Last Sunday in June

www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003 Q1
Q_COVERstory
Trés Jolie: Academy Award-Winner Angelina Jolie
Actress Prepares for Jaw-Dropping Stunts in ‘Lara Croft’ Film
By Tony Philips
Special to The Express
“There’s a carousel in some mall here,
and we’re going to find it,” Angelina Jolie
states with a determined resolve. And
though the rest of her day contains a call
to adventure somewhat more suburban
than those usually entertained by globetrotting action heroine Lara Croft, one gets
the feeling Jolie will seek it out as doggedly
as Croft searches for Pandora’s Box in the
upcoming Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The
Cradle of Life. No doubt, her child, Maddox,
has something to do with Jolie’s drive. But
a 2-year-old son isn’t the only difference
between her and the tomb raider, as the
afternoon carousel ride demonstrates. “I’ll
probably just sit there,” Jolie says with a laugh.
“But Lara would be hanging off sidesaddle
and spinning shotguns.” Probably not a
welcome sight in most malls, yet one a
dedicated fan base eagerly awaits.
Before the global, six-month shoot, Jolie
spent 2½ months of training for jawdropping stunts she would perform herself.
“Every other day was spent practicing
things like repelling 200 feet upside-down
against slate rock,” Jolie remembers of Lara
Croft boot camp. “It’s just weird the things
you’re preparing to do.” Diving, gymnastics,
bungee jumping, kick boxing and weapons
training all went into the mix. “There’s this
sort of underwater motorcycle in this one,”
Jolie explains. “So that was part of the drill
too. Then this time it was all new weapons.
There was a rifle drill that took a very long
time to learn. We even did Kendo stick
fighting.”
Her stunt work on the film is so varied
that she can’t choose just one when it comes
to highest degree of difficulty. “I’m not a
water person,” Jolie allows. “And there’s a
lot of stand up Jet Ski, which was difficult
to do. I fell over many, many times.”
But something as deceptively simple as
horseback riding presented the shoot’s
greatest challenge and its biggest reward.
“We wanted her to ride a horse,” Jolie
remembers. “And I thought she’d ride it kind
of sidesaddle. And then we thought, when
was the last time somebody spun a shotgun?
I think Arnold Schwarzenegger did it once,
but before that it was John Wayne. So let’s
spin a shotgun to load it while riding really
fast sidesaddle with a helicopter flying over
and a horse that was scared of the gunshots
so he had plugs in his ears. We had all this
stuff going on, and then I was trying to shoot
at targets. There were a few takes where I
nearly hit myself with the shotgun. I had a
shotgun shell in the eye. Everything you could
imagine went wrong, but then it worked.”
A post-feminist heroine galloping into
Schwarzenegger/Wayne
country?
Sidesaddle? That had to be a match made
in heaven for an actor who often comes
across as ballsy in real life as she does on
the screen. “At first, I didn’t really like the
character,” Jolie counters. “I saw pictures
of her and saw the game, and didn’t like
her.” So what finally sold her on Croft? Dog
sledding on a glacier in Iceland and visiting
the unexplored ancient ruins of Angkor Wat
didn’t hurt. “I want to be recruited into this
army,” Jolie remembers her inner child
calling out when the project was pitched.
And then in the second film, “Just the idea
of being on top of a live volcano; we were
flown in by helicopter and then walked for
45 minutes around the edge of the crater.
You could see the lava and smell it, and this
is your job.”
This globetrotting career surely
requires some sensible shoes. “It’s not
practical being in a dress and heels,” Jolie
says about Croft’s look. “I don’t wear a
lot of dresses because I can’t move in
them. I like pants, you know? And I like
boots.” Luckily, her own personal style
makes the leap to Croft’s effortlessly.
“The thing I like about her is she doesn’t
dress girly because that’s not how she
fights. You get these bad girl femme
fatales in heels and a dress, and that’s their
allure. I like that Lara doesn’t go there.
She’s dirty and she’s in her work clothes.
She happens to be a sexual person, but
doesn’t necessarily use that. You never see
her trying to look sexy.”
