From "The Olive Reader" - A Harper Perennial Weblog
EB
I’m not a big series reader, but there is one series to which I have always been faithfully devoted . . . even though it’s been about twelve or thirteen years since I read the first book!
I first heard about Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series way back in the late 90s when the miniseries of More Tales of the City, the second book in the series, aired on Showtime. At the time, my family didn’t have cable, so I never actually watched the series, but the publicity surrounding it was enough to make me want to read the books. If you’ve never dipped into Tales of the City before, all you have to know is that it’s about the residents of an apartment building, 28 Barbary Lane, in San Francisco in the 70s. Though there are many characters, our entry into the series is Mary Ann Singleton, a young, naive woman just arrived in the city whose life changes once she moves into 28 Barbary Lane.
Looking back on my initial obsession with Tales, it seems somewhat strange. I was an 18-year-old girl living in Brooklyn who was endlessly fascinated by the comings and goings of a group of people of various ages (though most, except for the landlady Mrs. Madrigal, are in their mid to late 20s at the start of the series if I remember correctly) in 70s San Francisco. But that’s what Armistead Maupin’s writing does—it sucks you in. Tales was originally written as a series of newspaper serials, and it shows. The chapters are short and leave you dying to know what comes next. It’s like a soap opera, and anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I consider that a high compliment.
After Tales of the City, Armistead wrote five more books in the initial series—More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City, Babycakes, Significant Others, and Sure of You—and then returned to the world of Barbary Lane years later with Michael Tolliver Lives and, just this past fall, Mary Ann in Autumn. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to re-read these books—partly because I loved them so much and want to see if they hold up for me, and partly because they’re so fun and quick to read that I know it won’t take up a ton of time—and I’ve decided that the upcoming paperback publication of Mary Ann is the perfect time. And (obviously) I want as many of you as possible to join me!
Here’s the schedule I’ve come up with:
6/3 – Today! Announcement!
6/30 – Discussion of Tales of the City
7/28 – Discussion of More Tales of the City
8/11 – Discussion of Further Tales of the City
8/25 – Discussion of Babycakes
9/8 – Discussion of Significant Others
9/22 – Discussion of Sure of You
10/6 – Discussion of Michael Tolliver Lives
10/20 – Discussion of Mary Ann in Autumn
Of course, when I say “discussion,” I mean that we’ll talk about it very informally in the comments. No pressure! And the books are all spaced two weeks apart, but we won’t start until the end of this month, so feel free to skip ahead.
To entice you to join me in this, I’m giving away TEN copies of Tales of the City! The first 10 people to sign up below will get one. Just write a post saying you’re signing up and then link to your post using the Mr. Linky below. (If you don’t have a blog, announce it on your Facebook and link to your status update). While you’re reading, tweet using the hashtag #talesofthecity.
And for more on Armistead, including the Tales of the City musical, check out his website, facebook, and twitter.
http://olivereader.com/perennial/article/announcing_._._._the_tales_of_the_city_readalong/
Monday, June 6, 2011
Theater Review: ‘Tales of the City’ – It was worth the wait
This is a wonderfully edgy, quintessential San Francisco experience, embracing its eccentricity with a singular charm and an irrepressible, incandescent spirit.
by Gregory M. Alonzo
06.05.11
I’m happy to report that Tales of the City: A New Musical, the long anticipated musical adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s serio-comic, albeit occasionally bittersweet, love letter to San Francisco was worth the wait. It’s a triumph in virtually all facets of its production, marred only by a glaring narrative misstep in the second act and a less than satisfying dénouement.
Based upon the first two installments of the popular eight novel series, the inter-woven stories of its many characters remain, for the most part, faithful to the source material. And while librettist Jeff Whitty does dilute or even excise certain elements in an attempt to simplify the intricate plotting, with over twenty songs and six connected story lines it would benefit from some more trimming.
Set in 1976, the scenario involves 25 year old Mary Ann Singleton (Betsy Wolfe), who after a brief visit falls in love with the City and decides to leave her life in Cleveland behind. She winds up in a Russian Hill apartment located on the fictitious Barbary Lane with occupants of assorted genders and sexual proclivities, all of whom with a past they’re desperately trying to escape. Anna Madrigal (Judy Kaye) is the enigmatic, cannabis-loving landlady who oversees her surrogate family with an earth mother’s wisdom and devotion.
