A Raisin In The Sun Preview

I spoke with a few of the cast members of A Raisin In The Sun about their experience working with director Liesl Tommy and what it's like trying to find a fresh and relevant take on such a well-known classic. Fortunately for me, they had a lot of good things to say: 

Previews start this Friday, March 8 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre (plus we've got a cool little pre-show party with cheap tickets that night if you're interested)

(also? One of the actresses was totally in Batman Forever! Also The Abyss. But more importantly Batman Forever!)

T3h Intarnetz! Jokez!

A quick, fun piece on Five By Five Hundred today, fleshing out a tweet I made the other day that I thought was particularly clever. That's all!

"The Book of Sega Genesis" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

Drag Queens and Puppets and Murder, Oh My!

For the past 20 years, Ryan Landry has been making these crazy queer-mash-up-parody plays full of puppets, drag queens, and all kinds of offensive brilliance, and he's established quite a reputation for himself in doing this, consistently selling out 4 or more shows a year which he typically performs in the basement of a gay bar in the Fenway. We're finally teaming up with him at the Huntington to bring his irreverent theatrical style to a larger stage, and give him the opportunity to collaborate with different artists (and hopefully help him to continue to grow as an artist, you know). I spoke with our Artistic Director, Peter DuBois, about the wild works of Ryan Landry, in anticipation of his upcoming adaptation of Fritz Lang's German child murder film noir M, which plays March 29 through April 27 at the Huntington. Check it out: 

Good News, True Believers!

I've got two new exciting bits to share with you about your favorite nerdy theatre experience. First, The Hive Theatre in New York will be presenting a staged reading of True Believers on Monday, March 18 at 7pm at the Lee Strasberg Film & Theatre Institute on East 15th Street near Union Square. The reading is being presented under an Equity showcase contract, which technically means that they're all professional actors who probably aren't being paid, but that's okay, because hey, cool, professional NY actors! I've met with the company once so far, and they're incredibly excited and supportive about the show. I by no means feel that the script is perfect, but when I asked them about a few of the concerns I had about it, they all pretty much answered, "Nope, it's great, don't worry about it," so, ya know, that's nice. If you're in New York, or have any friends in New York, please tell them to come (especially if they're important agents/editors/producers/superheroes/billionaire philanthropists/the real-life inspiration for Avenger because oh God I want to see his face). The other great news I received this same weekend (which also pertains to True Believers) is that I've been invited to participate in the Last Frontier Theatre Conference at Prince Williams Sound Community College in Valdez, Alaska, which is apparently a 6 hour drive from Anchorage. It's a week long conference full of panels and workshops all focusing on new works for American theatre, and another staged reading of True Believers will be presented under my adept direction. But mostly, it'll be cool to go to Alaska in May when it's not a frozen tundra and there's only like 3 hours of darkness and then suddenly I'm Al Pacino and I'm going crazy trying to catch a killer and hey that could be plot of my next play (he says, already working on 2 more simultaneously instead of focusing on finishing one UGH).

So in conclusion: The Cyborg Head of Stan Lee was right.

Domestic Terrorism In Brightly Packaged Haikus

I had bigger plans for this that I might revisit when not under deadline (I got back from NYC around 2am last night so UGH), but I was thinking about the idea of "selling fear" and, well, just kind of went with it for this week's Five By Five Hundred post. So here it is!

"Selling Fear" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

Just Dance, Mother&$%#ers!

In case you missed out on seeing Boston's premiere all-male hard rock Lady Gaga cover band at the Midway this past weekend, you're in luck: we got the whole thing on tape! Well, technically on built-on digital flash hardrive but, you know, whatever. The audio quality is a little rough (because isn't it always?), but you get the gist. You can watch a playlist of the full set over on YouTube, but here are a few gems from the night: "You & I"

"Bad Romance" 

Plus we had a few surprises this time in the form of non-Gaga female pop artists (because frankly, Gaga's catalog is kind of limited, and we needed new material). Like this:

Here's my latest post on 5x500, in which I explore the ancient art of writing a set list. You're welcome.