Still, Croft’s lesbian fan base, second
only to a certain warrior princess, isn’t
hanging around because she’s not trying to
look sexy. And though Jolie feels the
character has streamlined into a “less
voluptuous” model, she’s about to do for
black bikinis what Ursula Andress did for
white ones in Dr. No. Still, bombshell or
not, people are happy to speculate on Croft’s
sexual orientation. It’s one of the things Jolie
likes about the role. “I always joke that you
never actually see Lara with anybody,” she
explains. “You get a sense in this one that
she’s had a male lover, but she would
absolutely love a woman as much as she
would love a man.”
It’s a question about character that can’t
help getting personal. For Jolie, it’s not a
question of marketing, but rather a reflection
of her own life. “I don’t do things
specifically for one fan base or the other,
but my closest girlfriends are a married
couple—married to each other—and I’ve
loved a woman in my life,” she states.
“Naturally, without thinking about it, I have
a certain understanding, love, awareness and
sensitivity to anything that relates to gay
issues. I just personally do. So I’ve never
had to think about it for somebody else. I
actually think about it for me and my
personal opinions and my personal
feelings.”
And those personal feelings recently led
the L.A. native to become an ex-pat in the
U.K. “I bought a home in London since my
divorce,” she says. “I still have an apartment
in New York City, but I keep working in
London. My first husband was British, and
I’ve shot both Tomb Raiders and another
film there. For some reason in my life, I’ve
been brought back there a lot.” But more
than a shorter commute to Pinewood
Studios, Jolie loves London’s proximity to
the rest of the world. “I want to travel there
and be more connected,” she explains. “It’s
as close to New York as Africa. I like being
more centrally connected to the world, and
I feel that there.”
And although the move is recent, the
idea started percolating over three years
ago when she first started traveling with
the United Nations. Her involvement
started as simply as stumbling over a
refugee figure of 20 million in a book
about the organization. “I just couldn’t
fathom how there are 20 million people
out there who were considered
internally displaced. And there
still are. I wanted to know what
that was. So I went to
Washington and met with the
UN. A few weeks later, I was
in Sierra Leone, and I’ve
been traveling with them ever
since. I’ve kept journals
every time we’ve gone to
different countries, and
they’re actually going to be
published with the proceeds
going to the UN.”
And though these seismic life changes
cropped up in Jolie’s life post-divorce,
she’s not been without a traveling
companion. “I’m always going to bring
my son everywhere,” she states, “or I’m
not going to do a film. His passport is
ridiculous; it’s so full. And he does know
how to go directly to a minibar, but the
reality is he’s a kid who was born in an
orphanage in the middle of nowhere with
no walls. He’s a tough kid. Some people
said to me, you’re taking a baby into the
middle of malaria country in Africa? But
he spent his first seven months in an open
building in malaria country. He’s pretty
resilient.” And their life together between
film locations is happily schedule-free. “I
wake up whenever Maddox wakes up.
Like today, I had the day off and we got
up, had breakfast and then colored. I took
him for a walk in the rain, and he’s
napping now.” That idle pace will change
soon as the second Tomb Raider
installment opens in July, followed
quickly by a sprawling, 12-year love and
war epic with Clive Owen titled Beyond
Borders and a part in the Gwyneth Paltrow
and Jude Law sci-fi riff on the 1939
World’s Fair called World of Tomorrow.
Before she takes her leave to find that
carousel, Jolie begins to fret about all this
talk of motherhood and charity. She has
an Oscar now. The real life stunts give
way to filmic ones. America’s
favorite wild child is off to
the mall. One can almost
see the gears grinding as
World of Tomorrow
allows for an exit line.
“I’m just in it a bit,” she
deadpans, “but I’m in a
lot of leather, so I’m
happy.”
Angelina Jolie as action heroine Lara
Croft in the upcoming Lara Croft
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.
Q2 www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003
Q_THEATERreview
Last Sunday in June: The Joke’s on Us
Gay Play Plays It Straight
By Mary Damiano
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The real star of The Last Sunday in June,
the play about the lives of gay men, which
is currently running at the Caldwell Theatre
in Boca Raton, is scenic designer Tim
Bennett.
Bennett’s set for the play is detailed and
stylish, comfy and lived in. He perfectly
captures a Greenwich Village apartment and
transplants it to the stage in Boca Raton. But
the set is the only bit of reality in the
production. The Last Sunday in June is a gay
play for straight people.