Ms. Wolfe is perfectly cast as the wide-eyed, straight Midwesterner whose impaired judgment about men is almost tragic – and strains credulity. Her ability to deliver a line with the just the right note of comical naïveté is utterly charming, and she can belt-out a tune with a clarion voice that nearly brings the house down with her dramatic rendition of the poignant “Paper Faces.”
Her superb performance is short-changed, however, by a script that goes astray in the final act by hastily pairing her with a superfluous suitor, Norman Neal Williams (Manoel Felciano), and a story line that leaves Mary Ann’s fate with too many lose ends. She’s left literally standing around in the final sequence with little to do! A potential relationship with her womanizing neighbor, Brian Hawkins (Matthew Saldivar), is suggested – and would make sense – but is never explored
This flaw may be due to Mr. Whitty’s apparent reluctance to deviate far enough from the original story to allow for an ending that doesn’t anticipate a continuing saga. Otherwise, with a little ingenuity the devilishly wicked Beauchamp Day (Andrew Somonsky), with whom Mary Ann has an affair early on, could readily subsume the role of the gratuitously evil Norman.
Notwithstanding those limited concerns, the entire company of players is uniformly excellent. And the tunes, while not always memorable, are often quite fun and successfully capture the period and the mood of their respective scenes.
The performing highlights are simply too numerous to mention, but one must recognize the contribution of the inimitable Judy Kaye, who exudes a vulnerability and pathos of someone who’s born a heavy secret for most of her life. Her heartfelt vocal interpretation of “The Next Time you see me” provides a genuine show-stopping ending to the first act. And Wesley Taylor, as Michael “Moose” Tolliver, scores as a sweet young man who comes out to his parents in a heartbreaking and inspirational missive written to his mother (“Dear Mama”).
And all are well served by an ingenious multi-leveled set (Douglas W. Schmidt) that magically transforms before our very eyes. The overall effect is beautifully enhanced by exquisite lighting (Robert Wirzel) and top-notch sound (John Shivers) design.
Together, the entire design team creates a setting that evokes the ambiance and energy of San Francisco and gay culture in the ‘70s, providing a fitting backdrop to the many whimsical and impeccably produced song and dance numbers by choreographer Larry Keigwin and musical director Cian McCarthy. And the splendid, colorful costume design by Beaver Bauer completes the stylized artistic tableau.
This is a wonderfully edgy, quintessential San Francisco experience, embracing its eccentricity with a singular charm and an irrepressible, incandescent spirit. The American Conservatory Theatre and director Jason Moore must be congratulated for bringing to the stage a highly entertaining show that does justice to the city in which it is set. Bravo!
http://www.starkinsider.com/2011/06/theater-review-tales-of-the-city-it-was-worth-the-wait.html
by Gregory M. Alonzo
06.05.11
I’m happy to report that Tales of the City: A New Musical, the long anticipated musical adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s serio-comic, albeit occasionally bittersweet, love letter to San Francisco was worth the wait. It’s a triumph in virtually all facets of its production, marred only by a glaring narrative misstep in the second act and a less than satisfying dénouement.
Based upon the first two installments of the popular eight novel series, the inter-woven stories of its many characters remain, for the most part, faithful to the source material. And while librettist Jeff Whitty does dilute or even excise certain elements in an attempt to simplify the intricate plotting, with over twenty songs and six connected story lines it would benefit from some more trimming.
Set in 1976, the scenario involves 25 year old Mary Ann Singleton (Betsy Wolfe), who after a brief visit falls in love with the City and decides to leave her life in Cleveland behind. She winds up in a Russian Hill apartment located on the fictitious Barbary Lane with occupants of assorted genders and sexual proclivities, all of whom with a past they’re desperately trying to escape. Anna Madrigal (Judy Kaye) is the enigmatic, cannabis-loving landlady who oversees her surrogate family with an earth mother’s wisdom and devotion.
