OUTspoken’s Top Blog Posts for 2018

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The end of the year means another list somewhere, and this blog is no exception. Since Steve Charing OUTspoken is a mix of LGBT, Politics and the Arts, the top 5 posts for 2018 according to page views are listed within the categories below. You may click on the title of each to access the full post.

LGBTQ

1.     The Pride of Howard County (October)  

A survey taken of Howard County candidates on their perspectives on LGBTQ issues.

2.     HoCo Pride 2019 Officially Launched (July) 

The official kickoff event to publicize the first ever Pride celebration in Howard County.

3.     Andrew Howard Named LGBTQ Liaison in Howard County (July) 

Then County Executive Allan H. Kittleman appointed Andrew Howard to be the county’s first ever LGBTQ liaison.

4.     Orioles Host Their First Ever Pride Night (June) 

Nearly two thousand Pride celebrants attended to first team-sanctioned Pride Night.

5.     Oh Dear, Homophobe Daniel Murphy is at it Again (August) 

Chicago Cubs newly acquired second baseman was dismissive of accusations of his homophobic comments a few years ago setting off another round of controversy.

Politics

1.      Figure Skater Rippon Wins Gold for Pence Snub (February) 

Adam Rippon, the first openly gay athlete to compete for the U.S.in the Winter Olympics, was right to snub Vice President Mike Pence’s alleged request for a meeting during the competition in Pyeongchang.

2.     Mr. President,please sit down with Robert Mueller (September) 

A tongue-in-cheek open letter to President Trump urging him to be interviewed by the Special Counsel.

3.    

When it Comes tothe Military, Trump is AWOL (November) 

Trump’s avoidance of military service plus his numerous displays of disrespect to service members is unprecedented.

4.     

  4. Democrats Must Play the Trump Card (February)

Democrats were urged to associate Republicans with the unpopular Trump as often as they can in the upcoming elections.

5.     There He Goes Again (July) 

Trump once again found a distraction from his horrendous performance in Helsinki by reverting back to the NFL on players kneeling during the national anthem.

Arts

1.     Take a Chance on ‘Mamma Mia’ at Toby’s (July) 

Received most page views for any theatre review on this blog. Popular show being brought back this season.  “… the polished, colorfully costumed, well-staged production at Toby’s is flawless with a high-spirited, talented cast performing their hearts out.”

2.     ‘YoungFrankenstein’ Brings Monster Laughs at Toby’s (January) 

“[Young Frankenstein is]a comedy about a monster but it’s also a monster comedy.”

3.     Ten Hairy Legs HeatUp the Theatre Project (February) 

All male dance revue. “[Ten Hairy Legs] combines athleticism, emotion, energy, technical mastery, ingenuity and range in a power-packed one-hour performance."

4.     ‘On The Town’ is a Helluva Show at Olney (June) 

“Leave your worries at home for a few hours and enjoy a talented cast giving their all in this wild adventure in New York, New York, a helluva town.”

5.     Sassy ‘Misbehavin’Swings Into Toby’s (September)  

“The joy and warmth exhibited by these performers tell the audience they are truly having a great time onstage.”

Blasts from the Past

In addition to those popular posts from 2018 (above), below are several posts from previous years still garnering many views in 2018.

Grand Central in Baltimore is Up for Sale (October 2017) 

‘Boys Will be Boys’ on Sizzling Atlantis Cruise (February 2009) 

Iron Crow Delivers a Naughty ‘Rocky Horror Show’ (October 2017) 

G•A•Y Lounge to Close (October 2017) 

Baltimore LGBT Ally Surprised at ‘Ellen Show’ (October 2017) 

‘Everwood’s’ Coming Out Scene Hits the Mark (April 2006) 

Provincetown: Gay Mecca-By-the Sea (May 2012)

10 Hairy Legs Heat Up the Theatre Project

Part of 10 Hairy Legs company.  Photo: Facebook

When I first saw the term “10 Hairy Legs” I thought we were talking about a mutant spider. Then I learned it is the name of an all-male, New Jersey-based repertory American modern dance company that is in the midst of a 10-state national tour with an all-too-brief stop at the Theatre Project in Baltimore.  #hocoarts

Enchanted by the Winter Olympics figure skating competition in the days leading up to the performance reviewed, I envisioned that 10 Hairy Legs (10HL) would be a natural extension of the artistry, gracefulness, poise, power and creativity displayed by Olympics skaters. 

It was. 

While the stage floor of the Theatre Project is not ice and the five good-looking, physically fit young dancers perform in bare feet as opposed to skates, the snowy, frosty night of 10HL’s Baltimore debut felt like it could have been PyeongChang.