Playwright Jonathan Tolins rarely
passes up an opportunity to perpetuate a
stereotype, thereby playing to the straight
community’s ideas about what gay people
are all about. The play has nothing new to
say about gay life or relationships.
The Last Sunday in June enlists the
standard collection of stock characters: Tom
and Michael (Jeff Meacham and Nate Clark)
are the adorable couple who have been
together seven years and are in the process
of buying a home in upstate New York; Joe
(John Bixler) is the newly out actor
transplanted from L.A.; Brad (Jack Garrity)
Jeff Meacham, Steve Hayes, John Bixler, Jack Garrity and Nate Clark
is the sarcastic, witty writer with AIDS;
Charles (Steve Hayes) is the older opera
queen who can teach the young bucks about
the way gay life used to be. The story takes
place on the day of the New York Gay Pride
Parade, and Michael and Tom’s Christopher
Street apartment is on the parade route, so
everyone else stops by to watch from their
window.
Things heat up a bit when Michael’s old
friend and former lover James (Tim Burke)
stops by, and sparks fly when James
announces that he’s giving up on the gay life
and marrying a woman. James’ appearance
is followed by a visit from shirtless hunk
Scott (Dean Strange) and James’ fiancée
Susan (Beth Bailey).
The only time The Last Sunday in June
comes close to real drama, tension or honesty
is in the last 10 minutes, when Tom and
Michael are forced to reexamine their
relationship. This is the only time the play
and the performers come close to real life.
The performances are mannered and
over the top. As James, Burke bears an
uncomfortable resemblance to John Waters.
And while Strange is no great actor, he’s the
only performer who comes off as a real fleshand-blood person rather than a caricature.
One of the most cringe-inducing devices
in The Last Sunday in June is when the
characters talk about how they have all the
makings for a gay play, and talk about all
the obligatory things they would need to
have if this were a gay play. Of course, every
cliché is fulfilled. Tolins thinks that by
Dean Stange and Jack Garrity
calling attention to these clichés and making
fun of them he can get away with using them,
but a better approach would have been to
simply think of something fresh.
Will The Last Sunday in June make you
laugh? Probably. But when you look at what
you’re laughing at, the joke doesn’t seem so
funny.
The Last Sunday in June runs
through Aug. 3 at the Caldwell
Theatre, 7873 N. Federal Hwy., Boca
Raton. For more information, call
561.241.7432 or 877.245.7432.
www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003 Q3
Q_CULTURAL COCKTAIL By Mary Damiano
Steamy Stories and Bisexual Babes Heat up the Week
There’s Something for Everyone on the Entertainment Scene
From a musical delving into the lives
of drag queens to a magazine celebrating
gay men to a couple of bodacious babes
on the silver screen, there are all kinds
of things heating up the summer scene.
the third edition of “Not Your Average
Bedtime Story,” at which local writers will
read their steamiest stories. The two events
last fall drew about 200 people combined,
and a memorable time was had by all. Many
writers even got a standing ovation for their
work, if you know what I mean. I’ll be
serving as mistress of ceremonies and will
also be the last writer to take the stage. Don’t
miss the fun.
A Real Jem
I had the pleasure of having lunch
last month with Jem Jender, the creator
of The Diva Diaries, which opens at
the Broward Center for the Performing
Arts this Thursday, July 24. It was one
of the most delightful interviews I’ve
conducted. Jem, you might
remember, graced the cover of Q in
the June 16 issue of The Express, and
rode atop the Party 93.1 car in the
Stonewall Parade. Jem is an allaround class act who exudes wit and
androgyny and seemed amused
whenever the waitress at the
restaurant called him ma’am. The
Diva Diaries is a musical look at
three drag queens who reflect on their
lives and careers on the closing night
of their club, Pandora’s Box. While
Jem isn’t in the production, he will be
decked out in full regalia mingling with
the audience in the lobby. For more
information on The Diva Diaries, call
954.462.0222.
