Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: December 27, 2020
By: Laura Deni
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CHONBURI INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & BUTTERFLY CLUB - A LIFE ALTERING EXPERIENCE FOR MEMBERS AND A MUST LISTEN EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OTHERS

Shakina Nayfack

The Chonburi International Hotel & Butterfly Club is the latest audio offering from the Williamstown Theatre Festival. This play deserves low bows and rapturous applause.

Chonburi International Hotel & Butterfly Club - inspired by author Shakina Nayfack's own experiences - is one of the most sensitive, informative, beautiful, funny and poignant plays to appear in a long time.

In real life bad jokes and insults abound for individuals born male who not only feel they are female but go through a torturous parade of procedures to actually become female. Despite the struggles, international passengers filled with hope and trepidation make the journey into a new life in a transformation which takes place in Thailand - the preferred travel destination for those in transition to drop off a body part and acquire a vagina.

To give readers of this and potential listeners to the entertaining audio a better understanding:

Currently, in Thailand, there are 6 major private groups performing sex reassignment surgery, and mostly performing surgery to patients coming from abroad. Particularly, the largest of these (Preecha's group) has performed nearly 3000 vaginoplasties for male-to-female transsexuals in the last 30 years.

There are several procedural options. The two most popular are:

SRS with Scrotal Skin Graft in which Scrotal skin is used to create a vaginal depth of up to 13-15 cm (5-6 in), depending on skin quality and quantity (additional depth is possible by using groin skin). This is the most popular SRS procedure. Surgery: 4 hours - Hospitalization: 6 nights - Recovery time in the local area is 3-4 weeks Approx. cost $9,800 USD (with the option to increase depth further for $1,400 USD).

The Sigmoid colon procedure in which the Sigmoid colon is used to create the vagina, allowing for greater depth than what is possible with SRS with a scrotal skin graft. More suited to those with less scrotal skin or those who prefer to have a lubricated vagina, like that of a biological woman. By far the most expensive technique. Surgery: 6 hours - Hospitalisation: 7 nights - Recovery time in the local area is 3-4 weeks. The open technique, with a ~8-10 cm incision scar in the bikini line; approx. $13,700 USD Laparoscopic technique; 4 small incisions in the abdomen; approx. $18,850 USD.

There are two target audiences for this play the LBGTQ sector and the straight crowd. In what could be a difficult task, Nayfack flawlessly traverses the territory.

Yes, this offering is about sex transformations. There isn't a prurient phrase in the play.

Expertly directed by WTF Associate Artistic Director Laura Savia, the production has a cast of 13 - with the author in the lead part. Other are: Ivory Aquino, Kate Bornstein, Liz Lark Brown, Annie Golden, Bianca Leigh, Telly Leung, Dana Levinson, Pooya Mohseni, Angelica Ross, Ita Segev, Jason Tam, and Samy Nour Younes.

The actors' vocal abilities are superb. None of the parts confuse the listener.

Likewise, the sound effects are spot on.

As a person who is as straight as can be, I listened - captivated and spellbound by the wide gambit of emotions exquisitely presented by the men who arrive at the Chonburi International Hotel from assorted world wide locations, and a month later leave as butterflies escaping from a cocoon to fly into a new life.

Each of the transitioning men has been through all of the required steps from psychology counseling, hormone therapy, to living as a woman. Never-the-less, this last step comes with individual concerns and terrors - each effectively brought forward in a way in which the listener will comprehend. New arrivals are greeted by a karaoke-loving bellhop (Telly Leung) who is the play's comic relief.

None of the guests pretend that they aren't or weren't scared. There is no glossing over of - it's nothing. The surgery is serious, major and life changing. It comes with risks such as death by infection or bleeding, which is a serious consideration.

The hotel bellhop offers to chant prayers with nervous check-ins and is the one who delivers a moving chant when a resident dies.

There is nothing preachy or maudlin about this play. Brilliantly written, the listener will be moved. It's hard to imagine that the listener won't come away with a better understanding, more compassion and empathy for those who have gone through or are undertaking this life changing procedure.

After checking in, the following day newby Kina (Nayfack) visits the doctor and then checks into the hospital. Kina is informed that afterwards, she'll experience leg numbness due to the necessity of legs being kept in stirrups for hours. The excruciating pain is only partially dulled by medication. Then there is the requirement of vaginal dilatation - a three times a day procedure, each lasting 30 minutes in which the new body part is manipulated to remain open. Most people don't realize that if the new vagina isn't forced and trained to stay open the body part will seal shut. The newly constructed labial can be reabsorbed into the body. That means the person will need frequent "touch-ups" - translated to more surgeries. This is not a procedure for the foolhardy.

