SCROLL DOWN for info on the Writing for Performance workshops,
scroll further down for past Happy Hour Salon wrap-ups.
First and third Fridays-- CURRENTLY ON HIATUS
doors open at 6:00 pm, performances start at 6:30 sharp.
$5 suggested donation, $3 beers
AS SEEN IN THE February/March 2005 issue of BUST Magazine!
(photo by Eric Stephen Jacobs)
A new works salon for singers, actors, writers and performers. Line-up changes weekly, atmosphere is relaxed. The first and third Friday of each month. Cheap drinks, good times, and more!
$5 at the door.
Contact: (212) 946-2002
E-mail: Happyhoursalon@joannaparson.com
This isn't an open mic -- six acts (10 minute slots) are booked. Request a time slot ASAP. The Salon is meant for performers and writers to stretch out new material in front of an audience. We can all stretch our boundaries of what a "ten minute slot" means. In the first three seasons, we watched dancers and poets, scenes and monologues, singers, travel writers, stand-up comics, and more.
Our audience members are people interested in learning from a multitude of creative genres. The lyrics to the theme song go something like this: "If you can't sit and watch someone for ten minutes, for the love of God, re-evaluate."
ON HIATUS UNTIL WINTER OF 2006-- sign up for the e-mail announcements on the left-hand column of this page, and stay tuned!
NEW SESSION--
Happy Hour Salon Writing for Performance Workshops begin in January 2006. Email happyhoursalon@joannaparson.com now to request a slot.
I'm thrilled to announce a new session of the Happy Hour Salon Writing for Performance Workshop. The eight-week course will bring together small groups of motivated writers working on projects for the stage.
Are you:
An actor, working on your own one-person show or monologues?
A stand-up comic, interested in expanding your material?
A playwright who needs weekly deadlines and workshopping to develop your work?
A storyteller looking for direction and a community of peers?
A genre-buster (music? poetry?) Welcome-- we'll help you develop your dramatic arc.
If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage.
Students will be expected to submit writing for workshopping each week, one day before the class meeting. Class will consist of short craft talks focusing on aspects of dramatic writing; idea generation, character, plot, language. The bulk of the 2 1/2 hour class will be peer review and workshopping of material. Exercises will be optional and tailored according to class needs. Class size will be no larger than eight, and will be pre-screened with writing samples.
I'm excited to offer this workshop to friends of the Happy Hour Salon. We've grown together over the past five years, and I've been thrilled with our continued pool of new performers. If you've been to the Salon, you know what kind of stimulating and creative work you've all been doing on your own-- think of what the possibilities are when we get together!
Details:
Workshops led by Joanna Parson (bio to follow)
Midtown location (57th between 8th and 9th)
SESSION A : Monday afternoons, time and start date TBA
SESSION B: Monday evenings, 6:30 to 9:00 PM, start date TBA
PLUS special performance night TBA
Cost: $400-- $250 due before the first session to reserve space (non-refundable), $150 at first session (alternate payment plan possible).
Discounts: $25 off to those who register by January 1.
$25 off to those who register with another qualified participant ($375 per enrollee). $25 off for previous workshop participants. And anyone referring three (3) qualified enrollees can participate in the session for FREE.
TO APPLY:
Reply to happyhoursalon@joannaparson.com with a short writing sample and an indication of what projects you'd like to begin working on.
OR call me at (212) 946-2002.