Sex in Public Places
If you’re looking for a way to heat
up a hot summer night, come to the Pride
Factory this Friday, July 25, at 8pm for
Q4 www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003
Gay Chorus Undergoes
Name Change
Jem Jender, the creator
of The Diva Diaries,
which opens at the
Broward Center for the
Performing Arts this
Thursday, July 24
The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida
has changed its name to the Fort Lauderdale
Gay Men’s Chorus. The new name will
reflect the chorus’ home base and core
audience in Fort Lauderdale. And make
plans to be in the stands for
the Marlins game on
Tuesday, Aug. 12,
when the newly
christened
Fort
Lauderdale Gay Men’s
Chorus makes history
by becoming the first
gay chorus ever to sing
the National Anthem at a
Marlins game. Way to go,
guys.
will hit movie screens everywhere this
Friday, July 25, playing Lara Croft in the
latest Tomb Raider movie, but she’s not the
only bisexual babe heating up cool theaters
this summer. Adorable Drew Barrymore,
who stars in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,
has recently come out about her love of
women and numerous lesbian affairs.
Perhaps as more people are open about their
bisexuality, people will begin thinking of
bisexuality as an orientation and not just a
term for folks who can’t make up their
minds.
Gay Men and the Women
Who Love Them
Bust, the flip, flirty and
ballsy mag for women who have
something to get off their chests,
celebrates
its
10-year
anniversary with a salute to all
things gay. Ultimate gay icon
Cher graces the cover of the
summer issue, and the
magazine boasts stories
about fag hags, a daughter
dealing with her gay dad,
a chat with Todd Oldham
and gal pal Amy Sedaris,
a look at John Waters by
friend Mary Vivian
Bisexual
Pearce as well as a
spread on gay men women
Summer
love, including Pedro Almodovar, Harvey
Luscious
Angelina
Jolie—I can’t even write her name without Milk, Rupert Everett and Paul Lynde. Pick
my tongue swiping across my upper lip— it up now, and have a gay old time.
Q_NAKED CURIOSITY By D. Scott Bush
Let’s Hear It for the Girls
I’m a Gay Man, But Women Play Vital Roles in My Life
Their bodies moved to a decidedly
rousing rhythm, even though they were
seated. They both wore stylish dancing
shoes. My focus on their feet made me think
of the movie Footloose, and I found myself
replaying the soundtrack in my mind. First,
the title track, and then I settled into the
bouncy “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.”
“We didn’t stay at Wendell’s very
long,” the frost-and-tipped young man told
his friend. “There were women at the party.”
“No!” the friend gasped, recoiling in
horror. “What was he thinking?”
“He must have been thinking he didn’t
want José and I to stay very long,” the first
guy replied. “Because there’s no way we
were going to hang out all night with
women.”
“If I’d wanted to hang out with women,
I’d have been straight,” the friend quipped,
flexing his pecs as he laughed.
I was sick. And not just from what
brought me to the pharmacy in the first place.
I hadn’t expected to hear such misogynistic
chatter, while I was waiting for my
prescription to be filled.
The overheard exchange reminded me
of an e-mail I’d gotten, a couple weeks ago.
The sender was a gay entrepreneur who
wanted to build on the idea of private men’s
resorts by creating an entire community of
nothing but gay men. There would be no
women—neither lesbian nor straight—and,
as such, would be a “utopia for men who
love men and men who have sex with men,”
according to the advertisement.
I wonder how many excited responses
the executive of exclusivity received?
Surely, the men who patronize men-only
resorts or who go on men-only cruises would
have found the concept of a men-only
community appealing, at least initially.
Musing on the concept brought to mind
visions of a society that would be sexually
liberated and a hotbed of culture and
creativity.
But at what price would we have that
little world of perpetual penis power?
While I am certainly a man who loves
men and a man who has sex with men, I am
also a man who loves women. Three of my
six best friends are women. My bonds with
Susan, Jane and Nancy are strong and
precious. Each one brings unique and
wonderful things to our relationship. All
three are creative, intelligent, funny and
kindhearted. In short, they are exceptional
women—exceptional people, regardless of
gender—and I am a better person because
of my friendships with them.
Women play a vital role in my life, in
general. Of course, my mother gets her due.
And, in addition to Susan, Jane and Nancy,
many of my other friends are also fabulous
females. My mother-in-law, sisters-in-law
and nieces are always good for delightful
conversation or e-mail exchange. Deb, from
my bowling team, is a dervish of hard work
and humor. Diane and Steph are a speeddial button away, even though they are
geographically across the country. There’s
even a woman among our household service
providers, and she’s not the
one most people assume. Our
cleaning people are gay men,
but the yard is handled by our
very capable lawn lesbian.