Part of 10 Hairy Legs company.  Photo: Facebook

First-rate choreographers David Parker, Megan Williams, Hedi Lansky, Stephen Petronio and Doug Elkins are ingenious in creating five separate selections each with its own identity, movements and expression as well as utilizing their own specific costume designer.  With the five men (not very hairy legs, but so what?) displaying solid form, technique and precision, Exploring the Artistry of the Male Dancer, overseen by veteran 10HL artistic director Randy James, provides an entertaining glimpse into the breadth and inventiveness of American modern dance.

Unlike classical ballet with its specific positions, style and content, American modern dance contains more unstructured, free-wheeling, improvisational movement that allows for an unlimited amount of creativity. In fact, modern dance is often considered to have emerged as a rejection of, or rebellion against classical ballet.

10HL’s opening number (and my favorite) drives home the point.  Aptly titled “Slapstruck,” Derek Crescenti and Jared McAboy are stuck on each other through black Velcro costumes and engage in slapstick combat with rhythmic moves as they try to decouple from one another.  This terrifically comedic sequence absent of any music ends as they manage to strip down to tee shirts and boxers to escape the Velcro connection. 

 Mr. Crescenti and Mr. McAboy then join Alex Biegelson and Robert Mark Burke in “Quadrivium.” The quartet, displaying proficient, fluid technique, splits up in pairs at times during the sequence engaging in rhythmic moves and intricate lifts.

Alexander Olivieri beautifully performs a short solo (“Solo1”) clad only in shorts.  In this unique number, he uses mainly upper body movements while his legs are basically stationary.

Part of 10 Hairy Legs company.  Photo: Facebook

To Rufus Wainwright’s “Oh What a World,” Mr. Biegelson and Mr. Crescenti pair up in “Bud.” Dressed in black half-shirts and bright red shorts, these dancers heat up the stage with a high level of sensuality through a variety of superb moves both on the floor and through lifts and acrobatics.

The glorious finale, “Trouble Will Find Me,” brings all five dancers in harem pants, performing to a mid-Eastern number by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.  This is another freestyle selection in which the performers are entangled, set free, leap, and roll around— all with precision.  

10HL combines athleticism, emotion, energy, technical mastery, ingenuity and range in a power-packed one-hour performance. Unfortunately, there is only one more performance left in this visit to Baltimore. Please check the group’s website to find out more about 10HL and where you could find them next.  The show should not be missed.

Running time. Approximately one hour with an intermission.

Advisory. Some dance sequences contain sensual physical contact and may not be suitable for children under 12.

Exploring the Artistry of the Male Dancer plays through February 18 (3:00 p.m.) at the Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St., Baltimore, MD 21201.  Tickets and information are available online. 

4.48 Psychosis at Iron Crow

In keeping with the Iron Crow Theatre Company’s tradition of staging unconventional, thought-provoking, often dark dramas, the kick-off to their three-play 2014-2015 Season did not disappoint.  You know you’re in for a signature Iron Crow theatrical experience when before the play begins the audience observes a body dressed in white, highlighted by occasional red lighting, lying prone on the otherwise darkened Theatre Project stage with some gloomy New Age music droning in the background prior to its presentation of 4.48 Psychosis.   #hocoarts

Nick Horan (L.) and Katie Keddell  Photo: Zachary Z. Handler

Though Iron Crow bills itself as Baltimore’s queer theatre company, 4.48 Psychosis by British playwright Sarah Kane stepped aside from past Iron Crow plays that usually have LGBTQ themes woven into the scripts.  Research reveals, however, that Kane had affairs with women, so this presentation does have an LGBTQ connection even if the subject matter was mostly devoid of it.

In fact, 4.48 Psychosis doesn’t even have a plot, structure, timeline or staging directions.  Iron Crow’s artistic director Steven J. Satta attests to that fact in a press release announcing the season: “The play is written in a manner, which is not realistic or linear but rather abstract and disjointed, which is appropriate when dealing with issues of mental health—the rational does not apply.”

For full review, visit MD Theatre Guide.

Iron Crow's 'Bad Panda' is Good Fun

Katie O. Solomon (Marion), Adam Cooley (Chester)

and David Brasington (Gwo Gwo)

A panda wants to be a crocodile.  A crocodile wants to be a panda.  And there is cross-species lovemaking.  Wow!  This is an example of the type of the comical chaos in the hilarious Iron Crow Theatre Company’s 2012-2013 season kick-off, Bad Panda. 