Ms. Wolfe is perfectly cast as the wide-eyed, straight Midwesterner whose impaired judgment about men is almost tragic – and strains credulity. Her ability to deliver a line with the just the right note of comical naïveté is utterly charming, and she can belt-out a tune with a clarion voice that nearly brings the house down with her dramatic rendition of the poignant “Paper Faces.”
Her superb performance is short-changed, however, by a script that goes astray in the final act by hastily pairing her with a superfluous suitor, Norman Neal Williams (Manoel Felciano), and a story line that leaves Mary Ann’s fate with too many lose ends. She’s left literally standing around in the final sequence with little to do! A potential relationship with her womanizing neighbor, Brian Hawkins (Matthew Saldivar), is suggested – and would make sense – but is never explored
This flaw may be due to Mr. Whitty’s apparent reluctance to deviate far enough from the original story to allow for an ending that doesn’t anticipate a continuing saga. Otherwise, with a little ingenuity the devilishly wicked Beauchamp Day (Andrew Somonsky), with whom Mary Ann has an affair early on, could readily subsume the role of the gratuitously evil Norman.
Notwithstanding those limited concerns, the entire company of players is uniformly excellent. And the tunes, while not always memorable, are often quite fun and successfully capture the period and the mood of their respective scenes.
The performing highlights are simply too numerous to mention, but one must recognize the contribution of the inimitable Judy Kaye, who exudes a vulnerability and pathos of someone who’s born a heavy secret for most of her life. Her heartfelt vocal interpretation of “The Next Time you see me” provides a genuine show-stopping ending to the first act. And Wesley Taylor, as Michael “Moose” Tolliver, scores as a sweet young man who comes out to his parents in a heartbreaking and inspirational missive written to his mother (“Dear Mama”).
And all are well served by an ingenious multi-leveled set (Douglas W. Schmidt) that magically transforms before our very eyes. The overall effect is beautifully enhanced by exquisite lighting (Robert Wirzel) and top-notch sound (John Shivers) design.
Together, the entire design team creates a setting that evokes the ambiance and energy of San Francisco and gay culture in the ‘70s, providing a fitting backdrop to the many whimsical and impeccably produced song and dance numbers by choreographer Larry Keigwin and musical director Cian McCarthy. And the splendid, colorful costume design by Beaver Bauer completes the stylized artistic tableau.
This is a wonderfully edgy, quintessential San Francisco experience, embracing its eccentricity with a singular charm and an irrepressible, incandescent spirit. The American Conservatory Theatre and director Jason Moore must be congratulated for bringing to the stage a highly entertaining show that does justice to the city in which it is set. Bravo!
http://www.starkinsider.com/2011/06/theater-review-tales-of-the-city-it-was-worth-the-wait.html
Tales of the City: Scissors, sex and sideburns
Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin's love letter to gay San Francisco, is now a musical – with songs by Scissor Sister Jake Shears. Hadley Freeman watches it come together at rehearsals
Hadley Freeman
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 5 June 2011 21.30 BST
One day in 1991, when Jake Shears was 13 years old and so far from being "Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters" that he was Jason Sellards and as yet unaware he was gay, he was hanging out with a gay couple, who had taken the youngster under their wing. "I think they knew I was gay before I did," he recalls. "So, you know, they would turn me on to cool music." One of them handed him a book, saying: "I think you'll like this."
It was Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin's much-loved saga set in 1970s San Francisco, involving a hugely diverse group of characters who are all (often unknowingly) linked, and many of whom live in a large guesthouse run by the mysterious Mrs Madrigal. The book is full of stories of bath houses and break-ups, all told in Maupin's genial tone. "It was the first thing I'd ever read that had a positive gay perspective," says Shears, "and two years later, I came out. Make of that what you will."
Twenty years later, Shears is repaying his debt to Tales. As he relates this story, backstage at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, rehearsals are going on across the hall for the musical version of Tales of the City, for which he and fellow Scissor Sister John Garden have written the music and lyrics. The libretto is by Jeff Whitty, who won a Tony for Avenue Q, and it's directed by Jason Moore, who also worked on the coming-of-age puppet parable. "Yes, your name has to begin with J to work here," the press officer dryly confirms.
The four Js make a charmingly symmetrical double double act, with the bright-eyed and loquacious Shears and the quieter Garden in one corner; and the adorably excited Whitty and the calmer Moore in the other.
