Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: August 13, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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PAUL & TRISHA - THE ART OF FLUIDITY

Designing covers for record albums is an art form unto itself. 77-year old gender fluid British artists Paul Whitehead and his alter ego Trisha Van Cleef constructed a world wide reputation. In a new documentary Paul/Trish - The Art of Fluidity deftly tells the story. Broadway To Vegas was provided an advanced screening copy. As the film unspools the audience sees a leg clad in black fish net stockings exposing red painted toenails. As the high heels click down the street, a crack appears.

Life is not cement solid. Secrets are exposed.

Establishing shots of freeways and surfers indicate this is southern California.

Whitehead is driving his truck, a stuffed teddy bear wears a Covid mask. Looking for a location to establish his business he parks, then takes out a yard stick and measures to ascertain that he hasn't crossed over into another's parking space. Like life, even parking spaces have boundaries and there can be consequences if they are violated.

He carps that you're considered anti-social or dangerous if what you do doesn't conform to "normal." That people try to change others through fear - conform through fear.

Whitehead likes the neighborhood mall. He considers his location perfect. There is a laundromat which acknowledges the homeless problem by offering free laundry services every Tuesday, "which introduces some circus elements," he quips.

His tone is slightly antagonistic when he mentions that the lady who owns the medical supply store in the mall doesn't like him.

Hailing from England, early in his career, Whitehead was integral to the launch of the UK Time Out which led to him being picked up as an in-house artist for the London office of Jazz record label Liberty Records. The first record cover he designed was for a repackaged Fats Domino album.

In addition to being the Art Director for John Lennon, in his signature surreal style, Whitehead went on to create album covers for music icons.

After a meeting with producer John Anthony, Whitehead was introduced to Tony Stratton Smith, the founder of Charisma Records. Smith introduced Whitehead to Genesis, and he was hired to do the cover to their 1970 album, Trespass. Charisma Records allowed Whitehead complete creative control over his work. Fruitful work resulted in collaboration with Genesis, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Van der Graaf Generator, Lindisfarne, and Peter Hammill. Whitehead is also credited as a performer on the Peter Hammill albums Fool's Mate (drums) and In Camera (percussion).

Some working relationships were complicated. Although it isn't mentioned in the film, Whitehead sued Genesis to get payment for using his images on merchandise and repackaging the albums. Whitehead owns the original Genesis logo, which was the result of a long fight. In the end they agreed that they could both use it without any litigation.

An antiviolence cover. Song Shine by Joni Mitchell.

Cinematography by William Gilmore features close up shots which emphasize and move the story along, while the camera angles and movements are smooth and the lighting professional. Well balanced sound. This is a high quality, artistic biography deftly edited by Gilmore. Lucidity brings forward the complicated story of an artist who created both a professional as well as a personal style, becoming a part of history.

Many documentaries have the subject using the medium as a psychiatrist, Whitehead uses it as a storyboard and art form.

Too many documentaries are clunky, reminiscent of the 1950s home movie craze. Paul & Trisha is clever, poignant and informative.

Each of the fast moving shots are beautifully focused and framed.

Musical background by Peter Gabriel is powerful but doesn't distract, coming across as pointed and "factual" if that is a word which can be used to describe a sound. You don't hear the notes and think murder mystery, suspense, vaudeville. You think - this what happened. In some scenes the music is the co-star with a wailing sax adding significance.

Whitehead doesn't gloss over or make excuses. He simply explains his life as he reflects on how he remembers the events.

His truck is painted in a style that would fit in on the NBC show Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge.

He painted his first car in 1967. An airline asked him to paint one of their planes. He suggested painting the plane to look like it was made of bricks. The company balked - bricks don't fly and the passengers would get nervous,

In this 75-minute documentary, written and directed by Fia Perera, shot and edited by William Gilmore, and produced by Adam Fisk, Paul and Trisha masterfully navigate these uncharted and perilous waters in an entertaining, artistic, and unapologetic way. They remind us that it’s not their job to make others feel comfortable and that not everyone is going to love you or like what you do . . . And that is OK.

