Forbidden Broadway could be funnier. BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE After a hiatus in which it was ..read more

Elevating  the RomCom genre and delivering a wonderful evening. BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE Douglas Lyons’ newest ..read more

Jessica Carter Altman grew up singing. That’s not surprising, given that her mother is Lynda ..read more

When I imagine my inner child, I think of a picture of me that I ..read more

Can you remember a time in your childhood, even just once, when an adult really listened to you? Encouraged you? What did that do for you? I was talking about this with Jada Star. You might recognize her from the show, Claim To Fame. It’s an ABC reality series featuring twelve contestants who are all related to really famous people. For example, the sister of Simone Biles, the grandson of Chuck Norris, the niece of Tom Hanks… They’re all put in a big house together and they have to guess who everybody’s related to, while keeping their own famous relative a secret. Eventually, Jada Star’s was f ..read more

You know what song I’ve had in my head since airing an episode featuring two people who have used extreme body modifications to make themselves look like dragons? “I Am What I Am” by Jerry Herman from La Cage Aux Folles (perhaps better known by some from  Gloria Gaynor’s disco cover): I am what I am I am my own special creation So come take a look Give me the hook or the ovation It’s my world that I want to have a little pride in My world and it’s not a place I have to hide in Life’s not worth a damn “Til you can say, I am what I am! Legion the Dragon–legal name Tia Legion Medusa– told me ..read more

Back to the Garden:  A New Play about Adam & Eve is a summer delight. BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE The story of Adam and Eve from the Book of Genesis in the Bible has been the jumping off point for many writers. No less authors than Arthur Miller tackled it in his The Creation of the World and Other Business and Mark Twain had a go with The Diaries of Adam and Eve. The Bock and Harnick musical The Apple Tree set the story to music and was a modest hit on Broadway in 1966.  These and other works—including numerous movies—imagine the first couple negotiating the ins and outs of marriage, u ..read more

In honor of Pride month, President Biden has issued a proclamation celebrating the LGBTQI+ communities. It is significant in its breadth, inclusivity and expression of all the work this administration has done on behalf of our communities. It is also significant to note that former President and convicted felon Donald J. Trump never issued any sort of proclamation of support, and indeed in four years only made one supportive tweet, for which he was roundly condemned by right-wing supporters. If you don’t want to click on the link above, the full text follows: During Pride Month, we celebrate t ..read more

Laura Winters’ endearing and appealing play All of Me, now running at The New Group in Manhattan, is a wonderful, subversive political commentary dressed in the festive trappings of a conventional rom-com. It’s got a charming young couple who “meet cute,” spar comedically, find their relationship is impossible, and hurtle towards a happy ending. Yet here’s the unique situation: the couple Lucy and Alfonso are both disabled, confined to a motorized scooter and wheelchair, respectively, and have to communicate via AAC (augmentative alternative communication). Since neither can speak well, they m ..read more

No matter how small the town, local Pride events matter, and James Crocker will tell you why. “Kids need to know they’re loved,” says Crocker, who was only 15 last June when he formed Granby’s Got Pride. In under two weeks he organized a Pride rally on the town green with more than 400 attendees. Crocker got busy after a few parents complained about a teacher showing fifth graders a video produced by NBC Universal Kids. The 45-second clip featured children saying what Pride means to them: “Pride to me is my two dads,” and “I have dolls. I love my dolls.” He had no idea what he was in for. The ..read more