"It's been extraordinary to see the books come to life on stage," says Maupin, "but the really moving thing has been to see how well they all get along – they are 28 Barbary Lane." This was the address of Madrigal's house, where the characters meet, fall in love and form lifelong friendships.
In fact, the genesis of the musical could have come from the pages of Tales itself. Whitty came up with the idea five years ago on a flight to London. He called Moore who instantly said yes. "Jeff was passionate about it, and that's all I needed." Whitty then made a mixtape of songs that sounded like the kind of music he and Moore wanted; the only contemporary piece was by the Scissor Sisters, so he called up Shears. How did he get his number so quickly? "Oh, we met about 11 years ago when we were both go-go dancers," Shears recalls airily. "He enjoyed pulling his clothes off and dancing on bar tops. The first time we met in New York, I was probably off my face and we both had half our clothes off."
"That," Whitty says, "pretty much describes it. And we've turned it into art! No regrets ever!"
The other person Whitty had to convince was his literary idol, Maupin. "I read Tales when I was 21, when I first moved to New York," he smiles. "I was so lonely. Those characters were my company." So, nervously, he flew to San Francisco, where the writer lives. But instead of the "big box of crazy" he was worried about finding, "Armistead was so welcoming. We just got stoned within the first five minutes and that was it."
Maupin puts it somewhat more euphemistically: "Oh, we instantly clicked and spent about five hours gabbing." Maupin took to Shears right away, "although it took a while to get past the eyes". Had he been a Scissors fan? "Well, I'd heard Filthy/Gorgeous before, which I thought was grabby and fun."
On the day we meet, Shears happens to be wearing a loose vest top featuring a design by Tom of Finland, inventor of the macho gay image; he looks more like a Tales characters than the currently dressed-down actors do. "It's always been my ambition to make a musical," he says. "When Jeff said Tales, my heart started racing, and I thought, 'I don't know what I'm doing but let's do it.'" He then grabbed his bandmate Garden and said: "Get your keyboard – we're writing a musical!' They sat down and, in one day, wrote a song that's still in the show.
Later, we go to the rehearsal room to watch the opening of the second act. Here's Mary Ann fighting with creepy Norman; there's Mrs Madrigal and Edgar enjoying a romantic moment. The songs are excellent: melodic, emotional and catchy; the only one that sounded recognisably Scissor Sisters-esque is the one from the disco scene. The four Js watch carefully, and Shears even puts down his iPhone for Mrs Madrigal and Edgar, visibly moved.
Even though it's their first musical, as they chat over a snack, Garden politely eating a salad, Shears chomping on a chicken burrito as big as his thigh, the two men come across like a modern-day Rodgers and Hammerstein, talking about "making use of the 'real estate' of a song to tell the story" and "sacrificing top-drawer ballads for the rhythm of the show".
Shears is, characteristically, devoid of self-doubt. No nerves about taking on a book with which he has such an emotional connection? Never. Is he worried how San Franciscans will react, since it is the unofficial book of the city? Of course not. "But then, maybe I'm too confident," he muses, making Garden splutter with laughter.
One need only look to the SpiderMan musical in New York to know that it's not enough just to take a popular story and a successful pop group and assume it will all work out. And this project presented very specific difficulties: there are as many plotlines as there are characters – and there are a lot of characters. What's more, Whitty didn't make things easier by mashing together Tales of the City and its sequel More Tales of the City. "There were some things I just couldn't leave out," he says.
'The show queens out MAJORLY'
Maupin originally wrote the books as newspaper articles, so the books have an episodic feel, rather than the flowing rhythm that musicals need; and, even though it's set in the 70s and is full of gay characters, they didn't want to make a camp pastiche. "That said," Whitty adds, "at times, the show does queen out MAJORLY."
And how much do sex and drugs feature in the musical? "About 38%," says Garden.
If the show goes well, the plan is to bring it, not to New York, but to London. At the opening last week, according to the San Francisco Examiner, the "audience went wild. After all, they were privy to plenty of inside jokes as well as captivated by the broad and witty characterisations." It added: "This love letter to countercultural San Francisco is neither deeply emotionally engaging, nor nuanced – it's just out-and-out good, rousing fun, with some poignant moments, such as Mouse's affecting coming-out song, Dear Mama."