The Art of Rock N Roll

Many people overlook the nuanced art of rock n roll, both within the songs*, and within the performance itself. Consider then: the set list. A good set list (or track listing**, for that matter) is a thing of beauty, complete with its own narrative arc of musical peaks and valleys that carry the audience through a complete cathartic hour-long rock n roll experience. But I realize that it's an art form that not many have mastered. And so this week on Five by Five Hundred, I've offered my assistance in a very public format. So you're welcome, Aspiring Rock Stars. Go forth, and make rock!

"Set List For A Washed Up Rock N Roll Band" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

*Perhaps another day I shall blog at length about the importance of the narrative arc in song arrangements as well, in which case I'll be mostly using Weezer's Blue Album as a perfect example.

**Foo Fighters' "The Colours & the Shapes" has the best non-concept album track listing ever. I'll fight you on it.

New Lady Gaga Song!

In anticipation of this Saturday's Alejandro & the Fame show at the Midway Cafe in JP, we put together another quick demo of one of our songs. So, sorry, this isn't a new Lady Gaga song, but rather a better version of an already existing Lady Gaga song, done by us. This isn't the final mix or master, but it's a good idea of how we rock (and if you really feel like bringing the mosh and punching someone in the face, fast forward about 3 minutes for the breakdown 'cause it's awesome)

...Or Does It Explode?

Here's a little teaser trailer I put together for our upcoming production of A Raisin In The Sun at the Huntington. I didn't have much to work with in terms of resources or time, so I recorded one of our actors reciting the Langston Hughes poem on which the title is based, and added some shots of Chicago in the '50s. Still, I'm pretty pleased with the results.

How To Kill The Poor With Irony

As I've mentioned before, I had this idea for an album of punk rock covers done in a folk / bluegrass style, which I kind of gave up on but recently re-invested myself in (it's amazing what some nice recording mics can inspire in a person). So naturally, while I was snowed into my house this past weekend, I used that time productively to revisit one of my "Folk In Drublic" tunes. This one is the punk rock classic "Kill The Poor" by the Dead Kennedys. Basically, I thought it would be hilarious to be ironic about an already-ironic song, and turn an ironic punk song into a genuine-sounding country hick right wing anthem. So, uh, you're welcome. I guess.

The Vindow Viper Is Coming

Busy week here at Thom Dunn industries (when is it now?) so I've shared an older piece for this week's Five By Five Hundred post. This one's inspired by a really terrible episode of the 80s GI JOE cartoon, and a homeless guy named Joe who lives in New Haven. Joe walks around New Haven with a bucket and a mop, and he offers to clean the windows on your building or your car in exchange for food or money. He firmly believes in working for his pay, and refuses to beg for money or take handouts from strangers -- because, if his story is to be believed, Joe used to be a drug dealer and a rapist and was thrown off the top of the New Haven Coliseum in a turf war and somehow survived through the graciousness of some mysterious benefactor who paid his medical bills and now he feels that he has to spend the rest of his life making up for his past mistakes. Or at least that's what he says. So I wrote this little piece about him; obviously it's a comedy.

"Viper" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

The Multiverse On Stage

Over at Tor.com, I talk about Nick Payne's Constellations, a play which I unfortunately have not seen, but one that I have read and would absolutely love to see. Except that maybe in the world of this simultaneous-multiverse-hopping-romance, I have actually seen the play somewhere. Plus every other parallel reality happening possible. It's kind of nuts, and kind of beautiful, but I describe it better over there, so check it out:

"SFF Onstage: Nick Payne's Constellations" on Tor Dot Com

Where Does Nick Fury Get All Those Wonderful Toys?

I recently read through the original Stan Lee - Jack Kirby (and later, all Jim Steranko all the time) run of Strange Tales: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, which first introduced the cigar-chompin' one-eyed Nick-Fury-as-Super-Spy to the Marvel Universe. I'll be honest, I don't always love older comics because their hokey nature and heavy exposition, but these were some pretty awesome spy stories. And even better they were filled with some of the most unabashedly ridiculous spy gadgets imaginable. Everything was so over-the-top and psychedelic, and with absolute no regret or embarrassment about it. And so I shared a list of my Top 10 SHIELD toys over on Tor Dot Com, mostly hoping that Joss Whedon's now SHIELD TV series will feature every single one of them.