The creatives don't break the 160 degree rule with the exception of one shot which emphasizes the emotional stress of the subject matter.

Clever use of black and white silent film days captions emphsize Whitehead's complaints about strangers letting their dogs use his garden as their bathroom.

A sensitive use of cartoons - the type used by PBS on their short POV segments - buffer delicate subjects such as: after his mother died and his father became ill he returned to England for a visit. He and his father were not close. His father liked Thomas Kincaid and Whithead didn't. His father didn't understand his son's artistic lifestyle and wanted him to become a business man. He thought his son should give up his painting and "get a job." Whitehead's philosophical life line is that you can't be loved by everyone.

The intense, much like a puzzle design, display of album covers, are coordinated, neat and precise.

One of the covers discussed in the film, the Beatles meet Mt Fabmore. The Beatles loved the cover, but when their White Album appeared, the cover was - just white.

During the 60s and 70s at the height of the "free love" movement, Whitehead began exploring his gender fluidity. He has always be drawn to colorful clothing. One night he asked his wife if he could try on her panties. That opened up a can of identity possibilities. Although the marriage didn't last (his wife is never identified) the cross dressing did. He even took estrogen which he didn't like because it "made me bitchy." Slowly his other half, Trisha Van Cleef, emerged.

He demonstrates how he puts on make-up, offers a "face lift" trick of putting tape behind your neck and ears and then the attitude changing Jacqueline Smith wigs. He stopped going into wig stores because the employees "made me feel uncomfortable." Now, he buys through the Internet and he is a proud boaster of Jacqueline Smith's wigs, of which he owns a shelf load.

He is highly spiritual. "God doesn't make mistakes." He doesn't buy into the 'born in the wrong body concept.' He feels those who do are victims of "social condition" and "the company you keep."

"This is just a matter of free will. You are supposed to do whatever you want," Whitehead says.

In the background a sax wails.

He's content living the life he lives. "I don't want to be a woman. That doesn't interest me at all." He refers to Trisha in the third person. Trisha is also a painter but enjoys bolder colors and movements. He refers to her creations as "happy, cheerful, vibrant, free flowing."

Whitehead's art can be precise and detailed. It hasn't escaped him that Trisha is gaining a following. Her paintings sell for less than his, but more of hers are sold.

He refers to Trisia as buy-sexual, spelling out b - u - y "because I always pay for it somewhere along the line," he explains his voice tinged in irony.

A train moans and whines its way down the tracks, as if delivering a person to a new life.

"Paul and Trisha have weathered a lifetime of challenges and victories in the mercurial and competitive art world, often choosing artistic freedom over commercial Venice, exploitation. And both have faced the stigma and fear around their sexuality and genders."

"One man – One woman artist" dives into the colorful life as they navigate their gender and artistic fluidity as two artists in one body.

The documentary sheds light on the faceted life of Whitehead including learning that billboard owners are required to donate 10 percent of their space to non-profits. In 1973 that knowledge inspired Whitehead to create the Eyes and Ears Foundation and the Artboard Festival where local artists could freely improvise on billboards turning their work into a novel "drive-through" community art gallery. Nobody had a need (or was able) to get out of their cars.

Widely recognized as both muralist and painter, Whitehead holds the Guinness record for the largest mural in the world at the former Vegas World Casino in Las Vegas, now the Stratosphere. In 80’s Whitehead's business included painting advertising on the sides of semi trailers. The late Bob Stupak who was a Vegas hotel owner saw an article in the National Enquirer about some of the trucks Whitehead had painted and called. Known as a maverick, Stupak challenged Whitehead to design something for the exterior of his 30-story hotel. The two agreed on the design and Whitehead went to work. When he was about 75% through the project someone wondered how big the design was, and did the calculations. The result was that the project was determined to be the largest mural in the world at the time.

Guinness recognized the accomplishment.

At home he has an old cat and loves flowers - even the weeds - referring to them as also God's creations.

