May 24, 2008

Prowling the Internet from my hotel roomthis AM, I find a review of Edward the King:

Oscar E Moore from the rear mezzanine for Talk Entertainment.com:

Sexual shenanigans in high places. Intrigue. Vying for position. Either on the throne or coupled with someone unsuitable in the royal bedchamber. Specifically the bedchamber of Edward II – Prince Plantagenet and then King of England - 14th century. Or is it The Governor’s Mansion in New Jersey – 20th century? Fact or fiction? Edward II – best remembered for his alleged homosexuality and supposed murder. All is dealt with in an intelligent, captivating and witty manner by playwright David Brendan Hopes in the first of a five play series which makes up GAYFEST 2008 at TBG Arts Center at 312 West 36th Street, New York, New York. What an impressive start. If the other plays are as good as EDWARD THE KING – then the students of Harvey Milk High School which benefit 100% from the profits of GAYFEST’s fundraising efforts for this festival (to send them off to college with scholarships, to hopefully major in playwriting) all will be well in the Kingdom of Gay.

Ably directed by Sidney J. Burgoyne who has a deft manner with his actors – drawing
out emotions and nuances of character – EDWARD THE KING – satisfies on all levels. From the elaborate costumes (T. Michael Hall) and scenic design (Michael Hotopp) to the original music by James Bassi ("Come Live With Me" – words by Christopher Marlowe who also penned an opus on Edward) – EDWARD THE KING may have a long reign – post festival. Let’s hope so. To be honest I didn’t know what to expect and I was quite surprised by the production. But really, I shouldn’t have worried. Two of the producers – Jack Batman and Bruce Robert Harris are the same two responsible for the terrific productions at The White Plains Performing Arts Center. They have come to New York and conquered. We are in merry olde England – or I should say gay olde England as Prince Edward (a compassionate and extremely likable Chad Hoeppner) - is trying to escape from his overbearing father, Edward I. It is in an alleyway that the Prince meets his Pauper – Piers Gaveston - beautifully played by the gifted actor Brian Charles Rooney in a near pitch perfect performance. Piers is no peer of Edward and that is where the trouble starts. He is however, street smart, smells foul and immediately upon the Prince meeting Piers, the two fall hopelessly in lust - sniffing each other like two dogs in heat – the pure bred and the mutt – opening the forbidden door to eventual love. They are not naked. They should be. In this case it is warranted. But they are both so good it matters not. Use your imagination. To complicate matters, Edward II is married to the scheming Isabella (an elegant, beautiful, amusing Megan McQuillan) who is having her own lustfest with her confidante Mortimer (an extremely effective Patrick Porter). Into this nest of cobras arrives The Bishop to negotiate for Isabella as to what is to be done with Piers. The Bishop is played by an extraordinary actress – Jo Ann Cunningham. She gives a stellar performance. All in all, it is one incredible cast in a play that is somewhat Shakespearian in tone and yet very modern – what with all the royal murders and desire from one and all to be on top and to win the game of courtly intrigue. In the end it is Edward III (Chad Hoeppner doubling as his own son) who neatly takes hold of the throne and the family jewels. www.GAYFESTNYC.com 05-23-08

Winnie McCroy’s review, from Gay City, says in part:

