ICONS: Gay and Lesbian History of the World, VOL 1
Ray Romano of Sirius Satellite Radio said, “ICONS is a triumph!” The Columbus Dispatch raves, “Compelling-Broadway-Calibur!” I attended the one-man show “ICONS: The Lesbian & gay History of the World, VOL 1, written and performed by Jade Esteban Estrada and directed by Jeff Willis, for their third production at the Pantheon Theatre here in NYC. Jade, who released a dance album ANGEL in 2001, has performed is 28 countries and speaks 7 languages, is a playwright, singer, director, choreographer, and spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign. He won the 2002 [...]
Read moreTransamerica
Can a road trip movie with a transgender character rise above expectations? Transamerica is the story of a post-operative transsexual named Sabrina (Bree) Claire Osborne, who two weeks before her scheduled male to female sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) discovers she has a son. Toby, a seventeen-year-old street hustler that is currently in jail, phones Bree looking for Stanley — the father he has never met, the man Bree once was. Bree hangs up and continues making her telemarketing calls. She mentions the call to her therapist, but then quickly dismisses [...]
Read moreI AM My Own Wife
This play is extraordinary for several reasons. First, it’s the story of a transvestite, on Broadway! The story of Charlotte von Malsdorf, Germany’s most famous Transvestite, is told through Doug Wright’s (the writer) interviews with her, public records and her Stasi file. Charlotte realized at an early age that “she” didn’t identify with being a he, and it was through a loving grand mother- and a book about transvestism that her grandmother provided — that Charlotte came to understand and accept her female identity. The writer believed he found in Charlotte “a [...]
Read moreThe Great American Supperclub
It was 5:00 AM and Jerry Lewis just walked into Reubens on Madison & 59th St., his arms filled with the early edition of the NY Mirror and his hat turned backwards portraying the hapless paperboy. He proceeds to sell them table-by- table. He then returned the papers that were unsold and any money collected to an excited paperboy. On this night, as on most nights, the crowd was a who’s who of the New York City nightclub circuit as remembered & told to me by Harriet Weber Wright. “Sometimes [...]
Read moreDefining Normal
Many years ago, Johnny Carson, being the recipient of a Sally Fields practical joke, looked at her and said, “You really aren’t normal are you?” To which she playfully responded, “Well Johnny, I guess normal is as normal does!” It was a cute punch line and yet beneath the surface made a larger statement. What is normal anyway? How many times have you looked in the mirror and exclaimed, “What’s wrong with me, why can’t I just be normal?” The answer might be that there is nothing wrong with you [...]
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About Brie Austin
Co-author of I'd Do It Again, he is a columnist/reporter for a variety of magazines in the areas of music, lifestyle, nightlife, travel and business. He also writes business documents and creates copy for websites.Follow me