JOANNA PARSON has been writing and performing original work professionally for ten years. Her musical monologues have been heard on the nationally syndicated public radio program, "The Next Big Thing," and are available on her CD, "Oh I'm Sorry Were You Talking I'll Be Quiet". Reddy or Not, a musical comedy tribute to Helen Reddy she co-authored with Lance Werth, has been staged at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival, at Downstairs Cabaret Theatre in Rochester, and the Depot Theatre in Westport, New York, as well as three New York cabaret venues. It is currently running once a month at Siberia Bar. Her one-person shows What Good Girls Get and Joanna Parson and Her Merry Band ran to sold-out audiences and she was named a New York Post "cabaret pick". Her one-person adaptation of Eudora Welty's Why I Live at the PO toured North and South Carolina with The Muse Machine (Ohio). She has written music and lyrics for two plays for children, Holiday Shmoliday at Manhattan Theatre Source, and Penelope's Garden Grows, at Central Park Summerstage. Joanna is a composer/lyricist with the Atrainmusicals at the Neighborhood Playhouse, including a special "Best of" series at Playwrights Horizons. She is a published poet and studied with University of Virgina faculty members Rita Dove, Charles Wright, and Greg Orr. She is a member of the residential faculty at the Broken Bridge Workshop for High School Writers at Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut. She also writes frequently for special live events and is the the host-producer of the Happy Hour Salon, a new works salon in New York City currently in its fourth season.
"Joanna’s workshop is a great way to develop a solo show. She provides a supportive and safe environment to share ideas and get feedback from a group of motivated performers. I really looked forward to the sessions each week. If you’ve got an idea for a show but don’t know how to get started, the HHS workshop is a great first step.”
-- Kipley Wentz, actor/website owner, www.actorslife.com.
"It was incredibly helpful. Reading my initial work to like minded
folks who were trying to create their stories gave me incredible
confidence and motivation to keep writing. And because I kept
writing and kept getting great feedback, I was actually able to put a
legitimate show together. I can't emphasis enough, how for me, in New
York, having this class for encouragement and good smart critique,
was invaluable. Joanna always seemed to got a very diverse and
"nice" group of people together and always managed to guide the tone
and focus of the group. Her own ideas and critiques of my work were
really first rate; coming from someone who actually puts her own
stuff up and out there. If you put effort into your writing and
persist and have the willingness to listen, this class can help you
tremendously. Helped me to work through roadblocks, get validation
for the ideas behind my work, receive recognition of my strengths and
challenges as a writer, opened up the possibility of doing more
performances from my own work, with confidence that the material
would work. Better than Prozac, Wellbutrin or repetitive shaming as
motivation."
-- Joe Hickey, actor
"Your class inspired me to trust my
writing instincts and gave me the courage to step back onto the comedy stage
with a renewed sense of adventure and courage. Your obvious enjoyment of
writing is contagious. I thank you for letting me in your class and I want
to do it again. It was hard work, but oh so fulfilling."
-- Jane Jaffe, comic/dancer/lawyer
"Your workshop was so fun and so amazing. I loved the practical suggestions for keeping on with one's stories. I am great at the beginning -- the newness and the inspiration but I needed help (and got it) on how to perservere when you are in the rewrite stage. Also really loved your prompts and timed writings."
-- MaryBeth Coudal, writer/comic
Salon Wrap-up, October 7, 2005
I started this thing in 2001, after I'd hosted a series of benefits for 9/11 and realized there was a need for a community, and a bunch of stage-hungry, genre-bending multitalents around town who might as well meet each other. I knew they could learn, grow, and have short-lived and ill-advised romances-- as well as stage time. I can't believe it's 2005 already, and the fifth season is underway. Thanks so much to everyone who's been there since the beginning, and welcome to the new folks. Let's bring more!
Singer/songwriter/actor Becca Ayers has performed at Salons since year one, and now she's the female cover for Avenue Q, a fine example of good things happening to good people. She played brand new songs for us, showing her impatience with "I'm busted/you're stupid/everything is taking too damn long," and then taking the tempo down with some finger-picking in "I only see what's ahead of me." Becca's not just a beautiful voice, but is also quite crafty-- come around to the Salon on November fourth and you may win a bejeweled or be-glue-gunned prize from the House of Ayers.
We've heard of stand-up Ophira Eisenberg for years somehow-- she was blessed with a very memorable name AND impeccable timing-- and we were thrilled to finally have her at the Salon. Ophira had some things to say about Halloween-- we, too, have always felt that the costumes at Ricky's make everyone look like they're dressing up as a slut. Then again, wouldn't you rather go out on the town as a Sexy Kitten, as opposed to the Family Cat We Feed Too Much, With Slightly Matted Hair and Special Way with an Afghan Blanket? Verissimilitude, but at what cost? (For more Ophira check out www.ophiraeisenberg.com.)