Although cheaper in Thailand, surgery is expensive. In real life Nayfack took the bold step of funding her gender confirmation through crowdfunding - as does her character in the play.

Patients aren't even suppose to think about sex for at least a month. Even thinking about sex can cause blood vessel dilation which can result in unwanted bleeding. Whether the new woman will even be able to experience sexual pleasure is up for grabs. The body needs time to heal and adapt itself. Some may eventually be able to experience an orgasm - others will not.

Profound lifestyle issues such as parenthood are addressed from both sides of the issue. There is a man who had his sperm saved before the transition, because he desires to become a parent - a mother. The man who is about to be transformed is almost traumatized by the fact that his wife has not only divorced him but the judge has given her total custody with no visitation privileges awarded him.

A group of soon to become women and the new surgically crafted who are waiting for the stitches to heal have little in common except a new vagina. Yet, they exude understanding, help and compassion. For the few who have a significant other, such as the couple (Kate Bornstein and Annie Golden), there is an important support system. Most don't have a before, during or after partner and that's a shame.

A not to be missed listening experience. As a straight person, you'll learn - and I almost defy anyone not be be moved, feel compassion for and certainly develop a better understanding.

This script laying out a highly personal, intimate and profound event is not vulgar, coarse or crude. Rather, it is informative, sensitive, delicate and beautifully written. While not white washing over any of the issues, it doesn't take a political or religious position. It is non judgemental nor critical, simply relating a life changing experience in a way which can not only be understood but appreciated by the listener. It's also funny - as life can be - even in times of seriousness.

About the author: Originally from Southern California, Nayfack is a performer, director, writer, producer, and social activist. Nayfack is the Founding Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory (MTF), a non-profit artist service organization dedicated to developing new work. Through MTF Shakina has supported the development of numerous new musicals by the next generation of Broadway composers. Before starting Musical Theatre Factory, she served as Associate Producer for Barrington Stage Company.

In 2015 Nayfack received a Lilly Award recognizing the remarkable contributions to the American Theatre made by women. She is also a two-time Drama League fellow, having been selected for the New Musical Directing Fellowship (2011) and the Beatrice Terry Fellowship for women playwright/directors (2017), supporting the development of this play.

Nayfack roots herself as a Butoh-inspired artist trained beneath Diego Piñón, founder of Body Ritual Movement. With an MFA in Experimental Choreography and a PhD in Critical Dance Studies (both from the University of California at Riverside), Nayfack has pioneered her own Butoh for the Actor method, developed through master classes at the University of California at Santa Cruz, the Chicago Cultural Center, Casa del Teatro in Mexico City, Barrington Stage Company, The Drama League, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, and most recently as adjunct faculty at NYU Tisch Drama. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Community Studies and Graduate Certificate in Theatre from UC Santa Cruz.

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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

THE CHAZEN MUSEUM OF ART at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has acquired work from current and emeriti faculty of the University. Groups of work by mosaic artist Marjorie Kreilick and sculptor Truman Lowe are now part of the Chazen’s permanent collection, along with single works by print artist Emily Arthur and photographer Darcy Padilla.

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SWEET CHARITY

MORE THAN 50 US THEATRE COMPANIES ARE BENEFITTING FROM Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol with a Twist, an original streaming musical written and filmed during the pandemic, which focuses on the joys and responsibilities of common welfare and helping others.

Estella Scrooge was conceived by Tony and Olivier Award-winner John Caird and Tony Award nominee Paul Gordon, who have created a hybrid between theatre, film and animation.

Betsy Wolfe stars as Estella Scrooge, a descendant of her famous great great great great grandfather Ebenezer. Clifton Duncan stars as Philip ‘Pip’ Nickleby. 2020 Tony Award nominee Lauren Patten stars as Dawkins. The production also stars Tony Award nominees Patrick Page as Mr. Merdle, Carolee Carmello as Marla Havisham and Danny Burstein ( as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Estella Scrooge, under an earlier title Little Miss Scrooge, was developed in part at Rubicon Theatre Company, where Jackowitz is Director of New Works, and at the Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat.

The producers of Estella Scrooge created a Theatre Affiliate program in which theatres receive 30% of sales of tickets with no risk or cost to the organization. The program encourages audience members to purchase access to Estella Scrooge through their local theatre company.