"Nick Fury And The Top Ten Toys of S.H.I.E.L.D." on Tor Dot Com

The Voice Of Our Generation

So, okay. Lena Dunham. That's all the Internet talks about anymore. And mostly for stupid reasons. GIRLS is an enjoyable show. Sure, it's got its flaws, but it always has some realistic depictions of a very particular group of people, all of whom I went to college with. But most of the debate around the show is -- in my humble opinion -- around all of the wrong issues (read: misogyny towards chubby exhibitionists). Let's face it, Lena Dunham is hardly the first privileged white kid to leverage Mom & Dad's wealth and success into her own career. I probably would have done the same thing, if I ever had the opportunity. And then there's Thought Catalog. I have plenty of friends who frequently for Thought Catalog, and almost every time I read something on that website (besides stuff by friends, obviously, because the whole point of this is that we're all hypocrites) I find myself consumed by anger towards the whiney narcissism of my generation. Every post is all trying to be deep and profound and whoa I made this brilliant realizations about being 22 now that I'm older and wiser at 24 and shut up.

Except that every time I read Thought Catalog, I'm like "Man, I totally get this. This is totally spot on." Which is probably why I'm so angry at it -- because it, like GIRLS, is totally cliched, and reminds us all of how cliched we are ourselves.

So, long story longer, this week's Five By Five Hundred post is all about that, except in some wacky stream-of-consciousness kind of a way (I mean, more than what I just wrote) because I have weird brain things.

(Also it now holds the record for our most popular post on 5x500! So, ya know, that's cool)

"A Catalog Of Thoughts; Or, Sorry Lena Dunham, But Our Generation Already Has A Voice" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

"...And We Go Ahhhhhhh / Like a Raisin in The Sun /.... "

(...that's how the song goes, right?) Coming up next at the Huntington, Liesl Tommy is returning to direct the classic A Raisin In The Sun, a play which I probably don't need to tell you anything about because you've already read it. But here's a video I made of our Artistic Director Peter DuBois talking about what makes this production special (including a mention of Bevin's next project, the Boston premiere of last year's Tony Award winner Clybourne Park for SpeakEasy Stage).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERERCo1dI1o]

A Raisin In The Sun plays March 8 - April 7, 2013 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre, and Clybourne Park runs March 1 - 30, 2013 at the South End / Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

More Booze n' Books

Look, we all know that I love stories and drinking. This is no secret to anyone who's ever spoken to me for more than a minute. So naturally, I've got another article on the topic that's now live over at Quirk Books. Think of this as a kind of companion piece to my How To Drink Like Your Favorite Writer and A Guide To Pairing Your Comic Books and Beer posts. You liked those, right? Of course you did.

"Seven Cocktail Recipes & Drink Suggestions Inspired By Our Favorite Pieces Of Literature" at Quirk Books

The End

Okay, so clearly I've been working on lots of larger writing pieces, which has gotten in the way of my standard Five By Five Hundred writing. But hey, writing is writing, so here's another short excerpt from a piece I've been working, only this one is the very end of the story. So, ya know. Spoilers, sweetie.

"The End of The Story" on Five By Five Hundred

You For Me For You Reviews

The reviews have started coming in for You For Me For You, directed by my girlfriend, M. Bevin O'Gara. EDGE Boston says:

"M. Bevin O’Gara’s sensitive and humanistic direction satisfyingly plumbs the depths beyond the novelty of the script to keep our hearts and minds firmly engaged in the sisters’s fate. O’Gara has the benefit of a wonderful cast of mostly Asian actors who have freed themselves from the muted performances too often imposed on them to this day in the popular American media. They give their emotions full throttle and so engage ours."

So, ya know. That's nice. Here's a little video I put together of audience testimonials, in case you're still not convinced!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsW5qxdLAOw]

Quantum Fiction!

Here's a little excerpt from a story I've been working on in a few different mediums (I've shared a few other snippets, too, if you'd like to piece them together and figure it out...). It's science-y and physics-y and all timey-wimey, but hopefully it's at least a little bit enjoyable on its own!

"Quantum Physiology, or The Origins of Nonlinear Molecular Teleportation" on FiveByFiveHundred.com