Whitty and Moore remember how audiences in London took to Avenue Q, and there's a big Scissor Sisters fanbase there. Maupin, too, feels "the books were really discovered in England", thanks to Patrick Janson-Smith, the British editor who was a champion of Tales. Plus, Whitty points out, "It took Channel 4 to make a TV show out of Tales. American networks wouldn't take a chance on it. London audiences are much less shockable than American ones, they're less prudey-sue. We had to make the sex scenes in Avenue Q filthier for the London audiences. That could be fun with Tales."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/jun/05/tales-city-musical-shears-maupin
Hadley Freeman
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 5 June 2011 21.30 BST
One day in 1991, when Jake Shears was 13 years old and so far from being "Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters" that he was Jason Sellards and as yet unaware he was gay, he was hanging out with a gay couple, who had taken the youngster under their wing. "I think they knew I was gay before I did," he recalls. "So, you know, they would turn me on to cool music." One of them handed him a book, saying: "I think you'll like this."
It was Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin's much-loved saga set in 1970s San Francisco, involving a hugely diverse group of characters who are all (often unknowingly) linked, and many of whom live in a large guesthouse run by the mysterious Mrs Madrigal. The book is full of stories of bath houses and break-ups, all told in Maupin's genial tone. "It was the first thing I'd ever read that had a positive gay perspective," says Shears, "and two years later, I came out. Make of that what you will."
Twenty years later, Shears is repaying his debt to Tales. As he relates this story, backstage at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, rehearsals are going on across the hall for the musical version of Tales of the City, for which he and fellow Scissor Sister John Garden have written the music and lyrics. The libretto is by Jeff Whitty, who won a Tony for Avenue Q, and it's directed by Jason Moore, who also worked on the coming-of-age puppet parable. "Yes, your name has to begin with J to work here," the press officer dryly confirms.
The four Js make a charmingly symmetrical double double act, with the bright-eyed and loquacious Shears and the quieter Garden in one corner; and the adorably excited Whitty and the calmer Moore in the other.
"It's been extraordinary to see the books come to life on stage," says Maupin, "but the really moving thing has been to see how well they all get along – they are 28 Barbary Lane." This was the address of Madrigal's house, where the characters meet, fall in love and form lifelong friendships.
In fact, the genesis of the musical could have come from the pages of Tales itself. Whitty came up with the idea five years ago on a flight to London. He called Moore who instantly said yes. "Jeff was passionate about it, and that's all I needed." Whitty then made a mixtape of songs that sounded like the kind of music he and Moore wanted; the only contemporary piece was by the Scissor Sisters, so he called up Shears. How did he get his number so quickly? "Oh, we met about 11 years ago when we were both go-go dancers," Shears recalls airily. "He enjoyed pulling his clothes off and dancing on bar tops. The first time we met in New York, I was probably off my face and we both had half our clothes off."
"That," Whitty says, "pretty much describes it. And we've turned it into art! No regrets ever!"
The other person Whitty had to convince was his literary idol, Maupin. "I read Tales when I was 21, when I first moved to New York," he smiles. "I was so lonely. Those characters were my company." So, nervously, he flew to San Francisco, where the writer lives. But instead of the "big box of crazy" he was worried about finding, "Armistead was so welcoming. We just got stoned within the first five minutes and that was it."
Maupin puts it somewhat more euphemistically: "Oh, we instantly clicked and spent about five hours gabbing." Maupin took to Shears right away, "although it took a while to get past the eyes". Had he been a Scissors fan? "Well, I'd heard Filthy/Gorgeous before, which I thought was grabby and fun."
On the day we meet, Shears happens to be wearing a loose vest top featuring a design by Tom of Finland, inventor of the macho gay image; he looks more like a Tales characters than the currently dressed-down actors do. "It's always been my ambition to make a musical," he says. "When Jeff said Tales, my heart started racing, and I thought, 'I don't know what I'm doing but let's do it.'" He then grabbed his bandmate Garden and said: "Get your keyboard – we're writing a musical!' They sat down and, in one day, wrote a song that's still in the show.
