Cooper

@purplekow, Would you recall any of the original cast members still in the show? I wasn’t watching when it 1st aired, however, these names have been around for awhile: Doug & Julie, Marlena & John, Victor & Maggie, Kayla & Steve. Others have just faded away.

Lobby Hero was written in 1999. It's was 1st performed in 2001 and is still relevant today. Ben Brantley wrote, "As to the ethical quandaries and quagmires in which these people are mired, they feel even more pointedly and sadly relevant than they did when “Lobby Hero” was first performed at Playwrights Horizons 17 years ago. References to sexual harassment, abuses of power in the workplace and racial profiling scarcely seemed to raise an eyebrow when I first saw the show in 2001; they evoke audible, anxious murmurs in the audience of 2018." And, the cast agrees:

Some additional information on Lobby Hero:

Lobby Hero, written by Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By The Sea) and directed by Trip Cullman, with Michael Cera as Security Guard Jeff, Chris Evans as Officer Bill, Brian Tyree Henry as Supervisor William, and Bel Powley as Officer Dawn. It's now playing on Broadway. Before seeing this play, I had heard very little about it and, yes, I was pleasantly surprised after seeing it. The play takes place in a Manhattan apartment building's lobby. There's a lot of talk that goes on in that lobby during the graveyard shift. The cast is made up of Jeff, a young security guard (not a doorman), with big ambitions, his boss, "Security Captain" William, who's hard on Jeff but does like him and even trusts him with some disturbing facts about his brother. Also in the cast are 2 NYPD officers. Bill, on the force for 7 years, and Dawn, a rookie female officer. Dawn, who has once slept with her partner and has a love interest in him, learns some not so professional things about her unpredictable partner which makes working together most difficult. All meet up in the lobby for revealing conversations. The plot deals with choices. It's a struggle between loyalty & doing what's right. It's an excellent script and truly captured my attention. A wonderful cast which made this amazing play even better. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

@WilliamM. Part 1 sets the stage for Part 2. I agree with you that seeing Pt 2 is better than not seeing it at all. Since you’ve already seen the play & are very familiar with the plot, I doubt you’ll be confused. Go & enjoy! Looking forward to reading your review.

@foxy, I totally agree about the “physical stuff” in this play. Not only did Nathan Lane’s character perform a strenuous work-out, esp during his painful fit in the hospital bed, but so did Andrew Garfield & his 2 wet-dreams involving the angel. That struggle with the angel & her wing puppeteers was exhausting just to watched. You couldn’t help but notice that during the 3 curtain calls that Garfield was exhausted. And, then, he had to deliver the Broadway Cares Appeal for AIDS. A truly amazing production. Seems gay theamed revivals are making a come-back on Broadway. I already purchased my tickets to see Boys in the Band which opens in previews 4/30.

I have now seen Parts 1 & 2 of the award winning Broadway production of Angels in America. It's playing at the Neil Simon Theatre on 52nd St. Last time this play was on Broadway was back in 1993. It's now celebrating its 25th Anniversary. On Tuesday, May 1st, the nominations for Tony Awards will be announced. We certainly can expect many nominations for the incredible production of Angels in America. The 72nd Annual Tony Awards Show will be televised on Sunday, June 10th. When I first heard that this production was 2 shows lasting some 7 1/2 hours, I thought this better be good, and, yes, it was better than good. The leading actors, Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane headed up a most amazing and talented cast. Most cast members play multiple parts... Each scene was done to perfection. I thought the camouflaged stage hands crawling around like cats was a nice touch. And, the creator of the puppets from War Horse also did the angel wing movements in this production. What a memorable scene that was. An award winning masterpiece by Tony Kushner that covers the aids crisis of the 1980's. An emotional journey for many of us who lived though those times.

And, climbing those stairs to the bedroom went Sonny & Leo. Lots of kissing going on. I enjoyed the heartfelt bedroom talk between Will & Paul. Well written.

