Returning to the Beginning

Since embarking on a freelance career earlier this year, I've found myself returning to my past and again contributing to Back Stage, the publication that gave me my first post-collegiate job in 1993.

It's been a lot of fun, especially since I'm calmer and more confident in my writing ability. Here are my pieces on actors' websites and Facebook pages.

Passing On Secrets of the Trade

I do hope John Glover will write his autobiography one day. He's a great raconteur, and there aren't many people in the entertainment industry he hasn't worked with. If you ever get the chance, ask him about the first time he saw Isabella Rossellini on the set of White Nights. In the meantime, you can see him play mentor to a theatrically ambitious Noah Robbins in Jonathan Tolins' Off-Broadway play Secrets of the Trade and read my article about him and the show.

Show and Tell

With a possible repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell once again stirring up the gays in the military debate, Marc Wolf has brought his solo show Another American: Asking and Telling back to New York for a limited engagement. He's still very passionate about the show and the topic , as I learned during an interview for Time Out New York.

Twilight Traffic Jam

What does it take to bring down the website of the mighty Hollywood Reporter? Vampires. The advisory below was affixed to the Hollywood Reporter email newsletter that I received late Sunday/early Monday.

"Due to our release of 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' movie review, THR.com is experiencing traffic levels that can occasionally make accessing the website difficult. Thanks for your patience."

Pulitizers Past and Present

A Pulitzer Prize doesn't guarantee eternity, as Frank D. Gilroy's The Subject Was Roses, now being revived by the Pearl Theatre Company, proves.

Interestingly, only six Pulitzers for drama were handed out in the 1960s, and two of those went to musicals, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Fiorello!, the driest decade ever for the award honoring the best American play of the year. Was there really such a dearth of great new plays, or was the cultural divide creeping into the equation? Is it, as Ben Brantley points out in this New York Times piece about 2010 recipient Next to Normal, one shouldn't expect cutting-edge honorees from the Pulitzer board?

Short-Shrifted

I was quite surprised to be asked to review The Irish Curse, Martin Casella's quirky and endearing comedy about the tribulations of being small down there. But Matt Lenz's production is a delight, thanks in large part to a terrific cast led by Dan Butler and Austin Peck.

Coincidentally, my theatergoing highlight of last week was another new play featuring a cast of five men -- Jon Marans' The Temperamentals. The story of gay rights pioneer Harry Hay and the men who founded Mattachine Society in 1950, it is incredibly moving and provocative, both as both a love story and a historical drama. Thomas Jay Ryan and Michael Urie give performances that shouldn't be missed.

Something else that shouldn't be missed (but I will have to) is the upcoming post-show discussion with Barney Frank on May 3. Still, the politician I'd most like to see respond to the play is former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, who's listed as a future guest. Hay begins the play as married father sneaking off to clandestine meetings with his group and his lover. McGreevey should be able to relate.

Delicious and Delightful

Rescue Me (a postmodern classic with snacks), Michi Barall's Iphigenia in Tauris riff is utterly delightful — and not just because I got some Entenmann's chocolate chips for showing up.