The musical background now showcases instruments frequently used when Far Eastern religions are discussed. His "church" is an offshoot of his following the Indian guru Paramahansa Yogananda, who died in 1952, and pioneered Yoga in the West, and is credited with "uplifting the lives of millions." Whitehead admits that Yogananda's teachings permeate his work. He had emphasized in interviews that he doesn't like "preachy" art but admits that he tries to incorporate spiritual realizations subtlety into his creations.

He meditates declaring that it "opens a door."

He stresses that his art is "all about the creation, not the finished object."

Perhaps inspired by the psychosocial far east metaphysical, Whitehead has become fascinated with sand sculpture, the texture erasing memories while honing new ones.

He accuses noise of being a detrimental force and advises everyone to dedicate 10 minutes a day to silence.

Then there is a religion he founded - the Church of the Immaculate Transmission, which has nothing to do with automobiles.

Whitehead has been quoted as saying "The Church of the Immaculate Transmission is kind of a satirical take on phony spiritualism the idea of the church and conventional religion. I created Father Paul as a joke and discovered that when you are in public wearing a priests white collar the world treats you VERY differently. I am an ordained priest, I can marry people and bury them and naturally there are advantages. In Italy, for example, you can park wherever you want and you get treated very well in restaurants and on planes. When asked what denomination the church is I always tell people it’s a church for Rock and Roll Hindus."

In this documentary no one segment is more important than any other. They interlock to form a person - a lifestyle.

A brilliant, beautiful, sensitive documentary.

Paul/Trisha - The Art of Fluidity will be shown at the prestigious Cinequest in San Jose later this month.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

BEYOND THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS

Woman's "Ligne Longue" cocktail dress by Christian Dior, Autumn-Winter 1951-52. Photo: The National Museum of Scotland

From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, Beyond the Little Black Dress deconstructs this iconic garment and examines the radical power of the color black in fashion.

In 1926 Coco Chanel designed a simple, short black dress. Considered radically modern, it disregarded convention in its design and shade and was hailed by US Vogue as "the frock that all the world will wear." The little black dress became a wardrobe staple and a blank canvas for future generations to reflect broader political and cultural shifts, challenge social norms around race, gender and sexuality and reflect evolving ideals of beauty and identity.

Discover how the nuances of the color black have made the little black dress a contradictory garment, from the well-mannered cocktail attire of the early 20th century to the leather and latex worn by members of punk and fetish subcultures.

A century of fashion. Featuring over 60 garments, the exhibition charts a century of fashion through a series of themed, immersive displays. See early 20th century pieces by Chanel, Dior and Jean Muir alongside contemporary looks by designers such as Gareth Pugh, Simone Rocha, Comme des Garçons and ground-breaking Black British designers like Joe Casely-Hayford and Maximilian.

Black British designers. The exhibition features Black British designers whose work explores both Blackness in terms of identity and the role the color black plays in crafting a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic. Elsewhere, the exhibition considers how perceptions of the color black differ in a global context, as well as how the intervention of smart technologies is establishing a blueprint for a more sustainable future.

The Fashion Museum in Bath, England is delighted to have loaned seven dresses and one cocktail hat to the new Beyond the Little Black Dress exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. On show until October 29, 2023, the exhibition includes pieces from the Fashion Museum collection by Balenciaga, Issey Miyake, Armani and Alistair Blair.

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SWEET CHARITY

THE 3RD ANNUAL BRODYFEST 2023 takes place the weekend of August 18th, 2023 in the Los Angeles area. The 818 Comedy Benefit Show will be held on Friday August 18th at The Comedy Store. Then on Sunday, August 20th, the Festival of Friendship 818 Walk will take place in Reseda Park with a star-studded softball game immediately following.

Brody would have turned 53 this year. In 2019 the comedy community mourned the loss of Brody Stevens to suicide. Comedy Gives Back is dedicated to providing mental health resources for comedians who are struggling. Comedy Gives Back is happy to partner with friends and fans of Brody’s who started this Festival of Friendship 818 Walk in honor of his memory which has now expanded into a weekend of activities. Proceeds from the weekend will directly benefit the mental health resources and services of Comedy Gives Back.

Post-walk festivities including music, comedy, and speakers and the comedians softball game.