Seventeen times each
summer I gleefully surround
myself with thousands of
women who, like me,
enthusiastically revel in the
WNBA. I’ve been to NBA
games and enjoy the sport in
that form, as well. I’ve
discovered, though, that the
ladies play with more heart and
the women’s crowd has a far
more exuberant vibe than the
negative energy of the folks in
the arena at men’s games.
We can’t forget the other
estrogenic influences in our
lives. Many of us owe a huge
debt to the women who
accompanied us to gay bars
and boosted our self-esteem, early on. Call
them fag hags, fruit flies or whatever you
like. The point is, for many gay men, those
women were the buddies, the buffers and,
often, the bitches that got us through the
transitional times and into the promised land
where the rainbow flag proudly waves.
Especially in urban areas with so-called
gay ghettos, it’s too easy for us to segregate
ourselves from other kinds of people,
whether that separation is from straight
people of both genders or women of our own
same-sex subculture. An occasional boys’
night out or weekend at a men-only resort?
Absolutely. But not as a matter of daily
design.
Women make that world richer and
much more interesting. Take time to
appreciate the ladies in your life.
Let’s hear it for the girls!
D. Scott-Bush’s work appears
throughout the country. E-mail may be
directed to [email protected].
www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003 Q5
Q_CULTURALevents
Tuesdays, Through July 29: Hispanic
Immigrants Maintaining Their Culture Through
Music and Dance—First- and second-generation
Latin American immigrants are invited to discuss
culture-related books and to learn and enjoy many
types of Latin dancing. 6 - 7pm at the Hallandale
Beach Branch Library, 300 S. Federal Highway,
Hallandale Beach. 954.457.1750.
Through Monday, Sept. 1: Bahamas Cruise
Raffle—The Sunshine Cathedral is raffling a getaway cruise for two for four days and three nights
to the Bahamas (call port, government and taxes
included). Tickets are $10 each or three for $25 at
the Sunshine Cathedral’s Great Hall after Sunday
services, from one of the board of directors or online
at www.SunshineCathedral.org. The winner will be
selected at Sunshine Cathedral’s Sunshine Country
Fair on Sept. 1.
Wednesday, July 23: Design & Wine—Wine
tasting and fashion and retail tour. Purchase a handpainted wine glass by 2 Frenz ($12), shop and
receive complimentary wine refills at shops. Map
and list provided. 6 – 9pm at Harrison Street Wine
Gallery, 1916 Harrison Street in Downtown
Hollywood. 954.921.3016.
Friday, July 25: Not Your Average Bedtime
Story—Come to this co-gender open mic where
local writers read their sexiest stuff. Listen to the
hottest writing in town or share your own work.
Writers are accepted on a first come basis. Preregister at [email protected]. Free. 8pm
at Pride Factory, 845 N. Federal Hwy., Fort
Lauderdale, 954-845-6600.
Saturday, July 26: Sunshine Cathedral’s
Five-Star Rodeo—Traditional Rodeo events will
be at the 5,000-seat Davie Arena. Doors open at
6:30pm. For information and detailed directions to
the Arena, visit www.fivestarrodeo.com. Benefits
Sunshine Cathedral programs.
Sunday, July 27: WIN T-Dance—4 – 8pm at
Endz-Up, 19 N. Federal Hwy., Dania Beach.
Members/$10, Non-Members/$15.
Sunday, Aug. 3: WIN Dog Show—1 – 4pm
at the GLCC, 1717 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Laudale.
Members/$7, Non-Members/$10, Entry Fee/$3.
954.961.7176.
Saturday, Nov. 22: Expanding Horizons—
Save the date for the Seventh Annual Recognition
Dinner benefiting GLFSF (Gay and Lesbian
Foundation of South Florida). Dr. John Graves,
Marleine Bastien, and Damian Pardo will be
honored. Special guest honoree to be announced.
Central Performing Arts Center, 1770 Monroe St. in
Hollywood. Free. 954.921.3404.
Saturday, July 26: Willie Colón—The legendary
“King of Salsa,” musician, composer and singer, brings
his hot rhythms to the Broward Center for another evening
of Tropical Nights. 8:30pm. 201 Southwest Fifth Ave.
