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THEATER: Jinkx Monsoon Gets An Extension, Disney Villains In “Spell Block Tango” & More!

Last Chance to Catch Jinkx Monsoon in The Vaudevillians 

Theatermania.com
Theatermania.com

The Vaudevillians, starring RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon, has extended its run at off-Broadway’s Laurie Beechman Theater for the sixth and final time. Performances now will continue through November 19.

In The Vaudevillians, Monsoon (née Jerick Hoffer) and writing partner Richard Andriessen respectively play Kitty Witless and Dr. Dan von Dandy, a husband-and-wife team who were frozen alive during an Antarctic tour in the 1920s. They’ve defrosted thanks to global warming (and a lot of cocaine), only to find that pop stars have been ripping off their original songs for decades. Fans can expect to hear rag-timey reinterpretations of everything from “I Will Survive” to “Let Me Clear My Throat.”

Yes, the show’s big draw is Monsoon. But even if you haven’t seen an episode of Drag Race (and if you haven’t, what the hell is your problem?), The Vaudevillians is real-deal entertainment all on its own. Both of its stars are skilled comedians and musicians—Monsoon can belllllllt, honey, while Andriessen’s champion ivory tickling made us wonder what else he could do with those dexterous digits.

The bottom line is, the show is excellent and you only have so many more chances to see it in New York, so hurry up and get your tickets! The New York Times raved, “Straight or gay, everyone leaves this show with sides aching from laughter.”
The Public Theater Announces Second Extension of Lesbian Musical Fun Home

Broadway.com
Broadway.com

The Public has a big gay hit on its hands, thanks to composer Jeanine Tesori and out playwright Lisa Kron’s new musical, Fun Home. The theater announced today that Fun Home — originally scheduled to close on November 3 — will now play through December 1.

Fun Home is based on lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic memoir of the same name. It chronicles the author’s relationship with her late father, a closeted gay man. In the show, three actresses portray Bechdel at ages 8, 19 and 45. As June Thomas rightly pointed out in a Slate article earlier this month, “Fun Home is the first mainstream musical about a young lesbian… [It] examines a father-daughter relationship, with Alison as the main protagonist.”

The show opened on October 22 to the kinds of raves that beg the question, “How long until the Broadway transfer is announced?” But the Public may be hesitant to make such a move. Two of its more recent musical transfers — Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Passing Strange — did not recoup their investments uptown, despite glowing notices during their off-Broadway premieres. Just to be safe, I’d suggest snagging your Fun Home tickets before they’re all sold-out.

 

Stage Notes

  • Clip of the Week: Disney villains meet Chicago in the video spoof “Spell Block Tango,” which features Adam Lambert as Captain Hook, Broadway belter Shoshanna Bean (Wicked) as Cruella De Vil and Glee actress Amber Riley as Ursula. American Idol finalist Todrick Hall, who portrays Scar from The Lion King, put the video together, and the whole thing is very, very gay. It’s a (barely) rewritten “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago sung by adults in Disney costumes. Why not.
  • Out actor and Tony-nominee Christopher Sieber will headline David Farr’s The Heart of Robin Hood next month at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The A.R.T. has been a Broadway incubator ever since Diane Paulus took over the company in 2008. One A.R.T. show already is scheduled to open on Broadway this season, and if things go well with Robin Hood, that number could go up.
  • Out actor and Tony-winner David Hyde Pierce is currently starring in the new John Kander-Greg Pierce musical The Landing at off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre. The show — Kander’s first since the death of his longtime writing partner Fred Ebb — connects three thematically linked vignettes through song. Tickets are on sale through November 24.
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