SPREADING THE WORD

CHEVROLET RUBS FEET AT THE OSHEAGA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

Billie Eilish with Armani White. Photo by Toronto-based Sophie Bouquillon.

the largest Canadian arts and musical festival is a multi-day music event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that is held every summer at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène.

The festival takes place on six stages with various audience capacities. This year the festival took place July 29–31 and attracted over 135,000 fans.

The lineup included Afro Pop, Indie Rock, Bass, Rap, Electro, Synth Pop, Disco, Electronic Music, Hip Hop and more.

Sophie Hawley-Weld, one half of Sofi Tukker. Her musical partner is Tukker Halpern. The Grammy nominated duo perform in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 26 at the Marquee Nightclub. Photo by Toronto-based Sophie Bouquillon.

Giving the fans what they came for were Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Rufus DuSol, The National, Lil Yachty, Fletcher, Carly Rae Jepsen, Sofi Tukker and Armani White.

Also showing off their talents were Fred again.., Kim Petras, Japanese Breakfast, Central Cee, Foals, Baby Keem, Lido Pimienta, Bomba Estereo, Cigarettes After Sex, and The Flaming Lips who performed their seminal album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in its entirety.

An interesting aspect of this festival was the catering to sore feet.

Exploring a festival as massive as OSHEAGA meant a lot of walking. Luckily, Chevrolet—as a partner of the festival—had a fun and innovative way to help patrons rest up before the next set: the world’s first foot recharging station!

Thanks to 18 foot massage stations, festival-goers were able to recharge their tootsies before heading back out to one of the many stages on the enormous event site.

While in the mssage station, attendees also had the opportunity to discuss the latest innovations in models and designs - not in feet, but in GM products.

Among the numerous other tents was a Festival-Proof Makeup booth with Urban Decay. Festival goers were invited to touch up, refresh and set your makeup look with the festival and longwear makeup icons, Urban Decay! Their expert makeup artists amped up your look with bold color and glitter to last all weekend long. If you can last all night, your makeup should too!

THE NEW YORK POPS AND JASON MRAZ the Multi-Grammy Award winner and Songwriters Hall of Fame Honoree joins Steven Reineke and The New York Pops in Queens, NY for a concert featuring selections from his two-decade career, including songs from his upcoming album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride. August 17, 2023 in Forest Hills.

BILLY PORTER that Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner has signed on as a Producer of the world premiere musical Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For at Pittsburgh Public Theater beginning September 19. The cast features Broadway star and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel regular Darius de Haas as Billy Strayhorn, along with J.D. Mollison of Broadway’s Les Miserables as the incomparable Duke Ellington.

A READING OF THE SCIENCE OF LEAVING OMAHA by Carter W. Lewis. Directed by James Glossman. After dropping out of school, Iris takes a job at the Belladonna Funeral Home. Now three years later, she is trying to find her way out of the job - and out of Omaha. One winter evening, a young man breaks into the funeral home to say goodbye to his recently deceased wife. As they wait for the police to arrive, the two try to understand the dismantling of their working-class lives as well as their present and past transgressions.

August 21, 2023 at New Jersey Rep in Long Branch, New Jersey. Part of the Monday Evening Salon Reading Series. Seating is general admission, first come, first served. Doors open at 6:30 pm and readings begin promptly at 7:00 pm, followed by a discussion.

LONDON MUSICAL THEATRE ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS conduced by Freddie Tapner returns to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane with Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic Love Never Dies on August 21-22. 2023.

Welcome to Coney Island. The cast features Norm Lewis as The Phantom and Celinde Schoenmaker as Christine Daaé, Matthew Seadon-Young will play Raoul de Chagny, with Madame Giry and Meg Giry played by Sally Dexter and Courtney Stapleton. Charles Brunton joins the cast as Gangle, alongside Nic Greenshields as Squelch and Lucie-Mae Sumner as Fleck. Completing the ensemble are Chloe Campbell, Alex Christian, Courtney George, Aoife Kenny, Alex Pinder and Emily Ann Potter.