Later, we go to the rehearsal room to watch the opening of the second act. Here's Mary Ann fighting with creepy Norman; there's Mrs Madrigal and Edgar enjoying a romantic moment. The songs are excellent: melodic, emotional and catchy; the only one that sounded recognisably Scissor Sisters-esque is the one from the disco scene. The four Js watch carefully, and Shears even puts down his iPhone for Mrs Madrigal and Edgar, visibly moved.
Even though it's their first musical, as they chat over a snack, Garden politely eating a salad, Shears chomping on a chicken burrito as big as his thigh, the two men come across like a modern-day Rodgers and Hammerstein, talking about "making use of the 'real estate' of a song to tell the story" and "sacrificing top-drawer ballads for the rhythm of the show".
Shears is, characteristically, devoid of self-doubt. No nerves about taking on a book with which he has such an emotional connection? Never. Is he worried how San Franciscans will react, since it is the unofficial book of the city? Of course not. "But then, maybe I'm too confident," he muses, making Garden splutter with laughter.
One need only look to the SpiderMan musical in New York to know that it's not enough just to take a popular story and a successful pop group and assume it will all work out. And this project presented very specific difficulties: there are as many plotlines as there are characters – and there are a lot of characters. What's more, Whitty didn't make things easier by mashing together Tales of the City and its sequel More Tales of the City. "There were some things I just couldn't leave out," he says.
'The show queens out MAJORLY'
Maupin originally wrote the books as newspaper articles, so the books have an episodic feel, rather than the flowing rhythm that musicals need; and, even though it's set in the 70s and is full of gay characters, they didn't want to make a camp pastiche. "That said," Whitty adds, "at times, the show does queen out MAJORLY."
And how much do sex and drugs feature in the musical? "About 38%," says Garden.
If the show goes well, the plan is to bring it, not to New York, but to London. At the opening last week, according to the San Francisco Examiner, the "audience went wild. After all, they were privy to plenty of inside jokes as well as captivated by the broad and witty characterisations." It added: "This love letter to countercultural San Francisco is neither deeply emotionally engaging, nor nuanced – it's just out-and-out good, rousing fun, with some poignant moments, such as Mouse's affecting coming-out song, Dear Mama."
Whitty and Moore remember how audiences in London took to Avenue Q, and there's a big Scissor Sisters fanbase there. Maupin, too, feels "the books were really discovered in England", thanks to Patrick Janson-Smith, the British editor who was a champion of Tales. Plus, Whitty points out, "It took Channel 4 to make a TV show out of Tales. American networks wouldn't take a chance on it. London audiences are much less shockable than American ones, they're less prudey-sue. We had to make the sex scenes in Avenue Q filthier for the London audiences. That could be fun with Tales."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/jun/05/tales-city-musical-shears-maupin
Armistead Maupin reads from 'Mary Ann in Autumn' at The Seattle Public Library June 25
The Seattle Public Library and PrideFest welcome author Armistead Maupin for a reading of his latest book, "Mary Ann in Autumn," and a conversation on the world of "Tales of the City" from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 25 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.
The program is free and open to the public. Free advance tickets are required. Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets are available beginning Wednesday, June 1 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/. Limited parking is available in the Central Library garage at the $6 weekend rate. Seating is not guaranteed after 2:45 p.m.
"Mary Ann in Autumn" is the eighth book in the "Tales of the City" series.
Three television miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were made from the first three "Tales" books. Maupin has also written "Maybe the Moon," "The Night Listener" and "Michael Tolliver Lives." He lives in San Francisco with his husband.
This event is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and Seattle PrideFest and presented in partnership with The Elliott Bay Book Co. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
For more information, call The Seattle Public Library at 206-386-4636 or Ask a Librarian.
For more information contact:
Andra Addison, communications director
206-386-4103
http://www.spl.lib.wa.us/about-the-library/library-news-releases/armistead-maupin-625
The program is free and open to the public. Free advance tickets are required. Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets are available beginning Wednesday, June 1 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/. Limited parking is available in the Central Library garage at the $6 weekend rate. Seating is not guaranteed after 2:45 p.m.
