It was PRIDE month all month (they really do it big in New York), but I think it really comes down to that final weekend that commemorates when young people got fed up with the policing at Stonewall Inn and they finally fought back. Pride has and always will be a protest for freedom. And as our country tries our best in corners everywhere to have deeper conversations keeping democracy alive. I stand with you, the quiet ones, who don’t feel represented or have the words, or can even articulate what your opinion might be. For much of my life as an athlete, I felt like I could not be openly gay, or even explore how I wanted to show up in relationships. I spent my Pride moving my body in protest.
Queer bodies rarely are supported to make healthy choices for longevity.
I swam in the Atlantic Ocean at Brighton Beach and the Hudson River Pride Swim (6/14) for my younger self who dreamt of being able to swim in wide open bodies of water while trapped in the middle of the country. I ran for my present self in the Pride Run in Central Park with 11,000 other runners and raised $1,200 for Lambda Legal.
And I marched for future generations in the streets of New York surrounded by 2 million other people supporting the queer communities across the world. This protest has always been about freedom and respect. It seems to still be the case. I will always fight for freedom and respect. In the midst of all of the trials, the stressors of daily life, and things that go beyond our control, I find comedic writing and art to be the salve I most desire. Here is a breakdown of what I saw in June.
COMEDY
I went up again at Westside Comedy Club for the fourth time. It is still a lot of fun and I am going to more open mics, which is helping me get more comfortable with a stage, a light, and a mic. From the video, I had a bit lower energy. I successfully improved a bit on a conversation I had with my mom about water sports (look it up) and it landed. Before I went on stage, I saw a couple that had not laughed the entire night. I told myself that it was my mission of the five minutes to try to make them laugh and it was my conversation with my 75-year old mother on gay kinks that did the trick. You never know what might make someone break. I intend to keep discovering all the ways. Thank you to everyone who came out from the swim team and otherwise to support.
Have you seen Mike Birbiglia’s The Good Life on Netflix. Check it out. I was in the audience for filming at the Beacon Theater!
ART
This month, I spent quite a few return visits to some shows that are up for the summer. I have found myself popping back into MoMa quite often. On a recent visit, I walked into a gallery so well-curated that I loved every piece. I rarely have that experience and it was all artists I had never heard of, which was even a better surprise. I was immediately drawn to this golden chair and top hat. I came to find out it was an homage to one of my favorite painters, Eduoard Manet. The gallery features artworks borrowed from the museum in Zagreb alongside MoMA’s holdings highlighting the work of the artist group Gorgona, active from 1959 to 1966 in Croatia. It took me down another art history rabbit hole. Thank you Gallery 406.
Revisiting Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers at MoMA ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This exhibit at MoMA has captured my imagination. I have now visited it three times and keep looking closely at her sensitive brushwork. I have been trying to replicate her color and variations. I think I am enamored so much because I am water coloring every day.
THEATER
Bowl EP at Vineyard Theater ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This off-broadway play written by NAZARETH HASSAN transported me to a space I never have physically been before - a skate park. As the audience sits around the “bowl,” two queer black characters spend 90 minutes flirting. It was so much more and the audience comes face to face with their own demons. It was a powerful, smart, and almost poetic dialogue. Not quite spoken word, but the demon’s rant reminded me something out of Waiting for Godot (which funnily enough is coming back in a revival with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter this fall). This was my second play co-presented from the National Black Theater and it is always a treat. I will follow them from now on.
Call me Izzy at Studio 54⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have known Jean Smart since I was a little boy watching Designing Women. Us little gay boys seem to gravitate to cast full of empowered Southern women. Now, Smart is riding her Emmy-winning star with HBO’s Hacks with a stint on Broadway. This character was written for her by Jamie Wax. And it was a pure joy to see her on stage. She seamlessly plays multiple characters in this 90 minute one woman show. Though at times, it was hard for me to believe that this woman stayed in this abusive relationship for so long, but then again, what do I know about marriage? Smart certainly captures your imagination as a viewer and you are rooting for her the entire time. Though quite sad, there was something to be said for about writing against all the odds, even when you don’t have a paper or pen. There is still toilet paper and eye makeup to write. What length would you go to keep doing what you love to do? Survival has a way of pushing humans to the brink, and then further.
Hello Dolly in Concert at Carnegie Hall ⭐️⭐️
It is always a treat to hear a bunch of Broadway stars come together to raise money for new art. This concert raised money for Transport Theater Group. The biggest surprise was Jennifer Simard taking the house down with her rendition of the main song. She filled in for Beth Leavel with less than 12 hours notice. The show must go on!
Coming down the pipeline in July for me includes Can I Be Frank? by Morgan Bassichis, Joy: A New True Musical, and a smattering of visual art. The summer in the city seems slow.
What is going on other places that I find interesting:
Rachel Zegler stars as Eva Péron in an Evita revival in London?
And LACMA opens a new art museum with no art?
Share this post