Love Never Dies in Concert is directed by Shaun Kerrison, with musical supervision by Simon Lee, musical direction by Freddie Tapner, sound design by Adam Fisher, lighting design by Tim Deiling, and casting by Sarah-Jane Price. Norm Lewis stars as The Phantom after a hugely successful run as the first African American Phantom in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. Celinde Shoenmaker stars alongside him as Christine, following her appearance in London's West End for the 30th anniversary of Phantom. Shaun Kerrison will direct the concert.

THE GIBSON GARAGE billed as "the ultimate guitar experience and destination for music lovers across the globe, and the place to explore Gibson’s 130-year music history" is expanding across the pond. The Gibson Garage London marks the first-ever Gibson flagship store outside of the U.S. and follows the wildly successful opening of the Gibson Garage Nashville.

The Gibson Garage Nashville, is open to the public daily in downtown Nashville, TN, and home to some of music history’s most coveted guitars.

Opening in early 2024, and located in Historic London just off Oxford Street, the Gibson Garage London will feature 4,500 square feet of retail space. Inside the Gibson Garage, visitors can plug-in and play more than 300 electric and acoustic guitars from Gibson Custom Shop to Epiphone, explore the entire collection of MESA/Boogie amplifiers, Maestro pedals, and more.

At the Gibson Garage, music lovers will experience live performances, can design a dream Made-to-Measure guitar in the Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab, catch a live taping of one of the award-winning Gibson TV series, and enjoy captivating, interactive storytelling and memorabilia inside the historic space. Fans can play all things Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, MESA/Boogie, and Maestro, try out the full line of electric and acoustic guitars, and take a piece of history home with one-of-a-kind limited edition guitars, gear and accessories, as well as exclusive apparel collaborations. Whether a seasoned professional musician, a casual guitar player, a beginner, or simply a music fan, the Gibson Garage is open to all, and will be a must-see destination in central London.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE 50 RICHEST SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRES in the US and how long it took them to make their first billion.

According to Forbes’ 2023 "World’s Billionaires List", the US houses the most billionaires globally - 735. By examining the net worth of the 50 richest self-made US billionaires, the team at SuperCasinoSites estimated the average time it took them to earn a billion dollars is 21 ½ years. The 10 of them who did this the fastest all did so in a timespan of less than 10 years and they are all in Technology:

They selected the top 50 self-made billionaires in the U.S. based on their real-time net worth as of August 8, 2023 according to Forbes. In order to find out when they became billionaires and at what age, SuperCasinoSites gathered data from archived Forbes and Bloomberg billionaires lists at Areppim, the official Forbes and Bloomberg websites, and other sources like YCharts, Finmasters, and annual reports of Nike and Oracle. They then calculated how long it took them to become billionaires in order to reach the resulting average figure.

According to data analyst at MarketsChain here are the key takeaways:

- For the 50 richest self-made billionaires in the U.S., it took an average of 21 ½ years to earn a billion dollars
- Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos were the quickest to join the billionaire club–it took them just 4 years
- Judy Love, Harold Ham, and Eric Smidt waited the longest for their net worths to reach ten figures - 49 years, 41 years, and 40 years, respectively
- The youngest individuals to become billionaires are Mark Zuckerberg (23) and Dustin Moskovitz (26), both through their stake in Facebook
- These billionaires were the oldest in our ranking to reach billionaire status—Autry Stephens (80), Judy Love (76), Jim Simons (67).

THAT MONEY MAKER MOVIE BARBIE has been banned in Lebanon and Kuwait for promoting beliefs "alien to Kuwaiti society and public order." That would be gender and sexuality.

The Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada asked the interior ministry to "take all necessary measures to ban" Barbie. He said the film "promotes homosexuality and transsexuality… supports rejecting a father's guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family".

Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, has grossed over $1bn worldwide.

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CARA GREENE EPSTEIN has been named to the newly-created executive director position at IAMA Theatre Company following a two-year stint as the company’s director of education.

In her new role, Greene Epstein will continue to work closely with artistic director Stefanie Black, associate artistic director Margaux Susi and producing director Lara Myrene to take L.A’s premier female-led theater company to the next level.

