London Reviews for "American Briefs"

Just got these.

American Briefs : Whatsonstage - Off-West End

The Stage / Reviews / American Briefs

So far, so good.

First Look "Last Things"

Below is an excerpt from the first draft of the new play, written as a commission for Next Theatre in Chicago.

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(Blackout. The thunder rumbles, then there is a sound of electronic static, a TV set with snow. A darkened stage. A handsome older man stands before us. He is confident and energetic. There is much in his appearance to make people trust him. He is addressing an audience. This is DR. BILLY BOWLES. Like all of the characters, DR. BILLY has a gentle, courtly Southern accent. Not a hillbilly drawl.)

DR. BILLY
God has balls in the air. God has papers in His inbox. God has a lot of people interrupting His workday with their concerns and needing to set up lunch. God needs help to carry out His plan. That is what we are going to do. We are going to be God’s temps. We are going to go in and file and copy and make back-up disks and check the mailing lists and load paper into the copy machine and get God’s computer running right. We are not going to take lunch and if God asks us to go off the clock because we’ve hit forty hours that week and God does not want to pay overtime, then that is what we are gonna do. We have to. We’re temps. God hasn’t offered us a full-time position yet. We are going to do the best job for God that anyone has ever done. After He sees the job we do for Him, God is gonna turn to all of His angels and say, hey you angels look at this, look at these new temps! You never fixed my coffee the way I like it, Gabriel. You always forget to take out the mail at the end of the day, Michael. Look at these guys! Look at how they work for Me! And at the end of our probationary period, God is gonna call us into his corner office, God is gonna smile and say, we are prepared to offer you a full time position and let me tell you something people God’s benefits package cannot be beat you want full medical coverage you want dental you want a 401K with a 4% company match you want personal days and sick days and profit sharing and accumulated vacation days I tell you God’s got it all! And we are gonna shake God’s hand and then we are gonna call the temp agency, and say take us off the earthly temp roster! We just took a full-time position with God. Don’t bother sending anyone else! And I tell you, brothers and sisters. There will still be those at the temp agency. Still without a full time position. Still without benefits. And there’s no room for them in God’s organization. No sense crying over them. That’s how it works in a free market economy.

Opening Night at Above the Stag

"Letters" opens tonight in London, as part of "American Briefs" at Above the Stag, Peter Bull's new theater space near Victoria Station. Interesting piece in the UK Guardian today - mentioning Peter's upcoming production of "Busted Jesus Comix" in 09 - on whether London needs a new gay theatre, since gay plays seem increasingly mainstream.

Last Things

Wrote the most beautiful word on Saturday - "Curtain." Will take a few more days to dither over editing, then send it off to Next.

Culture Vulture

Have had quite the week of culcha. Steve Reich Wed night at BAM - review below - last night, "Mouth to Mouth" at the New Group with some superb acting across the board, particularly Lisa Emery and David Cale. Last Sunday was "Nowadays" at the Metropolitan Playhouse with Frank Anderson, Lisa Riegel and Matt Trumbull. An excellent production of a completely unknown turn of the century work, directed by Alex Roe. It closes this weekend, so go see it. And tonight, I'm off to Carnegie Hall to see Kevin Newbury's staging of the Bernstein Mass.

Then over the weekend, I'll lay on the couch, drink red wine and watch more Dietrich movies. I gotta stay in sometime.

Steve Reich at BAM

Saw this on Wednesday night at BAM, part of the Next Wave Festival. My review is up on NYTheatre.com

"Busted Jesus Comix" in London

Plans are underway for an 09 production of "Busted Jesus Comix" in London. No dates yet, but information is here.

"Letters" in London

Got this picture from my London producer, Peter Bull, for his evening at Above the Stag Theatre, entitled "American Briefs." These are rehearsal pictures for "Letters," Leon Ancliffe (on the left) and Richard Gee (right.)

Have no idea why Peter has hired such homely kids to act in my play - what the hell was he thinking?

If you're in London - and hey, even if you're not! - tickets and information are here.

UPDATE: Here's a nice mention of the project in Martin Denton's Plays & Playwrights blog.

This Morning

I finished the first act of the new play. Parts are not heinous.

HOAST

If you have a chance this weekend, go check out Art Harlem's annual Open Artist Studio Tour. I've done it a few years running and it's a lot of fun. My friend Gina Fuentes Walker puts this event together every year. Go to their site and download their map - then plot out where you want to go and whose art to see. Plus, there's lots of places to stop for snacks, coffee or cocktails. Go see all the artist studios and funky places before Columbia eats them.

London

Exciting news. A one-act of mine, "Letters," will be opening in London on Oct 28, and running on a bill along with Jim Dalglish (Managing Director of WHAT) and Jack Heifner (Vanities.) This is my first production in the UK, so I'm pretty psyched. Information is here.

UPDATE: Here's a write up on the evening in Broadway World.