A '60s Revolution That Changed Pop Culture Today E-mail
Written by Brian Patrick Thornton   
Tuesday, 16 March 2010 00:00

iStockphoto.com / Marcela BarsseIt was a Fourth of July party so legendary, the attendees still recall it more than 40 years later — and you could only dream of being invited.

The host: Jane Fonda. The location: her Malibu beachfront home. The guest list: Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Warren Beatty, Sidney Poitier, Andy Warhol, Natalie Wood, Lauren Bacall. The entertainment: The Byrds. The drugs: pot, but come on, this was 1965 Hollywood, pick your pleasure/poison.

The senior attendees, including Fonda’s father, watched with some measure of awe and bemusement while the younger crowd, including Fonda’s pre-easy-riding brother, Peter, danced and smoked up till the sun rose. It was an event that typified that era’s changing of the guard between Old and New Hollywood, a transition explored in out journalist Mark Harris’ epic book, Pictures at a Revolution.

The former Entertainment Weekly editor comes to Cleveland this weekend to accept the Cleveland International Film Festival’s From the Page to the Projector award. We caught up with him via phone at his home in New York, which he shares with his playwright husband, Tony Kushner.

 
Super-Queer 'Speech and Debate' Needs You E-mail
Written by Brian Patrick Thornton   
Monday, 15 March 2010 00:21

 

There’s one enormous, gigantic, annoying problem that hamstrings Dobama Theatre’s new production of Speech and Debate, a dark comedy about progressive teens stuck in a conservative Oregon town — its lame audience.

This is a funny, funny, gay, gay, gay — did I mention gay — show that begins with a teenage boy engaging in an online sex chat with an older, as yet unidentified man. And as the conversation becomes more explicit, with the student stripping to take photos of himself, I couldn’t help but squirm as I glanced around at the much older, much straighter, less hip-and-happening crowd who seemed to simply "not get it."

So my instruction to you, Spangle readers: buy tickets, pack the house, save the poor actors at this quite good, often amusing, occasionally hilarious show that feels as if it were ripped from last week’s headlines.

Because the cast deserves much better.

 
Send a Missive to Mom E-mail
Written by Maria Miranda   
Thursday, 11 March 2010 00:21

 

In January, Spangler Maria Miranda became a producer through her new performance art collective, Whisper to a Scream. Later this spring, she’s mounting a new production that she’s intending as a performance and advocacy event.

And women of Northeast Ohio, your participation is needed. Read on.


*


Sometimes you love her. Sometimes you hate her. You call for her when everything goes wrong, and sometimes you blame her for everything that has gone wrong. She cured scrapes with kisses, and she gave you enough issues to send you to therapy.

Moms rock.

 
'Emma' a Loving New Adaptation of Classic Tale E-mail
Written by Brian Patrick Thornton   
Monday, 08 March 2010 00:17

Sarah Nealis is Emma in the Cleveland Play House's new adaptation. / Photo by Roger Mastroianni

 

Regardless of your view on our youth-chasing culture, Northeast Ohio theatergoers can’t ignore the crackling energy brought to Cleveland Play House shows that feature its master’s program young acting corps.

Such is the case with its new production of Jane Austen’s Emma, which includes among its cast the entire 2010 graduating class of its graduate program.

The story, as Austen lovers (and fans of the loose, modern adaptation Clueless) well know, Emma is the tale of an unmarried, somewhat spoiled wealthy woman whose high opinion of herself and her talents leads her to meddle in her friends’ love lives, usually to their (and her) detriment. It’s an early feminist tale, with Emma encouraging women to choose men with more to offer than just their looks — or in Emma’s case, not to choose a man at all.

 
The Museum of Art Fills Your Agenda — For Free! E-mail
Written by Tim Marshall   
Friday, 12 March 2010 00:12

Baby Dee, part of the Museum of Art's upcoming free events. / Photo by Jim Newberry

 

“Economy en Shambles” is not the name of a drag queen at Bounce — but it certainly would be appropriate in these times.

After all, variations on that were some of the dreary past year’s buzzwords, with “economic downturn,” “economic crisis” and “Imma be flailin’ in this economy,” becoming pretty hackneyed these days. (Okay, maybe not that last one.)

It’s no wonder, then, that when the high-brow yet hip Cleveland Museum of Art offers eight weeks of free events, most of us — even the most affluent guppies in the group — jump for joy.

Although the museum’s Opening Nights Festival series will feature some pretty interesting performances, the goal of these gratis — that means FREE! — events is to showcase the newly renovated Gartner Auditorium, a signature, stately performance hall if ever there was one.

Save the dates and get your cultural arts groove on. Just be gentle when you raise the roof of the Gartner; it reopened less than a month ago.

 
Film Fest '10: Guentzler's 11 Films Not to Miss E-mail
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 00:18

Olympian Johnny Weir's 'Pop Star on Ice' is one of Bill Guentzler's top pics for the Film Festival. / Photo by George Rossano

 

Call it Winter Pride. The Cleveland International Film Festival is among the queerest events in Northeast Ohio outside of that Saturday in June. (Only that tiny — sure, tiny — leather weekend in April and any Gay Games precursor party rival it.)

But when you go, it’s not just about the 10% Cinema series. Turns out, LGBT folk don’t just go for the queer movies — we go for quality in any genre.

So in the final part of our sit-down with Artistic Director Bill Guentzler, we get his choices for non-LGBT movies. (Check out Parts One and Two here.)

 
The Take on '10 10% E-mail
Friday, 05 March 2010 00:10

 

'The Big Gay Musical,' part of this year's 10% Cinema. / Photo courtesy The Big Gay Musical

 

In film, you’ve got your common genres: comedy, drama, thriller, horror.

And then there’s the gay genre, which far too often features features that are not comedic, dramatic or thrilling (but sadly are horrific).

Yet sometimes, one comes along that rises above its gay-genre ghetto and is good. Not gay-movie good, just good.

 

And so the Cleveland International Film Festival each year programs its 10% Cinema, featuring movies with LGBT themes. Probably because year after year, we eat them up and sell them out like crazy.

We sat down with Film Fest Artistic Director Bill Guentzler last week (Part One is here); read on for his 10% take.

 

 


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