Greene Epstein brings over 20 years of experience as an actor, director, producer and arts educator, as well as over 15 years experience as a strategic marketing and creative process consultant for Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits, to her new role. She has worked with theater companies from coast to coast, including The Old Globe, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Writer’s Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Epic Theatre Ensemble, People’s Light and the American Theater Wing.

Founded in 2007, Los Angeles based IAMA is dedicated to developing new plays and musicals by emerging and established playwrights, including over 25 world, West Coast and Los Angeles premieres.



A NEW BRAIN Music & Lyrics by William Finn. Book by William Finn and James Lapine.

Musical Direction by Vadim Feichtner.

Directed by Joe Calarco.

Gordon can’t get past his writer’s block when a medical emergency forces him to reassess if his songs (or lack thereof) are more important than his family, his friends, or his partner. He needs to navigate a mean nurse, shelves of books, and a bossy frog to get to the heart of his music.

A Barrington Stage Company production in association with Williamstown Theatre Festival. Performances August 16 - September 9, 2023 on the Boyd-Quinson Stage at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA.

A WILL TO LIVE written by 99-year-old NYC resident Helena Wienrauch, adapted from Wienrauch’s 1945 memoir A Will to Live by Kirk Gostkowski.

Directed by Rick Hamilton.

Introducing Masha King a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine who toured the US performing as Anne Frank stars as Helena Wienrauch.

This emotional rollercoaster of a one-woman show follows her extraordinary journey from childhood through her survival of three Holocaust concentration camps and her road to recovery. Her story is a testament to our instinctive will to survive, the strength of music in the darkest of times, and the power of love. Helena’s story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust and honoring those who survived.

The creatives are: set and projection design by David Henderson, lighting design by Michael Abrams, costume design by Debbi Hobson. Greg Russ is the sound designer. Dramaturgical work by G.D. Kimble. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR, Stage Managed by Shelby Pickelny, production assistant Weston Scheck.

A Will To Live will play a limited engagement at Chain Theatre, NYC beginning Friday, August 18 and continue through Saturday, September 16, 2023.

INFINITE LIFE written by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker.

Directed by Obie Award winner James Macdonald.

Five women in Northern California sit outside on chaise lounges and philosophize. A surprisingly funny inquiry into the complexity of suffering, and what it means to desire in a body that's failing you.

The cast of Infinite Life will feature Marylouise Burke, Mia Katigbak, Christina Kirk, Tony award nominee Kristine Nielsen, Brenda Pressley, and Pete Simpson.

Infinite Life world premiere co-production with National Theatre August 18 - October 8, 2023 at the Linda Gross Theater, Atlantic Theater in New York City.

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

FINAL OVATION

WALTER CHARLES a Broadway veteran actor died on August3, 2023. He was 78.

Charles made his Broadway debut in the original 1972 production of Grease, as the replacement for the character Vince Fontaine. He next opened 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the original cast. His career flourished throughout the following decade, where he appeared in the original casts of Broadway musicals Sweeney Todd; The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Cats, and La Cage Aux Folles.

Additional stage credits throughout the years include Me and My Girl; Aspects of Love; Kiss Me Kate; Big River: The Boys from Syracuse: The Woman in White and The Apple Tree. His final production on Broadway was the 2011 revival of Anything Goes in the role of the Captain.

He also originated the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in 1994.

Charles also appeared on screen in a number of films and television shows.

Charles is survived by his wife Leslie Thompson.

WILLIAM FRIEDKIN famed director died August 7, 2023 at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. He was 87.

The Oscar winning director who catalogue is of arm's length, is best known for The Exorcist; The French Connection and The Boys in the Band.

Friedkin was married four times and had two long term relationships, one of which, to Jennifer Nairn-Smith produced a son, Cedric. Friedkin and his second wife, Lesley-Anne Down, also had a son, Jack.

In addition to his sons, he is survived by his fourth wife, Sherry Lansing.

Next Column: August 20, 2023
Copyright: August 13, 2023 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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Laura Deni

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