Written by playwright, monologist and songwriter Megan Gogerty, Bad Panda is making its world premiere on the Baltimore Theatre Project stage.  You knew this play promised to be some kind of quirky given Ms. Gogerty’s 2009 solo show had the title, Hillary Clinton Got Me Pregnant.


For full review, visit MD Theatre Guide.

 

Who Doesn't Want to be a Gay Icon?

There are various ways to write a dissertation for a Masters in Liberal Arts at Johns Hopkins University. But Sarah Lynn Taylor chose to pen a musical, and drawing on her vocal gifts, proceeded to perform in I Want To Be A Gay Icon.

Taylor led the audience through a journey that was part autobiographical and part gay history with songs that had been associated with several gay icons over the years. Using narration and song she argues that being a gay icon takes more than being a star performer but one also needs to be an activist, which she unabashedly claims that she is.

In its second year, Iron Crow Theatre, a Baltimore company that has produced several unconventional shows and focuses on Queer/LGBT issues, produced Taylor’s I Want To Be A Gay Icon in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University.

The show was limited to three days (November 10-12) at the Baltimore Theatre Project and did not charge admission because purchasing the rights to the songs would have been prohibitive if it ran as a for-profit production. Instead, the audience was requested to donate funds to cover expenses.

Sarah Lynn Taylor is no stranger to Iron Crow having appeared in Durang’s Shorts and Hedwick and the Angry Inch. Director of Icon Joseph Ritsch is also a member of the Iron Crow company and has performed in Hedwick, For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls and will appear in 2012 production of The Soldier Dreams—next on tap for Iron Crow.

Taylor, a magna cum laude graduate of Towson University, has significant local theatre, TV and radio experience. Her ease in front of an audience was quite evident as she commanded the stage, which she shared with three fine back-up singers and accessories to lighter moments during the show—the Iconettes (Ines Nassara, Amanda Rife and Katie O’Solomon).

In addition, four excellent on-stage musicians—The Gay Icon Band (Sam Palmer, Paul Huesman, Corey Zook and musical director/guitarist Nick Jewett)—effectively complimented Taylor’s vocals.

The concept of integrating music, biography and history was an ambitious undertaking. Generally there was a good flow but at times it seemed random and out of sequence. Landmarks in gay history, such as the Stonewall uprising, the AIDS epidemic, the removal of homosexuality from the list of mental disorders by the American Psychiatric Association and Harvey Milk’s passion were highlighted, with the songs representing gay icons of the era added a nostalgic connection to the events.

During the Stonewall segment, instead of singing “Cabaret”—a song from the musical that had been playing on Broadway at the time—I thought Judy Garland’s “Get Happy,” which Taylor did sing a bit later, should have performed at that point since Garland had died a few days before the Stonewall events. To her credit, Taylor noted the Stonewall patrons were already mourning over Garland’s death that may have shortened the fuse when the police raided.

The music and its icons were adored by the gay and lesbian community, but how many of them were activists for the cause? From Taylor’s perspective, most. She singled out Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Elizabeth Taylor, Cher, k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge as those superstar entertainers beloved by the gay and lesbian community but also active in LGBT rights—to whom Taylor aspired.

Taylor noted that Madonna should be included among those icons but she couldn’t afford to acquire the licensing for her music, and she stated Lady Gaga, whom she greatly admires, didn’t receive her request.

Other gay icons who may not fit Taylor’s definition completely or because of a lack of time were not mentioned. Among them were Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Carol Channing, Cyndi Lauper, and Donna Summer before she went anti-gay Christian on us. And you can add comediennes Kate Clinton, Margaret Cho, Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin to the list.

Unquestionably, Sarah Lynn Taylor’s musical performance was the show’s strength. Although her narrative about history, her upbringing, and family was passionate, earnest and very well-delivered, the audience was eagerly waiting for the next number. In an important segment Taylor became serious when she reminded the audience that HIV/AIDS was prevalent in Baltimore and urged people to get tested and engage in safe sex practices.

Taylor showcased her versatility in performing both ballads and high tempo songs with flair and emotion. “Constant Craving,” “Cabaret,” “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “I’m The Only One” were delivered especially well. Her rendition of “The Way We Were” was somewhat disappointing, and with “New York, New York,” Taylor took some liberties with the lyrics.

Overall, this was an enjoyable production and was well received by the audience. Sarah Lynn Taylor displayed outstanding vocal skills, energy and enthusiasm and a good sense of LGBT history which can never be understated.

Can Taylor be an actual gay icon? She has the potential, and at the very least, I’m sure she nailed her dissertation.