dancing was a little small, almost like she was marking her way through most of the show. And her voice, not as powerful as it was last year when we saw her in Charity. Great triple threat, wrong role.
This is a really strong show. No intermission, and it moves fast. If you have never seen it, it's worth it. If you have, it might feel like watching a re-run of your favorite TV show. Either way, it's a classic.

Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Once a year, the Actors Fund puts on a star-studded, one night only, revival of a musical. Las night was Whorehouse.
With Seth Rudetsky as the musical director, and Tim Pinckney as producer, and a two week rehearsal, the show itself was hit/miss. Emily Skinner and Terrance Mann are both great, but being on book slowed the whole thing down. The best part of the show was the Cowboy choreography. Fantastic.
OK, now, the after-party.
Chatted with Sally Struthers, adorable, Harry Groener about Munkastrap, Bobby Cannavale about Eric McComicks stage debut, Richard Kind, very funny, Brian Stokes Mitchell, debonair, Christine Pedi at length about all kinds of stuff, Andrea McArdle about skinny-dipping at the Holiday Inn in Lambertville, Her husband Edd about Philadelphia College of Art (our alma mater). Others there, Joyce Randolph, Constantine, Felicia Finley (a doll), Rachelle Rak (hysterical), Hunter Foster and his wonderful wife Jen Cody, dancers Joyce Chittick and Rick Faugno, Barrett Foah of Avenue Q. Wow, what a fun party. Bill, Roland, Bruce and John...SCORE!

Indigo Girls

This is maybe the tenth time I have seen the girls, so I'm starting to feel very qualified in reviewing their live performances. A few observations:
Their opening acts usually stink. With the exception of Girlyman, I could skip the first hour.
They have great new material (11 out of 13 tracks are strong) and it is cool to see them perform new stuff live.
They always mix in the crowd favorites, "Closer to Fine", "Galileo", "Get out the Map". But after 20 years, a little of the energy has drained from those great tunes. It feels like they have to do them for the die-hards. Kind of like James Taylor on Monday, he had to sing "You've got a Friend" for the gazillionth time.
The girls are aging well. Emily is still sensitive and thoughtful and Amy still carries her punk-rock spirit. They can rock with the best of them. There harmonies are still wonderful and intricate, and the music will have legs, so the next generation can be as moved as we are.
I missed their patter. It was all music this time. Having a little insight into the sometimes complicated and deep lyrics helps.
ps. I don't like their new drummer. A little more subtle buddy. There are a lot of lyrics to listen to. Completely out of balance on most of the tunes.

James Taylor

I started listening to James Taylor sometime in the 70's. I have every album, then cassette, then CD. I have never seen him perform live. This was the chance to see the legend for the first time. His songs are part of our American songbook.
"Why is everyone so old?" JT fans are all young and cool and carefree. Where did all these middle aged people come from? Oh yeah, it's been 30 years since he released his first album.
I though he would be shy. He's not, but he certainly is regular, gracious and generous. His between-song patter helped clarify some of the mystery in his lyrics. There was no band, just him, and a piano player.
The material was what I expected, since he has not put an album out in 4 years, there was nothing new. But gems like Copperline, Fire and Rain, You've got a Friend, Carolina on My Mind, and Sweet Baby James sounded as fresh as ever. The (old) audience was in awe, very respectful, and hung on every note.
A lovely concert from one of our country's greatest singer-songwriters.