Hopes profiles gay royal Edward Plantagenet's tumultuous life from the closet to the throne as he balances a pre-arranged marriage with Queen Isabella of France and his desire for the handsome Gascon youth Piers Gaveston, depicted in the play as a street urchin. "I was inspired to tackle the story of Edward II after I'd seen 'The Massacre in Paris' in Dublin, and was reminded what a great playwright Marlowe is, and after seeing the movie 'Edward II', which, despite Tilda Swinton's best efforts, does not do the work even proximate justice," said Hopes, playwright and professor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. "I said to myself, 'I can do better,' and so I set out. The story seemed so contemporary to me, like something snatched from the headlines rather than from history."Hopes' story straddles the 14th and 21st centuries, treating King Edward's unconventional love as just another celebrity scandal, with attendant paparazzi and gossipmongers adding grist for the mill.The Actor's Equity Association cast features Chad Hoeppner as Edward, reprising his role from last year's staged reading of the play, and Brian Charles Rooney as his handsome lover Piers. As the action opens, Edward the prince is running away from his oppressive father. The manhunt pushes him into the arms of Piers, who opens a whole new world of love for Edward.Their relationship is clearly rooted in physical attraction, but it is also one based on love. Piers, soon exiled from any royal contact, pines for his lover, as does Edward for him, and when the old king unexpectedly dies, it is not long before Piers is recalled and named Lord Chancellor.This strains relations between Edward and his wife Isabella (Megan McQuillan), who has taken her advisor Mortimer (Patrick Porter) as her lover. The two begin scheming to get rid of Piers, and the "she-wolf of France" eventually plants a knife in his belly, a favor that he repays by laying a curse upon her.Edward's grief distracts him from the plot against his own life, which is carried out by a vengeful former bishop (Jo Ann Cunningham). He gets it in the end, literally, skewered up the rear with a hot poker. But Piers' curse plays out when young Edward III beheads Mortimer, and seizes his rightful crown, throne, and rule from his conniving mother.The cast shows off their truly superb acting chops in this fast moving, riveting performance brought alive by director Sidney J. Burgoyne. Gay viewers will appreciate the wealth of onstage action shared between the two handsome leads, but the relationship between the two men is a love story for the ages, one that transcends mere sexual orientation.The genuine bond between the two doomed men, said Hopes, is what drew him to the material and allows it to rise above the tabloid fodder he parallels.

"Gay plays have rested too long on simply being gay, on having a lot of camp and hunky actors and comfortable coming out stories. I like all those things - especially the hunky actors - but I believe it is time for gay playwrights to step up and knock a few out of the park based not on recognizable icons of gayness, but on quality. On daring. On eternality," said Hopes. "All the sequins and one-liners were jolly good fun, but our real company is Marlowe and Shakespeare, O'Neill and Williams, and it's time to step into their presence."Many of my plays have gay characters and show men loving each other, but I hope never to be tempted to write a 'gay play.' We are past that now. Our gay brothers and sisters opened a thousand doors on the American stage, as actors, playwrights, and choreographers. It's time to walk through those doors."

"Edward the King" is the first in what promises to be a high-quality lineup of new works by playwrights Brian Dykstra, Philip Gerson, Tim O'Leary, and Steve Hayes. Only in its second year, Gayfest NYC 2008 attracted dozens of submissions, and showcases the talents of both local actors and celebrity guests, including Emmy Award-winning actor Leslie Jordan from "Will & Grace" and "Sordid Lives," who kicked off the event on April 14 with a benefit performance of his new show, "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet."

*

Good review or bad review, it doesn’t change what I saw on stage– or I would like to think so, but the confirmation that someone liked it as well as we did means more than I wish it did. I feel ready to exhale. I feel I can seal the past ten days with sign that says, "Accomplished."

The Carlsons live in a cul-de-sac in the flat froggy forest that predominates around here, in a beautiful house with a beautiful yard which make sense when one recalls he is an architect. The wedding rehearsal went off without a hitch in the blazing sun. Today looks less brilliant, though perhaps cooler. Rehearsal dinner at the Global Gourmet in "downtown" Carbondale. I filled the evening afterwards at the cinema, seeing the latest Indiana Jones flick. I don’t mind stupid and derivative, but this was maybe a little too derivative. The turn-off-the-cell-phones announcements were made by a real person. Maybe this is an Illinois custom.

The Holiday Inn has a frog pond dug in front. Excellent. At night, most musical.

Afternoon: Drove down Giant City Road to the Grassy Lake Fish Hatchery and saw more little channel cats than I believed there were in the world. The peppy attendant, who reminded me of the women of my mother’s family, recounted the various hunting techniques of individual herons and eagles, who find such a place a smorgasbord. Drove on to Blue Sky Winery. The father of the bride was the architect of the faux Tuscan villa in the middle of it. I played in the frog pond, then sat under a striped tent and wrote. Had nothing to write, but my hand needs to keep moving even when the rest of me is still.