"Mary Ann in Autumn" is the eighth book in the "Tales of the City" series.
Three television miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were made from the first three "Tales" books. Maupin has also written "Maybe the Moon," "The Night Listener" and "Michael Tolliver Lives." He lives in San Francisco with his husband.
This event is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and Seattle PrideFest and presented in partnership with The Elliott Bay Book Co. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
For more information, call The Seattle Public Library at 206-386-4636 or Ask a Librarian.
For more information contact:
Andra Addison, communications director
206-386-4103
http://www.spl.lib.wa.us/about-the-library/library-news-releases/armistead-maupin-625
Armistead Maupin Feted @ ACT "Tales" Premiere
Miss Beglow's Social City
The many, colorful tales of one beloved city starred as a heartfelt love letter to San Francisco Wednesday during the opening-night gala and world premiere of Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" at the American Conservatory Theater.
Prior to curtains-up, some 700 gala guests (a joyful sartorial mash-up of black-tie, face-paint and peacock feathers) arrived at Union Square Park where Tales Gala chairwoman Marilee Gardner (with able assists from Barbary Lane Committee co-chairs Cissie Swig and JaMel Perkins, and Tales honorary gala co-chairs Laura Linney and Maupin), guaranteed a good time for ACT stalwarts, super supporters, city swells and diehard "Tales" fans.
"This is like an Armistead story come to life," observed composer Jake Heggie, with a joking aside. "It's the kind of parties he used to write about and make fun of!"
Inside joke or not, the gala's unbridled merriment was shared by all. Which also raised a hefty $950K in support of ACT's education programs. And was deeply appreciated by those who labored on this work of love.
"This has been hard. We"ve been working 18 hour days for weeks now," admitted ACT Artistic Director Carey Perloff. "But director Jason Moore and choreographer Larry Keigwin have been delicious -- they're intrepid, sexy, talented. Armistead has been to every preview and is over the moon about the production."
Cocktails and canapes were served beneath a clear Classic Party Rentals tent tricked-out by designer Stanlee Gatti with swags of theatrical purple curtains framing red and purple linen-draped tables atop which was served a masterful McCall Associates, '70s-era inspired meal: Crab Louis salad with Green Goddess dressing, filet mignon with potatoes Diana, and a nostalgic slice of McCall's to-die-for version of the old Blum's Coffee Crunch cake.
"Now this is what we call a San Francisco treat," enthused ACT Board President Rusty Rueff, prior to the post-dinner presentation. "Tonight is an historic celebration, adapted from Armistead's 'Tales,' of this magical place we call home."
And with that, cast members from Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon trooped onstage to present a signature song, created by BBB producer Jo Schuman Silver, which honored Maupin (in a fabulous BBB-created "Tales" book hat) and thanked key ACT supporters, sponsors and ACT Producing Director James Haire, who after 40 years, just retired from the stage.
One such clever stanza, set to the Beatle's "Penny Lane," paid homage to Maupin's beloved "Tales" characters:
28 Barbary Lane is where the action is/ When Mary Ann arrives from Cleveland/ Quite the lass/ Meets Mrs. Madrigal, who's smoking grass/ It will kick your ass.
Chronicle Editor Ward Bushee then presented Maupin with a framed copy of the author's very first "Tales" column which debuted in The Chronicle on May 24, 1976.
"What a journey it's been for all of us. Tonight, a lifelong dream of mine is now realized," toasted Maupin. "If I die and go to heaven, I know it won't look like this."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/missbigelow/detail?entry_id=90315
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| Photo by Catherine Bigelow |
Prior to curtains-up, some 700 gala guests (a joyful sartorial mash-up of black-tie, face-paint and peacock feathers) arrived at Union Square Park where Tales Gala chairwoman Marilee Gardner (with able assists from Barbary Lane Committee co-chairs Cissie Swig and JaMel Perkins, and Tales honorary gala co-chairs Laura Linney and Maupin), guaranteed a good time for ACT stalwarts, super supporters, city swells and diehard "Tales" fans.
"This is like an Armistead story come to life," observed composer Jake Heggie, with a joking aside. "It's the kind of parties he used to write about and make fun of!"