I then gave one more performance of my short rock-opera, "Dan Smith Will Teach You To Play Guitar." I will not stop until court-ordered.
Essayist/provocateur Dave Hill (www.davehillonline.com) has some thoughts about The Mustang Ranch-- he took some time to quietly ponder what sort of a life the whores in Nevada lead when the cameras are off. Dave's gentle explorations-- nay, musings-- inspire us to imagine what our lives could be if only we had such humanist leanings, and took the time to drink the elixir of meditative imaginings, like "Coke through a penis-shaped drinking straw." I've said it before-- Dave Hill is hilarious.
We inaugurated a new segment for the Salon that I'm sure will be a chart-busting hit-- "Fashion Tips with Kevin and Joanna." I sang my fall-fashion feelings about big beads and short pants (I'm just saying/I'm not paying/any amount/even discount/for short pants). Then our good friend Kevin Townley (about to be the young Eddie Izzard in the Luke Wilson-Uma Thurman film Super-Ex-Girlfriend) came to the stage to give his fashion philosophy--whenever in doubt, he asks himself, WWDKD? What Would Diane Keaton Do. Indeed. Come back for more, folks, these tips are gold. (By the way, I'm a total liar, I have a really cute new pair of short pants.)
Finally, folks-- we've had magicians at the Salon before. But this was Eric Walton! Of www.ericwalton.com. And he is warm and smart and somehow gifted with seventeen eyes, a couple dozen fingers and thirteen brains, or so it would seem by what he was able to do with a deck of cards. Talking to us about memory systems, Eric claimed he could memorize an entire deck of cards in 20 seconds-- and he did it in 15. No way. Way. Way!
And finally, a note about the space-- Ripley-Grier was gorgeous. We lit candles, we had beer, the very kind P.V. brought us a bottle of champagne! (Also, special thanks to Lena Gilbert for helping me set up the magic.) The lights twinkling through the windows-- it's a great place. Do come by the next Salon.
Salon Wrap-up, May 6, 2005
Lance Werth and I started out the evening-- we'd been working so hard on getting Siberia ready for our monthly "Reddy or Not" performances that we decided to spread more Helen Reddy-love arounric Waltond by performing a little "Crazy Woman Driven Mad By Love" sing-off. Who's nuttier, Delta Dawn, or Big Old Ruby Red Dress? Come to our NEXT performance of "Reddy or Not"-- June 13th-- to learn all that and more. (See www.reddyornot-theshow.com.)
Next, the great smutty-yet-prim essayist and reader Jennifer DeMerritt told us a tale only she could tell-- "Seeking solace from the chaos of dating, I sought solace in something safer-- S&M." Jennifer does much research in the name of many of the nervier literary publications-slash-web-sites making noise these days, and this time researched what was supposed to be a lesbian S&M party but apparently was more a room full of women eating Oreos. I especially loved how later on in the story, when she's whipped, she lapses into a fake Southern accent. Oh, my, my.
Macushla Hill gave us "Emerging", a solo dance piece choreographed to a piece of spoken-word from Ntozake Shange about childbirth-- the speaker holds no truck with anyone who "believes the uterine cave's a metaphor" and the dance was just as sassy. Thanks to Macushla, a newcomer to the Salon!
Comic Eric Kirchberger was up next, bragging about a fake sitcom he's made up to impress an ex-girlfriend from high school. Well, he explained his whole fake life, which included a secret agency where his code name is "Hurtful Thunder." We were duly impressed and frightened, of course. And I believe we heard a little hurtful thunder coming from upstairs, but that was probably just Tracy Westmoreland playing the Band on the jukebox. (We're working on that sound bleed!)