Wish I could have been in the audience for this live production. So much energy & enthusiasm. They went wild when Alice Cooper entered. Unfortunately, the TV cameras can’t capture it all. Hope to see more live TV Broadway show productions. Very relevant to have this performed on Easter Sunday. Always used to watch Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz on Easter.

Just set my DVR for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert is broadcast nationally April 1 at 8pm EST, 7pm CST, and 8pm PST on NBC. The all-star cast includes John Legend as Jesus, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdelene, Alice Cooper as King Herod, Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas, Ben Daniels as Pilate, Norm Lewis as Caiaphas, Jin Ha as Annas, Jason Tam as Peter, and Erik Gronwall as Simon.

@Avalon, I know this is a soap opera but are you also getting tired of the story line dealing with Abigail’s 3 personalities? As Stefan O. keeps asking “Who are you now?” It will be interesting to see how they spin Abigail's latest testimony blaming Gabby for Andrés death.... Let’s get back to Paul & Will making out in bed. ;-)

Saw Babette’s Feast. It helped that I read a synopsis before going. Not sure how long it will be running. Sadly, when I saw it the theater was practically empty. http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/news/story.asp?ID=YU2RQ6

Good news. Just checked. Extended run. Tickets are now on sale till July 1st. Certainly worth seeing again.

More comments on Afterglow can be found on this thread: https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/afterglow.127209/

Thought I recognized Darlene’s daughter. She Debs from Shameless on Showtime.

Episode 1. Well done! Good acting & script. Glad I recorded it as there are too many commercials. Harris Dickinson, as J. Paul Getty III, looks great both in & out of his clothes.

Yesterday, I saw the new production of Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady at the Vivian Beaumont theater at Lincoln Center. It's been 25 years since this show was on Broadway. The production was excellent! It's the story of a pompous phonetics professor named Henry Higgins who is so certain of his abilities that he decides to transform a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a lady. He is most successful and manages to fool almost everyone. The big test comes at the Royal Ball. This is a big production and the large stage at the Vivian Beaumont theater is perfect for it. It has a 32 piece orchestra that leaves the pit and plays on stage for the Ball. The singing and musical numbers are amazing and I enjoyed hearing some of my favorite show time hits: Wouldn't It Be Loverly, With A Little Bit of Luck, The Rain in Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night, On The Street Where You Lived, Get Me To The Church On Time, I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face, Just You Wait, etc. One of the most outstanding and lively musical numbers was Get Me to the Church on Time. It was so much fun and the choreography was done to perfection. This show has a lot of very talented actors and singers. Never knew what a great voice Lauren Ambrose had. And, it was nice to see Diana Rigg alive and well. Last time I saw her she was killed off in the Game of Thrones. This show has it all, from the outstanding costumes, to amazing scenery, big orchestra, wonderful musical/dance numbers, and a very likeable cast that connects well with each other and the audience. My Fair Lady is currently in previews with opening night set for April 19th.

Went to see the new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" at the Imperial theater. Richard Rodgers once wrote that of all the musicals he wrote, Carousel was his personal favorite. I can certainly understand why. The songs are incredible and, whether or not you've seen this show, you more than likely have heard them or even sung them. It was wonderful listening to those outstanding voices sing; If I loved You, Mister Snow, June is Busting Out All Over and, my personal favorite, You'll Never Walk Alone. In addition to the musical numbers, you have a stellar cast led by Joshua Henry (Billy Bigelow), Jessie Mueller (Julie Jordan) and Renee Fleming (Nettie Fowler). The show is still in previews and, now that I've seen it, I'd be interested in hearing what the critics have to say. I'm very familiar with this show and thought the voices were excellent. The plot is not the happiest as hard times continue to fall on Julie and Billy but there is some hope at the end with the cast joining hands and singing You'll Never Walk Alone. I agree with @foxy when he wrote about the missing "chemistry" between the parts of Julie and Billy. For me, the "charming" side of Billy didn't come across. The official opening of Carousel will be on April 12th.

