It was a good night for members of the tribe at the 37th annual Joseph Jefferson Awards, Nov. 7. For his work on Beauty and the Beast and Swing at the Marriott Theatre, director and choreographer Marc Robin picked up three more Jeff Awards to go with the 2,000 he already has, thanking 'my husband, Curt Dale Clark.' Jonny wouldn't mind having the tall, handsome Clark as a husband, either. First-time winner Eugene Dizon, the brilliant musical director for Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago, accepted his Jeff for Sweeney Todd ( which won three other Jeffs, too ) by thanking his family in the audience, and his professional and personal partner, L. Walter Stearns, the artistic director of Porchlight.
But the gay highpoint of the night was the acceptance speech by out actor Tom Aulino, winner of the Supporting Actor Jeff Award for his work as the introverted accountant in About Face Theatre's Take Me Out. Aulino praised author Richard Greenberg's play about a gay baseball superstar, with indirect reference to the show's infamous locker room shower scene. 'I thought that acting on stage with a lot of beautiful naked men was the award!'
Lesbian playwright ( and dynamic writing teacher at Brown University ) Paula Vogel will be in town this weekend ( Nov. 19-20 ) for several events at Next Theatre Company ( Evanston ) in conjunction with the Next production of her play, The Long Christmas Ride Home. At least one of these events—a panel discussion following the 2 p.m. Sunday matinee—is free. Call Next for details, ( 847 ) 475-1875. Also, the performance this Friday ( Nov. 18 ) of The Long Christmas Ride Home will benefit BEHIV, Better Existence with HIV, the only full-service AIDS care provider serving Evanston, Northern Cook County and the North Shore. There's no extra charge for the Friday show; Next will donate a portion of ticket sales to BEHIV.
Some of you may have heard too late about the brief visit by dragalicious performers Kiki & Herb at the Museum of Contemporary Art. If you missed them and want to see them, you'll have another chance Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m., when Kiki & Herb perform Jesus Wept as part of the Steppenwolf Traffic series. They parody a cabaret duo, with Kiki a brash, boozy septuagenarian chanteuse with bruising vocals and Herb as her stalwart accompanist. They find ways to twist most of the songs they deliver, and in Jesus Wept they will twist some holiday favorites and never-before-heard selections destined to become instant classics; ( 312 ) 335-1650; $35.
Patti LuPone has been a regular at the Ravinia Festival for the last five years, performing in grand concert versions of Stephen Sondheim musicals as part of Ravinia's Sondheim at 75 series. Well, Sondheim finally turned 75 this year, so that's that, right? Well, not so fast. Ravinia knows a good thing and a box office bonanza when they see one, so LuPone will be back next Aug. 11-13 to star as Mama Rose in Gypsy, accompanied by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. LuPone, who's never played Mama Rose, will join a long and noble line that began with Ethel Merman and continues through Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daley, Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters among others. Sondheim wrote only the lyrics for Gypsy. The score is by the great Broadway composer, July Styne ( who taught the young Sondheim a thing or three ) , whose centennial is being celebrated this year. The book for Gypsy is by gay icon Arthur Laurents. FYI: tickets for Gypsy already are on sale, although Ravinia season tickets are not; ( 847 ) 266-5100 or www.ravinia.org .
Comic strip author Nicole Hollander will unveil her new one-woman show in a one-night performance at 8 p.m. Dec. 9 at Pegasus Players. The show, Return to Lust, is about sex, she says. Perhaps it's appropriate that the special event is co-sponsored by the Chicago Foundation for Women. Return to Lust is directed by Tom Mula, who helped Hollander turn her Sylvia comic strip into a hit musical show, Sylvia's Real Good Advice. Call ( 773 ) 878-9761; $30.
The Lavender Cabaret has brought its Femme TV to the Lakeshore Theater for a late-night run, Saturdays at 10:30. They promise beautiful dancing girls, side-splitting comedy and unbelievable variety acts, and even offer a preview clip online ( go to www.lavendercabaret.com and follow the links ) . Michelle L'amour, Miss Exotic World 2005, and her Fabulous Sugarbabies are among the featured performers. Call ( 773 ) 472-3492.