THE MUSIC GOES ROUND AND ROUND

LEGACY a recording of Two Song Cycles by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty has been released by Broadway Records.

An important fact which needs to be screamed loud and clear is that this recording features the magnificent voices of Jason Danieley and the late Marin Mazzie. If this recording was a Broadway show, the names Denieley and Mazzie would be above the title.

Legacy is a piano demo of two song cycles written years ago and previously unheard. According to the liner notes written by the award winning composers: "The first song cycle, 1859: A Farmer's Diary, is based on excerpts from the diary of a farmer in upstate New York which he wrote over the course of one year, revealing the joys and sorrows of an unpredictable life. It was first recorded in April of 2004 with Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley on vocals, and Stephen Flaherty at the piano.The next song cycle,A Boy With a Camera, was inspired by photographs taken in the 40's and 50's by Ahrens's father, and is a celebration of New York City itself. This piece (including the song "Legacy") was recorded in November 2004 with Sarah Uriarte Berry and Steven Pasquale, with Steve Marzullo at the piano. The final track of this song cycle, Something Beautiful, sung by Marin Mazzie, was recorded live at 54 Below with Stephen Flaherty (piano) and Antoine Silverman (violin) on September 28, 2013."

In gratitude to the theater community, the author's proceeds will be donated equally to The Actor's Fund Outreach to the BIPOC Community, the Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows Program, and the Marineau-Mazzie Music Theatre Performance Scholarship at Western Michigan University.

By use of the word "demo" one understand that this isn't a finished product, rather a base upon which the score will be built. There isn't any dramatic variations in arrangements, tempos or musical keys. Because of the high register and singing style sometimes the words aren't precisely clear- although the lyrics are printed in the accompanying booklet.

The musical score in angelic.

A cherished treasure of a recording which is a listening pleasure which could be played repeatedly without boredom or annoyance.

DISC: 1

1. Legacy (Prologue)
2. Track 2
3. January (I Am Not Admonished)
4. February (Our Shoulders to the Wheel)
5. March (Positively Lazy)
6. April (Snow)
7. May (Matters Are Thickening)
8. June (A Killing Frost)
9. July (This Fourth of July)
10. August (Campmeeting)
11. September (Helen)
12. October (When I Am Stronger)
13. November (Our Minister Believes)
14. December (An Unexpected Gift)
15. Columbus Circle
16. Boy With a Camera
17. Just Beyond the Frame
18. Windy Day on Coney Island
19. Rising City
20. Something Beautiful

SPREADING THE WORD

92Y ANNOUNCES THE ONLINE VIDEO PREMIERE OF THE 2013 LYRICS & LYRICISTS: SPECIAL EVENT an 80th birthday celebration of somgwriter Mike Stoller with a tribue to Jerry Leiber. This free event is Premiering on New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2020, 7 pm ET.

Available after the premiere in the 92Y Archive.

“Leiber and Stoller? There would be no rock and roll without them.” – Paul Shaffer This magical concert celebrating songwriting legend Mike Stoller, whose hits for Elvis Presley with songwriting partner Jerry Leiber included such rock ‘n roll classics as Hound Dog, and Jailhouse Rock.

Hosted by Paul Shaffer and directed and written by Randy Johnson, An 80th Birthday Celebration of Mike Stoller featured such artists as Karen Akers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Coasters, Mary Bridget Davies, Corky Hale, Maria Elena Infantino, Sally Kellerman, Ben E. King, Bettye LaVette, Melissa Manchester, Billy Stritch, Tommy Tune, Steve Tyrell and more performing expected and unexpected interpretations from Stoller’s genre-spanning career in blues, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz. Charlie Brown; Is That All There Is; On Broadway; I Keep Forgettin’; Hound Dog and an all-star company closing rendition of Stand By Me were among the classic songs Stoller wrote with his longtime lyricist partner Jerry Leiber and others performed that night. The event also featured a special tribute note from Priscilla Presley.

Leiber was also the subject of a special tribute, with Mike Stoller in attendance for the celebration.

The 1995 Broadway show Smokey Joe’s Café, a musical revue based on their work, received seven Tony Award® nominations and running for five years, became and remains the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history.

THIS YEAR THE ABBEY THEATRE IN IRELAND employed 600 artists Created more than 16 hours of new online theatre- Reached 300,000 views of our digital projects - Welcomed 19,000 people to our physical theatre events.