954.462.0222.
Saturday, July 26: Ziggy Marley—7pm at The
Venu and Star Bar Patio, 100 SW 3rd Avenue, Fort
Lauderdale. 954.727.0950.
Saturday, July 26: Yiddish Folk Singers—
Featuring Dolores Seiden. 8pm at The White-Willis
Theatre, 7143 Pine Island Road, Tamarac. For
information and reservations call 954.726.7898.
Saturday, July 26: The Fabulones—Rock and
Roll concert, 7:30 – 9pm at Montella Park, 901 N. 69th
Way, Hollywood. Free. 954.921.3404.
Sunday, July 27: There’s No Song Like an Old
Song—Featuring Jerry Layton. 2pm at The White-Willis
Theatre, 7143 Pine Island Road, Tamarac. For
information and reservations call 954.726.7898.
Tuesday, July 29: The Dead—With Bob Dylan
& His Band. Special Guest Robert Hunter. 6pm at Office
Depot Center, 2555 Panthers Dr., Sunrise. 954.835.8000.
6:30pm at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, 3555
South Ocean Drive, Hollywood. $185 per person
includes cocktail reception and dinner. For tickets
and information, please call 305.572.1841 or visit
www.glfsf.org.
Live Theatre and Dance
Advance Ticket Sales—The Sisterhood of
Congregation Etz Chaim is now selling tickets to
its 2003-2004 Broadway Season. Kiss Me Kate (Jan.
8); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Jan. 15); West Side
Story (Feb. 8); Miami City Ballet Program IV
(March 20); The Full Monty (April 1); Mamma Mia
(April 15); and The Producers (May 13 and 16).
For tickets and information call Joyce Edelson at
954.718.5800.
Through Sunday, Aug. 3: Menopause the
Musical—This joyful musical parody is set to 28
classic baby-boomer songs. $32. Stage Door’s 26th
St. Theatre, 1444 N.E. 26th St. in Wilton Manors.
954.344.7765.
Through Sunday, Aug. 3: The Affections of
May—This comedy by Norm Foster is set at a bed
and breakfast in New Hampshire. Stage Door Theatre,
8036 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs. 954.344.7765.
Through Sunday, Aug. 3: Puttin’ on the
Ritz—Please join us as we escort Mr. Berlin on his
tuneful and toe-tapping journey from Ellis Island
to the heights of Broadway and Hollywood. Friday
and Saturday 8pm, Sunday 2pm at Fort Lauderdale
Children’s Theatre, 640 Andrews Ave. Tickets are
$20, $10 w/student ID. 954.427.0784.
Through Sunday, Aug. 17: The Big Bang—
Two comedic actors play all the roles recreating
Adam & Eve, Attila the Hun, Nefertiti, Julius
Caesar, Queen Isabella & Columbus, Napoleon &
Josphine, Henry VIII and other lively historical
figures as they sing and clown their way from
creation to the present. The Big Bang is long on
schtick and historical hilarity. Actors Playhouse,
280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. 305.444.9293.
Through Sunday, Aug. 24: Sophisticated
Ladies—The musical legacy of The Duke is
celebrated in this stylish and brassy retrospective.
Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday at 2pm and Thursday,
Friday, Saturday at 8pm. Broward Stage Door
Theatre, 8036 W. Sample Rd., Coral Springs,
954.344.7765.
Wednesday - Friday, July 23 - 25: David
Copperfield—Broward Center for the Performing
Arts, 201 Southwest 5th Ave. For information and
tickets call 954.462.0222 or 1.800.564.9539.
Q6 www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003
Thursday - Sunday, July 24 – Aug. 3: Diva
Diaries—Diva Diaries combines the sounds of the ’70s,
’80s and ’90s with a new electrifying musical score,
plenty of wigs, mascara and eye-popping production
numbers to tell the story of three drag queens on the
verge of a nervous breakdown. Broward Center for the
Performing Arts, 201 Southwest Fifth Ave. For
information and tickets call 954.462.0222 or
1.800.564.9539.
Music
Through Sunday, July 27: Florida
International Music Festival—The London
Symphony is the featured attraction at the first
Florida International Music Festival, by far the
most culturally ambitious festival in the Southeast.