Saw Jerry Springer the Opera last night at the Signature Center on 42nd St. If bizarre can be used in a good way to describe a show, then, it was most bizarre. By now, most of us are immuned to offensive language and attacks on religions. After all, we survived the Book of Mormon. Just park your beliefs and morals at the door, sit back, and enjoy the show. And, yes, there's even a demonstration by the KKK. The way the stage is set up, there's seating on 3 sides. In the 1st row on each side sits the cast. They are amusing to watch especially when Jerry is talking with his guests. They also have incredible voices. The OPERA part of this musical should not be overlooked, it's top notch, however, hard to take seriously with all the strange things going on and the shouting out from the cast. A show like this is timeless and political situations are updated to keep it current. It runs till April 1st. Easy ticket to get at TDF or TKTS.

Not sure what went wrong with the planning of this meet-up but I do want to clear something up. There have been numerous NYC socials. They were successful because they were combined with an event. Back in the days of the 20 Club a group of members (both local & visitors) met up every Sunday for dinner & a show at the 20 Club. We announced it in the Strip Club Forum. It was very successful. We did it for a few years. We got to know the 20C manager & bartenders. They would set aside a place for us to sit. We even celebrated members birthdays there. Only when the 20 Club ended its Sunday event, did this end. I’m hoping some members can team up & make this work again for it can be a lot of fun. Coop

@Hoover42: Bromance has closed, however, the video @foxy shared shows the highlights & best parts.

I saw Bromance. Glad I read a synopsis before going otherwise I won’t have understood why they were smelling each other’s armpits, shaking hands, & twisting their nipples. Lots of children in the audience. They seemed to enjoy the 3 Stooges type of routines. The acrobatics were excellent. Show picked up for me when the 3 amigos stripped down to only their gym shorts & did some amazing routines. Very handsome & talented young men with solid muscular builds. Got to see the cast after the show. They were sitting at a table, chatting with fans, & giving out autographs. Seemed like really nice guys.

Sara Bareilles singing her hit song “She Used to be Mine” from Waitress.

The play is based on the 2007 movie, "Waitress". It centers around the lives of 3 waitresses who work at Joe's Pie Diner. Jenna (Sara Bareilles) is a gifted pie maker and bakes a special pie with an unusual name for everyday and every occasion. She loves her job but has an abusive husband. When Jenna learns she's pregnant, she's unhappy but strikes up a romantic relationship with her new gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Drew Gehling). It's an enjoyable musical with some amazing voices and songs. Sara Bareilles who stars in it also wrote the music and lyrics for the play. One issue some audience members mentioned was that it was over-miked. Some of the songs were hard on the ears. The band is right up on the stage and takes part in the show. There's dancing, baking, romance, fighting, lots of laughs, and even an American Revolution themed wedding. At this occasion the band wears their 3 corner hats. The play has been opened for awhile and the theater had many empty seats. TKTS was only selling premium seats at 50% discount. Got a less expensive seat at the box office.

@Bluealpha3225, During the weekdays/nights I frequent NYC bars in an area of Manhattan called Hell’s Kitchen. There are several gay bars near each other. Right now my favorite is RISE. It’s located @ 859 9th Ave between 55th & 56th Sts. You’ll find a younger crowd (under 35) &, as long as you’re not creepy, you’ll have a good chance of meeting people. If you’re not comfortable there, try HARDWARE 697 10th Ave & 48th St. or Atlas Social 753 9th Ave & 50th St. or POSH 405 W 51st St. These 4 bars are in walking distance of each other. Do a search for their websites. There are many other gay bars that attract a younger crowd but the ones I mentioned are ones I’ve been to. I wasn’t happy @Boxers II, also in Hell’s Kitchen. Hope it works out for you. Cooper