Charles Busch News

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - the acclaimed gay comedy/variety show - will continue its Spring 2013 season tonight, March 14 at The Duplex in New York's West Village. After a sell-out year, The Meeting* has added a second performance each month due to popular demand; there are now shows at 7:000 PM and 9:30 PM.

Playwrights Horizons and Primary Stages begin accepting entries today, Wednesday, March 13, for the LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to their World Premiere co-production of The Call. The new play by Tanya Barfield (Blue Door at Playwrights Horizons/PH) is directed by two-time Obie Award winner Leigh Silverman (Go Back to Where You Are and Blue Door at PH; Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages/PS; Golden Child, Chinglish, Well, In the Wake).

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre will continue their Spring 2013 season on Thursday, March 14 at The Duplex in New York's West Village. After a sell-out year, The Meeting* has added a second performance each month due to popular demand; there are now shows at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launches its new series of late night events this March. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher will be the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," singing sensation Marilyn Maye, performance legend Charles Busch, cabaret's own Ricky Ritzel, performance artist James Jackson, Jr. and more!

Whether he's playing a Westchester housewife who's preparing her cabaret tribute to Edith Piaf, Cinderella's much maligned stepmother in the style of Mildred Pierce, or the tough but warm-hearted owner of a speakeasy, performance legend Charles Busch continues to delight and redefine his craft as a master humorist, illusionist, and camp icon. The author of dozens of hit plays (Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Red Scare on Sunset, Flipping My Wig, Times Square Angel, Our Leading Lady, The Third Story, Die! Mommie! Die!, Psycho Beach Party, The Divine Sister, and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom to name but a few), Busch makes his 54 Below debut for two very special year end performances, joined by Musical Director Tom Judson. Expect laughter, music, tears, and sequins. But no boas. Busch will play 54 below March 7-14. Check out photos of Busch in rehearsal below!

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - the acclaimed gay comedy/variety show - will continue its Spring 2013 season on Thursday, March 14 at The Duplex in New York's West Village. After a sell-out year, The Meeting* has added a second performance each month due to popular demand; there are now shows at 7:000 PM and 9:30 PM.

Wendy Beckett's new play, LOVE THERAPY will open at the DR2 Theatre (101 East 15th Street) on Monday, April 29th. Directed by Evan Bergman, LOVE THERAPY is the fourth in a series of ten of Ms. Beckett's plays that will be brought across the pacific from Australia by Pascal Productions. Previews begin on Saturday, April 20th at 8PM. For tickets, please visit Telecharge.com or call (212) 239-6200.

Julie Halston attacked the Birdland stage with an animalistic energy that caught even the most fanatical of her admirers off-guard. The opening night of her four-show run, 'Classical Julie,' was a who's who of the showbiz scene, and included Tyne Daley, Lisa Lampanelli, Charles Busch, James Lecesne, Danny Visconti, Shirley Herz, Peter Bartlett, Dan Butler, Klea Blackhurst, Natalie Douglas and Ed Windels, among many others. BroadwayWorld has photos from the concert below!

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launches its new series of late night events this March. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher will be the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," and more, including Telly Award winner Jamie DeRoy & Friends, Broadway star Chester Gregory, singing sensation Marilyn Maye, Late Night at 54 Below, Tony nominee Adam Pascale, actor/screenwriter/playwright Charles Busch, Broadway's Caissie Levy, Walking the Line - Music of Johnny Cash.

Diversionary Theatre announces the addition of Justin Love, a new musical fantasy, to complete its 2013 roster of mainstage productions. Joining the currently running West Coast premiere of Birds of a Feather (through March 3, 2013) and the San Diego premiere of the literary romp, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabbler (March 28 - April 28, 2013), will be the West Coast premiere of Charles Busch's hilarious spoof The Divine Sister (May 23 - June 30, 2013), directed by Glenn Paris, and the world premiere farce She-Rantulas From Outer Space (October 24 - November 17, 2013), by Phil Johnson and Ruff Yeager. By popular demand, Diversionary will also bring back its twisted take on holiday tradition Scrooge in Rouge (December 5 - 29, 2013).

Horse Trade Theater Group (Heidi Grumelot, Artistic Director, Erez Ziv, Executive Director) and Less Than Rent Theatre will present the World Premiere of WORDS, RAZORS, AND THE WOUNDED HEART by James Presson. The production will be directed by Jake Ahlquist (Fringe Excellence Award Winner '10) and star Sean Patrick Monahan (Charles Busch's Time Square Angel) and Emma March Barash (Stop the Virgins at St. Anne's Warehouse). The show will also feature Dean Acree (New York Dream at The Pearl), Cory Asinofsky (Puppet Hamlet), Amanda Brooklyn (HBO's Girls), Ben Diserens (the upcoming Wolf of Wall Street), Patrick Dooley, Jenna Grossano, Jackie Hansen, Jacob Presson, Tom Sanchez (Independents), and RJ Vaillancourt (Healthy Start by Gilad Cohen). Designs will feature sets by Grace Laubacher (Convergence at soloNOVA), lights by Gary Slootskiy (Independents), and costumes by Samantha Jacobsen.

Back by popular demand, Well-Strung: The Singing String Quartet, will return to play a limited three-week engagement (tonight, February 28-March 16) at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater (10 West 64th Street - located in the YMCA).

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - the acclaimed gay comedy/variety show - has announced its Spring 2013 season at The Duplex in New York's West Village. Each edition of The Meeting* honors a different gay icon; following the Elaine Stritch tribute in February, the rest of the season will honor Karen Carpenter (March 14), the movie 'Showgirls' (April 18) and Justin Vivian Bond (May 16). Special guests will be announced soon. After a sell-out year, The Meeting* will add a second performance each month due to popular demand; there are now shows at 7:000 PM and 9:30 PM.

Winner of the 2013 Nightlife Legend Award cabaret and theatre legend Marilyn Maye, Broadway veteran and Tony Award winner and one of the stars of "Unsung Menken" Debbie Gravitte, and Tony Award Nominee, master humorist, illusionist and camp icon Charles Busch will play 54 Below in the coming weeks. Just yesterday the whole gang met the press and you can check out video footage of them in action below!

The Pulitzer Prize and OBIE Award-winning Theatre for the New City (TNC) held its 10th Annual LOVE 'N' COURAGE benefit gala last night, February 25, 2013 at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South in Manhattan), this year honoring award-winning actor and playwright Charles Busch. Hosts for LOVE 'N' COURAGE were composer and singer Phoebe Legere and playwright/filmmaker Matt Morillo ('Maid of Honor'). The performers at this year's show included Mr. Busch, The Love Show, dancer/choreographer Kitty Lunn and Infinity Dance, juggler supreme John Grimaldi, Carol Freeman, Luba Mason, KT Sullivan, Tammy Grimes, Drew Pulver, Mark Marcante and Crystal Field. BroadwayWorld was there for the celebration and you can check out full photo coverage below!

Thrillpeddlers has announced its 6th annual Theatre of The Ridiculous Revival with a Spring production of the next Cockettes Musical, Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma, a new full-length, restored version of The Cockettes' 1971 musical extravaganza. This is the 42nd Anniversary of the original production, produced as a Nocturnal Dream Show and performed at midnight at the Palace Theatre in Chinatown in SF. Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma celebrates the Cockettes' fascination (in the early 70s) with everything Art Deco.

It was announced today that tickets for The Broadway Beauty Pageant go on-sale. The seventh annual beauty contest is set for Monday evening, May 20th, 8p.m., at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (60 Washington Square South). The popular event is the annual benefit of New York's Ali Forney Center.