They are "hopeful for a wider re-opening of the theatre sector in the New Year, and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Abbey Theatre before too long."

THE 4th ANNUAL KAWANZAA FILM FESTIVAL currently is taking place through December 31, 2020 and January 18, 2021. A community-based festival out of Harlem, NY the festival’s mission is to create space for emerging filmmakers to engage conversation in and around the diaspora.

This year’s festival is virtual with a vibrant lineup of panels, one-on-one discussions, master classes, workshops, and nearly 50 films.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

THE NEW AID BILL PASSED BY CONGRESS which currently awaits approval by President Trump, provides some critical relief for organizations and individuals struggling in the face of Covid-19.

1. The package would include $15 billion for “Save Our Stages.” The program will be administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and provide grants of up to $10 million. Grants are available to qualified live venue operators or promoters, theatrical producers, live performing arts organization operators, operators of non-profit museums that have auditoriums, movie theater operators, and talent representatives.

- The following summarizes some requirements; for complete requirements see Section 324 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

- To be eligible, all applicants must have been fully operational on February 29, 2020, and have at least 25% revenue loss in a quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter of 2019. In addition:

· Live venues at which the venue operator or promoter, theatrical producer or live performing arts organization operator promotes, produces, manages, or hosts events or the artists and entertainers represented or managed by the talent representative perform must:
Have a defined performance and audience space, mixing equipment, PA system, and lighting rig;
Have ticketed events and performances that are marketed (e.g. print, websites, email, social media); and
Include at least two of the following roles: sound engineer, booker, promoter, stage manager, security personnel, box office manager. · Movie theaters must have at least one auditorium with a movie screen and fixed seating, a projection booth, a paid ticket charge, and have ticketed movies that are marketed (e.g. print, websites, email, social media)
· Non-profit museums must serve primarily as a museum, have indoor exhibition spaces, and have at least one auditorium, theater or performance or lecture hall with fixed audience seating and regular programming.
Grants for this program:

· Can be used for rent, utilities, mortgages, debt, payroll, independent contractors (e.g., performers), and other business expenses
· Will be calculated as 45% of 2019 gross earned revenue, capped at $10 million
(Note: Loans or grants from the CARES Act (e.g., PPP) will not count toward your total revenue)

The timing of applications will be as follows:

· The start date has not been set
· The first two-week period will be open to those who have lost more than 90% of revenue April to December 2020 versus April to December 2019
· The second two-week period will be open to those who have lost more than 70% of their revenue April to December 2020 versus April to December 2019
· Then other eligible businesses may apply ($3 billion total will be set aside for this group)

December 26-31, 2020 and January 18, 2021.

THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE OF NEW JERSEY (STNJ) has received a $75,000 grant from the prestigious Hearst Foundations to support the Theatre’s education programs, most of which were put on hold this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grant will aid the Theatre’s plan to both re-engage as many of its full complement of education programs as possible in 2021, and re-evaluate said programs in order to broaden their reach via virtual means.

The Hearst Foundations receive approximately 1,000 proposals nationwide each year, and accept approximately a quarter of those requests, of which only 20% are directed to new grantees. This is the first time STNJ has applied for and been granted this highly competitive foundation support.



WOOLLY MAMMOTH in Washington, DC welcomes Sonia Fernandez as the Director of New Work. She comes to Woolly Mammoth from Magic Theatre in San Francisco, CA where she served for five years as Associate Artistic Director before being promoted to the role of Interim Artistic Director.

Sonia Fernandez is a dramaturg, casting director, administrator, and producer specializing in new work. While at Magic Theatre, she produced Magic’s annual Virgin Play Festival. Some favorite dramaturgy credits include the world premieres of Don’t Eat the Mangos by Ricardo Pérez González at Magic Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis at Cal Shakes and The Chinese Lady by Lloyd Suh also at Magic.

Sonia is a member of the Seed Team for the Bay Area Accountability Work Group. Sonia is also a proud member of art Equity’s BIPOC Leadership Circle. Sonia received an AB from Princeton and Master’s from San Francisco State.

In her new leadership role, Sonia will lead the organization’s local, national, and international search for projects and artists that align with Woolly’s mission and values. Woolly recently shifted from a Literary Department to a New Work Department "to honor our history of presenting and producing works that may or may not start with the written word. As a member of Woolly’s Core Leadership Team, Sonia will also serve as a strategic and creative collaborator in service of long-term direction setting and short-term decision-making for the organization."