I took the stage next-- see, my cousins from Michigan were in the audience, as was my mother, and Ma wanted me to sing "When Cousins Marry". You know, to give them the authentic Joanna performance experience. Except they didn't really get it, because my head was so Helen Reddy-addled that I managed to forget the words to my oft-done, over-done 10:00 number and instead delivered maybe a three-minute rant on how I now promise to not do that song for another six months. To hear "When Cousins Marry," I recommend going to www.joannaparson.com and buying my CD, because Momma's sick of it. For six months.
Ken Webb, thank God, came on to redeem the musical element of the evening. Ken's songs are Jonathan Richman-esque, simple, good-natured, and extremely entertaining. "If I could offer you something to make your life better/I would do it in a minute. Would you like my sweater?/You and I had fun." (He's also kind enough to repeat phrases in his choruses enough for me to easily identify song titles-- that one's called "You and I Had Fun" I'm pretty sure.)
And fun we had! A newcomer in the audience said, "It's like an English Majors variety show." That's pretty astute, I'll buy that for $5.
Salon Wrap-up, March 18
Anne Altman was kind enough to write the wrap-up after guest-hosting a slam-bang Salon-- send all your kudos to anne_altman@yahoo.com.
I, Anne Altman, was honored and delighted host the Happy Hour Salon for Joanna Parson (who was rehearsing for “The Audience”, which opened March 31)—big shoes to fill! But, I was a little bummed when I realized I had to rush there straight from my new crappy job, wearing full-on Outfiticus Dorkus Maximus. I set chairs up for 100, considering the amazing line-up, but it is asking a bit much of folks who may still reek of green beer to come out the day after a night of St. Paddy reveling. For those who bravely followed the trail of barf and found our way to us? Well, they enjoyed quite an entertaining salon. And considering half the audience consisted of Blind Frank, his dog Mila, and my boyfriend Alex, nobody really noticed my terrible outfit. The silver lining, people.
Comedienne and songstress Jenn Wehrung-- hot in the middle of a run of her amazing solo show “The Glass Life” at Dillon’s--kicked off the evening with a hilarious sampling for us, complete with her original grade-school autobiography for show and tell. Turns out she’s a little behind in her goals, as by 30 somethin’, she was supposed to have been not only married with 4 children, but a professional dancer, published author, fashion designer, and of course, by 40 somethin’, the first woman president of the United States. Hey, she looks 24—I say she’s still got time. Vote Wehrung in 2016!
Writer and comic Jack Kudoda (like Wehrung) hails from Buffalo York and likes to talk about it. Jack grew up in a mustache family and read a wonderful monologue about life with his competitive, mustache-wearin’ dad, who kept Jack’s ego in check on the basketball court as well as in school. Like most comics, Jack’s self-doubt is always there to tell him that he’s a hack--but hell if he’s gonna go down in a plane with a notebook full of jokes about bad airline food---so he scribbles “I hate orphans!” just in case. Word to big bird, Jack. Orphans do suck. Jack’s hosting a free comedy reading series 8pm at Micky's Blue Room on Ave. C. It debuts March 28. If it’s free, it’s for me!
In St. Patrick’s Day spirit, I had planned to take the stage and do some material on the subject. More specifically on my Irish aunties in Galway and how since they are alive, there must be proof to the theory that leprechauns do exist, but I felt that we were running short on time. So, while the Synthetic Folk Hero got on his bunny head and warmed up his sax, I sang an obscure tune called “The Prune Song” (taught to me by my sister who was a summer camper) which not surprisingly was received with rousing silence and confused expressions. What are you gonna do. More of the same at my Gotham shows this month—bet you can’t wait!
Thankfully, the Synthetic Folk Hero was able to rock the stage and entertain the people with his with obscure songs—about love, not prunes-- like “You’re Too Much Sand For My Truck” , the joys of “Spooning” and of course, “Morning Wood”. It feels so good…morning wood…Now I don’t have my own, so I’m going to have to trust him on this, but I imagine it does feel pretty good. And sometimes you have to sing these kind of love songs with a bunny head on. It just makes sense somehow. You’ll see. www.syntheticfolkhero.com
His name is Than. Than Bryan. He’s not Vietnamese, he’s Korean. Duh. Ok, he’s not Korean either, it’s short for Nathaniel. This self-effacing W.A.S.P. from minced no words with comedy about growing up in Connecticut with his Mom, who takes a lot of supplements, but Than wants to know, “Which pill do you take to make Dad move back in?” I guess if they made one, he’d have to do jokes on bulimia. Oh, but he does! He’s at Caroline’s all the time—check him out.