The festival is a 17-day, 70-concert event that you
will always remember. Other performers include
Arturo Sandoval, Miami String Quartet, LSO Harp
Trio, The Flaming Idiots, Noche Flamence, Pascal
Rioult Dance Theatre and the Dukes of Dixieland.
Daytona Beach. For tickets and information visit
www.fif-lso.org or call 386.257.7790.
Tuesday, July 22: Symphony of the
Americas—Featuring the Mendelssohn Chamber
Orchestra from Hungary. 8 – 9pm at the Hollywood
Radio
The Norm Kent Show—Interviews and
commentary with Norm Kent, weekday mornings at 8am
on WFTL 1400 AM. The Call-In Line is 1.866.432.1400.
www.NormKentShow.com
Outright Radio—David Gilmore hosts this radio
show about gay life in America. Saturdays at 3pm on
WLRN 91.3 FM.
Issues Over the Rainbow—MarkyG hosts this gay
and lesbian early morning talk show. Sunday mornings
at 7:25am on PARTY 93.1 FM. www.Party931.com.
Bridging the Gap—Call-in talk radio show
dedicated to creating a better understanding between the
straight and gay communities, with host Rene Bray.
Sundays from 6 – 8pm on WTAN 1340 AM. Live,
worldwide broadcast at www.TampaBayGay.com/BTG.
1.800.263.8559.
Michael Martini Hour— “Let’s stir the pot …
and get to the bottom of the issues!” Gay talk radio,
Thursdays, 6 – 7pm on WPBR 1340 AM or on the Internet
at www.talk1340.com.
Television
SoFla Q TV—Television for the alternative
lifestyle. For information call 305.534.3975 or visit
www.soflaqtv.com.
Maximum_Volume
Pumping It Up with New Album Releases
Ashanti: ‘Chapter II’
(Murder Inc.)
Watch out! It’s the summer of the R&B/hip-hop
girls, and they are coming after you. First Monica
grabbed the top spot in the Billboard 200, only to be
bumped by Beyonce, who has now been replaced by
Ashanti. Ashanti storms the charts with her second solo
effort, Chapter II.
Ashanti sings sweetly and sultry, as she did with
her prior hit album. The songs are the kind of hip-hop
you can kick back to, nothing too rowdy here. Though
somewhat formula-driven, Ashanti sticks to what she
is good at—sweet R&B confections. Those who
watched the latest Diva installment on VH1 were
treated to special glimpses of her new material with
fellow chart-topper Beyonce, both dressed and made up in all their pop-star glory. The first song,
“Rock Wit U,” is a catchy ditty perfect for summer listening.
The one thing Ashanti might want to watch out for is the numerous skits she has included on the
album. They become gratuitous, self-indulgent and tedious by the end. This is about music, Ashanti,
not a segment of Mad TV.
Original Cast Recording: ‘Amour’
(Sh-k-boom Records)
Okay folks, here is an obscure album for you,
but perfect for Broadway and musical theater
enthusiasts. Amour opened on Broadway on Oct. 20,
2002, at The Music Box Theater. For whatever reason,
the show closed after only 31 previews and 17
performances. Despite closing early, the show garnered
five Tony nominations, further proof that putting
together a new musical not based on a film or a revival
is now a virtually impossible task.
The creators and original cast gathered for a
bittersweet reunion six months later to record this
album, a labor of love which shows their genuine love
for musical theater. Set in Paris, Amour revolves
around an ordinary Frenchman who suddenly finds
himself blessed with extraordinary powers. Composer Michael Legrand is quoted in the CD booklet
as stating he “wanted to write an opera-bouffe, an intimate evening with light, lyrical songs and
delicate charm.” And that is exactly what Amour sounds like. Though wordy, the songs are endearing
and gentle. It is definitely reminiscent of an operetta of the past. The cast, especially Broadway
stalwart Melissa Errico and Michael Gets (known for his grumpy role on television’s Caroline in the
City), bring charm and liveliness to the production.
When listening to Amour, one can’t help but think of what a shame it is that Amour is but a
remnant of Broadway trivia, an effort of blood, sweat and tears, cast aside in the junkyard of failed
Broadway musicals.
—Reviews by Andy Zeffer
www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003 Q7
Q8 www.ExpressGayNews.com • July 21, 2003