Inside joke or not, the gala's unbridled merriment was shared by all. Which also raised a hefty $950K in support of ACT's education programs. And was deeply appreciated by those who labored on this work of love.
"This has been hard. We"ve been working 18 hour days for weeks now," admitted ACT Artistic Director Carey Perloff. "But director Jason Moore and choreographer Larry Keigwin have been delicious -- they're intrepid, sexy, talented. Armistead has been to every preview and is over the moon about the production."
Cocktails and canapes were served beneath a clear Classic Party Rentals tent tricked-out by designer Stanlee Gatti with swags of theatrical purple curtains framing red and purple linen-draped tables atop which was served a masterful McCall Associates, '70s-era inspired meal: Crab Louis salad with Green Goddess dressing, filet mignon with potatoes Diana, and a nostalgic slice of McCall's to-die-for version of the old Blum's Coffee Crunch cake.
"Now this is what we call a San Francisco treat," enthused ACT Board President Rusty Rueff, prior to the post-dinner presentation. "Tonight is an historic celebration, adapted from Armistead's 'Tales,' of this magical place we call home."
And with that, cast members from Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon trooped onstage to present a signature song, created by BBB producer Jo Schuman Silver, which honored Maupin (in a fabulous BBB-created "Tales" book hat) and thanked key ACT supporters, sponsors and ACT Producing Director James Haire, who after 40 years, just retired from the stage.
One such clever stanza, set to the Beatle's "Penny Lane," paid homage to Maupin's beloved "Tales" characters:
28 Barbary Lane is where the action is/ When Mary Ann arrives from Cleveland/ Quite the lass/ Meets Mrs. Madrigal, who's smoking grass/ It will kick your ass.
Chronicle Editor Ward Bushee then presented Maupin with a framed copy of the author's very first "Tales" column which debuted in The Chronicle on May 24, 1976.
"What a journey it's been for all of us. Tonight, a lifelong dream of mine is now realized," toasted Maupin. "If I die and go to heaven, I know it won't look like this."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/missbigelow/detail?entry_id=90315
Friday, June 3, 2011
Tales of the . . . Cast! Meet Diane J. Findlay
NAME Diane J. Findlay.
CHARACTER Mother Mucca.
HOMETOWN Suffern, New York. It’s about 25 miles north of New York City, up the Hudson River.
FIRST THEATER EXPERIENCE Hello, Dolly! on Broadway.
FAVORITE THEATER EXPERIENCE That’s a hard one. There’s been soooooo many. You see, I love what I do and each project brings along something exciting and interesting and new; something to take home with me and remember, hopefully with laughter.
FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TALES My first audition for Tales of the City was a wonder. At first I thought perhaps I shouldn’t go to the audition because I felt our director Jason Moore would never buy me as Mother Mucca, and I knew I’d be disappointed, but my agent talked me into it. So I decided to go for broke and have myself a ball, which I did, and look what happened! The entire creative team was wonderful and they made me feel as if couldn’t fail. I felt safe, and that’s rare at an audition. My second audition was even better, because by then I really knew “Ride ’em Hard,” the dirtiest song in show business, and I couldn’t wait to dazzle them with my take on the song. And apparently I did. Lucky me!
HOW ARE YOU LIKE MOTHER MUCCA? Well, Mother Mucca runs a whorehouse, sooo how much am I like my character??? I’m afraid to think. However, and this is true, my apartment in New York, on the Upper West Side, was once a whorehouse for the 79th Street Boat Basin. Isn’t that funny!
FAVORITE MUSICAL A Little Night Music, Mame, The Spitfire Grill, Dear World. I could go on and on and on.
FAVORITE SONG TO SING “If He Walked into My Life.”
EDUCATION High school and then right into the business. I couldn’t wait to step foot on a stage. I’m HOPELESS but HAPPY.
PERFORMANCE RITUAL I start to settle down around 4:00 in the afternoon. Have a bite to eat around 5:00, take a little snooze, exercise, vocalize, and get to the theater an hour before curtain. This has been my routine from day one, and it has always worked for me.
FAVORITE ’70s WARDROBE ITEM Who can remember?!!! I pass on that one.
http://blog.act-sf.org/2011/05/tales-of-cast-meet-diane-j-findlay.html
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