RyanDean

I saw the show (my second time) last night. I can see how it's not for everyone (hi @beethoven!) but I've become quite fond of this play. I'm sorry you won't be able to decide for yourself, @leeper, and hope you find an alternate option as ambitious and as adventurous as GARY.

@bostonman: I'm a big Yazbek fan and this one's good but definitely not great. Everything feels a bit on the nose, though tentatively so, which is weird. In performance, the only great song is Sarah Stiles' solo. A tour-de-force comic masterpiece ala Benanti's solo in Women on the Verge. But Tootsie shines (and fades) on the strength of its supporting cast and the really funny material they're given to play with. (I'm of the mind that both SF and SJB got the big prizes because they're exceptionally gifted and charismatic troupers who made impossible roles and innumerable quick changes seem effortless.) And Beetlejuice is actually surprisingly fun, with excellent work from the whole cast. What Brightman does with his voice is really effective. (Heard an interview about how he developed the sound; really cool.)

I hear you, @haring222. So sorry this happened. I've had two ghostings in the last month. One which turned out great, when the gent reactivated the conversation in the nick of time. And another, just last week, when things went silent abruptly right at the moment of day-of confirmation. In the first situation, I really took it personally, for reasons I still don't understand, so was super-relieved when things got back on track. With last week's, it didn't get to me in the same way (even when I saw the gent's profile go active on one of the apps), though it did make me sad to write him off because -- by all indications on his social media/etc -- he seems like a nice guy. So, yeah: like @nycman says, people are people. Sometimes they're assholes. Sometimes they're nice guys who get cold feet or shy or intimidated or overwhelmed or whatever. But...yeah.

https://rent.men/MacaRonnie https://rent.men/MatthewTaylor Any intel?

I'm going to speak up in defense of SJB. I would agree that last night's presentation on the broadcast was just not good. It was, in fact, a "greatest hits" mashup of at least three (maybe five) different numbers, all of which just ended up being too much of not enough. (All of the numbers actually work in the context of the show, which is honestly a lot of fun.) But that kind of mistake -- ie trying to do a capsule of the whole frickin' show -- happens on the Tonys quite frequently (as it did last night -- see Beetlejuice, Ain't Too Proud, OK! and Hadestown). And SJB really is quite good in the show -- bringing an emotional heft and serious vocal chops to really quite delightfully frivolous material. , She doesn't do a Cher impression so much but does something more akin to what Sissy Spacek did re Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter -- somehow evoking the famed persona while also bringing something very personal and humane to the characterization. As I listened to the actual Cher on the ride home from seeing The Cher Show, I marveled at how SJB helped me to appreciate Cher's charm and skill as a vocalist even as she sang way beyond the actual Cher. It is a quite extraordinary performance, full of charm and wit and formidable skill -- like SJB's work always is.

@Njguy908 -- I'm based in Jersey, too, and also concur that a trip to NYC might be worth the hassle. Feel free to message me if you'd like to discuss...

Thanks for the nudge, @Benjamin_Nicholas & @azdr0710.

Though I fear Tootsie will take it, I'm pulling for Hadestown -- which I suspect will snag LOTS of down-ticket trophies. That said, it wouldn't make me mad if TheProm did pull an AvenueQ-style upset for Best Musical.

And I was unaware of Gaten Matarazzo's musical bona fides.

I can see why. Very intriguing cast... Cheyenne as Wolf/Prince & Shanice as Red, especially.

Just booked a place to stay for next year's gathering! Not sure I'll be able to swing it but, since I had to put down a non-refundable deposit, here's hoping!

If you ever decide to each a class on the topic/technique of Guido-chasing, @studchaser, please sign me up!

Maybe my all-time favorite guido scene is this video from MaverickMen

I don't know a lot about CTW, @Kman, and most of what I do know comes from the ongoing coverage of the crisis on HBO's Real Sports. That said, my first thought upon seeing your question was: "hasn't it been shown/suggested that CTE exacerbates -- or is exacerbated by -- a predisposition toward mental illness?" A quick search yielded this article that does suggest the interplay of the conditions might be a factor.

my masculinity isn’t frail & I love all men Get me that on a pink tshirt, @hypothetically! I'd love to wear it to the gym.

Yes. Because.

@Kman -- sorry to hear what you're working through, but very impressed that you're doing so with such openness and clarity. Not sure that it will be useful, but your experience with your friend put me in mind of this recent article, which I found to be a powerful account of experiencing a loved one's mental illness. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/magazine/cousin-kill-me-male-violence.html

I get this ad on FB all the time. The product's of no interest to me, but the way the light catches his pit hair always catches my attention...

But searching "Kellan Lutz package" does yield a pleasant array of views... http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IeEkufcr8sg/S-9nTrAmH6I/AAAAAAAARE4/W0hq8uuW3YM/s1600/kellan-lutz-vpl5.jpg And, yes, Lutz is slated to appear as part of the ensemble of a new CBS show called FBI: Most Wanted

I've worked with four trainers in three different cities (all in their mid20s) since I started getting serious about 4 years ago. All four have been totally hot, totally straight, and totally gay-affirming (ie chill/comfortable). All counted a number of middle-aged gay dudes among their clients.

the previous play was Afterglow. Here's the website (with ticketing information) for Safeword. Tickets are also reliably available on TDF.

@Rudynate - that's exactly what I'm struggling with in a coaching process I'm doing right now. (Except, for me, it's not skinny/big but fat/fit.) I'm really struggling to find my way to the fit-guy mindset.

It occurred to me that I should update this. The gent finally returned my text, with apologies for having gone radio silent. We continued to exchange text messages to configure the details of a meetup, especially since my other obligations continued to shift the timing of things, up until my arrival at the meetup. The meetup was one of my best in four years of hiring. The next day, we exchanged some pleasant "morning after" texts. We have yet to speak on the phone. I prefer to text and will initiate a phone conversation only upon the gent's request. In my experience (and as a former phone sex operator/performer, I know the phone well), being ghosted has little to do with the technology...