September 1, 2008
November 7–22
Times Square Angel
Playwright, actor, and drag artist extraordinaire Charles Busch—he’s the Michelangelo of drag, actually—wrote the hardscrabble character Irish O’Flanagan for himself to play in this goofy gay pastiche of those Warners Bros.’ slice-of-Bowery-life movies. Her mantra is, ‘’Rich people gotta stay rich. Poor people gotta get rich.” Irish starts out as a tomboy in ’30s New York, suddenly puts on lipstick, and becomes a famous stripper and nightclub chanteuse. She didn’t work all those formative years in a zipper factory for nothing. Thwarted in her quest for high-society love, she hardens her heart like Scrooge, which summons forth her guardian angel. At the end, she’s not punished for her transgressions as allowed to get away with them, mink and all. A perfect, sleazy pre-holiday treat to put you in the festive mood. Country Playhouse, 12802 Queensbury. 713/467-4497.
September 1, 2008
If you can pry yourself away from the 24/7 coverage of the presidential election and get outside the house for some air, you’ll find plenty of splendid entertainment to clear away the cobwebs and refresh the batteries. Houston’s fall theater season is replete with toxic waste, a clueless teen armed with a video post, a bitchy rehash of the Bush/Kerry debates, an ancient Roman stabbed to death, a bitchy rehash of the Nixon/Frost interviews, high-tech motion-capture dance, a drag stripper, a gay playwright plotting the death of his young lover, a rumble between Sharks and Jets, and a comedy played in a blackout. Good luck.
September 1, 2008
My next question was gonna be, “Where do you think you find yourself on the Kinsey scale?”
I’m pretty far. [Both laugh] I forget, was the Kinsey scale a seven?
September 1, 2008
Dr. Randy Mitchmore has been appointed to the board of trustees of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Charitable Foundation. Mitchmore’s long-time benevolent passion, the Give Back a Smile program, which provides free consultation and dental treatments for survivors of domestic abuse, is a primary program of the AADCF.
September 1, 2008
After being misaligned with staged, über-theatrical wrestling matches (what, they’re fake?), roller derby is emerging as a viable and entertaining sport for women who don’t mind a little rough-housing.
September 1, 2008
HE SAID/SHE SAID This month, Gendermyn, Houston’s premiere drag king troupe, celebrates its second anniversary of gender-bending performance art. Expect to see a preview of some of the numbers members will be presenting at the International Drag King Community Extravaganza in Ohio. Sept. 6, 10 p.m. Numbers, 300 Westheimer Rd. Tickets: $10. Details: 713/526-6551 • www.gendermyn.com
September 1, 2008
Literate lesbians of a certain age remember when Sex Variant Women in Literature was the light in our reading wilderness. There, in one place, was a compilation of centuries of western literature with lesbian themes. Not only does this biography let us see what a true labor of love this crucial volume was, it is a visit to old home week, containing stories of the women who worked so hard to get our community started. I found this superbly written volume to be a true cover- to-cover read. — Review: Angel Curtis
September 1, 2008
Remember that goofy trick your Uncle Ralph did, where he pulled a nickel from your ear? Or the one where he pulled his thumb apart?
September 1, 2008
Forget about pronoun changes for this amazing, relatively new female voice emerging pure and whole in a field of iPod clones. When she sings about her baby, she means it, and she calls her “she.” Delicious, especially “Days Become Months.” Keep your eye on this one. Matador Records (matadorrecords.com). — Review: Nancy Ford
September 1, 2008
Aimee Mann is back. Following a live CD/DVD set, a concept album, and a holiday disc, fans of her more straightforward collections of pop tunes such as “Bachelor No. 3” and “Lost In Space” will be thrilled to know that Mann’s latest, @#%&*! Smilers (SuperEgo) is more akin to those recordings. The strikingly packaged assemblage of a baker’s dozen tunes, driven by Mann’s gift for wordplay and for crafting unforgettable melodies, ranks among her best solo efforts, a seamless blend of musical observations on heartbreak and the human condition, balanced by subtle traces of humor.