THE RECORDING ACADEMY has announced the honorees for its 2021 Special Merit Awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa, Selena, and Talking Heads. Ed Cherney, Benny Golson and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds are Trustees Award honorees; and Daniel Weiss is the Technical Grammy Award recipient.

The honorees will be recognized on the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on January 31, 2021.

THE GRAMMY HALL OF FAME has added 29 recordings to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

This year's additions recognize a diverse range of both single and album recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance. Recordings are reviewed each year by a special member committee comprised of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, with final approval by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. With 29 new titles, the Hall, now in its 48th year, currently totals 1,142 recordings.

2021 Grammy Hall Of Fame Inductees:

"AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE"
Édouard-Léon Scott De Martinville
Single

BLUES BREAKERS
John Mayall With Eric Clapton
Album

CANCIONES DE MI PADRE
Linda Ronstadt
Album

"CLEAN UP WOMAN"
Betty Wright
Single

"COPENHAGEN"
Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
Single

"DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'"
Journey
Single

"FREIGHT TRAIN"
Elizabeth Cotten
Single

GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J.
Bruce Springsteen
Album

HORSES
Patti Smith
Album

HOT BUTTERED SOUL
Isaac Hayes
Album

IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Dr. John
Album

LICENSED TO ILL
Beastie Boys
Album

MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN
Joe Cocker
Album

MERCY, MERCY, MERCY! LIVE AT "THE CLUB"
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet
Album

RAVEL: PIANO CONCERTO IN G MAJOR
Leonard Bernstein With The Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
Album

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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.

FINAL OVATION

K T OSLIN Grammy awrd winning country artist died Monday, December 21, 2020 in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. She was 78.

She began her career as a chorus girl in Broadway theatrical productions.

Kay Toinette Oslin was best known for her 1987 top-ten hit country single 80's Ladies, she also had a series of other top-ten country hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s, four of which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Her albums 80's Ladies and This Woman both sold more than 1 million copies.

In 1988, Oslin unseated Reba McEntire as the Country Music Association’s female vocalist of the year. McEntire had won it four straight times. The singer won two Grammy Awards in 1988 for her song Hold Me. In the previous year, she took home a Grammy for her song 80's Ladies.

She was a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Her friend Robert K. Oermann told the press that Oslin had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and lived in an assisted-living facility since 2016. She had triple bypass surgery in 1995. He said Oslin tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

REBECCA LUKER a Tony nominated star on Broadway for three decades died at a hospital in Manhattan on December 23, 2020 from ALS. She was 59.

On February 9, 2020, Luker announced that she was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), having been diagnosed in late 2019. In June 2020, she could still sing, as she hosted a livestreamed benefit for ALS. However, in October, she said she had been using a wheelchair for seven months, and the disease had progressed to the point where she had "no diaphragm," thus could not speak loudly.

In April 2020, her husband Danny Burstein contracted COVID-19 (along with several other cast members of Moulin Rouge!, in which he was starring). He was hospitalized at St. Luke's in Manhattan and recovered. Following his ordeal, Burstein wrote an account of it that was published in The Hollywood Reporter. Toward the end of that article, Burstein wrote "while I'm getting better, Rebecca has started dealing with the virus as well now. She's not been tested, but has all the symptoms to varying degrees. We are monitoring her closely."

Luker was nominated for three Tony Awards for Show Boat, The Music Man and Mary Poppins.

Luker's Broadway debut was in The Phantom of the Opera in the role of Christine (1988–91). She was originally an understudy for principal actress Sarah Brightman and her alternate Patti Cohenour. Luker later took over the role after Brightman and Cohenour left the show.] Subsequent Broadway roles include Lily in The Secret Garden (1991–93), Magnolia in Show Boat (1994–97; the first actress to be nominated for a Tony Award for this role), Maria in The Sound of Music (1998–99), Marian in The Music Man (2000–2001), and Claudia in Nine (2003). She played the role of Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins from 2006 to 2010. She later replaced Victoria Clark as Crazy Marie/the Fairy Godmother in the Broadway production of Cinderella for an engagement that lasted from September 2013 to January 2014. Luker joined the cast of Fun Home at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway, temporarily assuming the role of Helen Bechdel from April 5, 2016 to May 22, 2016.

She is survived by her husband, Tony nominated Danny Burstein and two stepsons, Zachary and Alexander.

Next Column: January 3, 2021
Copyright: December 27, 2020 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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