Finally, the smooth-crooning and lovely DeeAnne Gorman heated up the joint with a jazzy rendition of “You Give Me Fever” so jazzy, so feverish, that Blind Frank n’ Mila were dancing together and even the W.A.S.P. was bouncin’ his knees and tappin’ his toes to the beat of that amazin’ bass plucked by Tal Ronen. DeeAnne loves Paris, and can sing about how much she loves it in English AND French! And not like when Beyonce sings in French, I mean, like Dee really speaks French! And her brother’s in GWAR. Last stop for her, a gig in Italy. This time, she’s conquering Greece. Bring home a Greek God for God’s sake! www.deeannegorman.com
Cheers,
Anne
P.S. No matter how hard a prune may try, he’s always getting wrinkled
Salon Wrap-up, January 21, 2005
We got there and it was a scramble, I'm not gonna lie to you. Tracy Westmoreland (owner) himself was tending the bar, since one of his bartenders had ditched him that afternoon without turning on the heat. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN again, let me repeat, THIS WILL NOT happen again... Crazy circumstances are what the Salon is all about, non? I expect to begin the preparatory phone calls this week on Wednesday. "So, how's everybody doing over there? All the bartenders happy? Everyone remembering to turn on the heat and everything? Love you guys, you're the bestest." I'll protect you, my chilly chickens.
For all the chilly-willies going on, the line-up was fantastic-- it was really a great show. Singer-songwriter (and Sutton Foster stand-by) Julie Foldesi started us off with two new tunes: "Cigarettes and Mojitos," and "Gonna Find My Way." She sounded so good Tracy came wandering downstairs, drawn like a big old bear to a... trout stream? Gorgeous girl singing? I don't know, trust me, he was drawn, as would you all have been.
Writer Albert Stern took the baton with a story about his neighbors up on 107th Street, "First They Came for the Dogs, But I Was Not a Dog"-- reminding us what we always try to keep in mind-- in New York City, your neighbors are always up to something. News from Albert the day after the Salon-- "I had a nice surprise this morning - I'd submitted last night's piece to an online magazine called Fresh Yarn, and today I found out they took it. They want some rewrites that, after seeing the audience response last night, will be easier to make."
Excellent. Glad we could help, come again, get your audience feedback here (all laughter and delight, of course).
I finally at long last put up my long-suffering piece-that-I-kept-postponing, "Dan Smith Will Teach You to Play Guitar." The audience indulged me as I traced my initial fascination with Dan Smith, guitar-teaching flyer-boy who plasters Ninth Avenue ("Dan Smith is clearly a man with a plan/or a Kinko's or a copier or a part-time office job") to the inevitable decline of our relationship into a muddle of drugs and strippers ("I don't mean to use the word "stripper" like it's derogatory... But she's a fucking stripper.") Anybody out there know Dan? I'm dying to know whether he's litigious.
The lovely and talented stand-up comic Anne Altman ruminated on mixed CDs, you know the ones that creepy boys give you when they like you? Her particular mixed tape was entitled "Fun Various Tunes" but her fella leaned heavily and suspiciously on the seductive Swedish super-group, ABBA. Anne became very suspicious, plus she danced around for us on stage. I think her brains had frozen by then, it was very cold.
Finally, The Bitter Poet will always hold a special place in our hearts for agreeing to perform last, when the room could not have been any colder (I repeat, THIS COLDNESS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN). The force of will it must have taken to move his icy yet still-nimble fingers across the fretboard to back up his romantically-obsessed and lyrically-mesmerizing poetry was truly inspiring. Thank God his work (pieces like "Straight to My Couch" and "I'll Always Remember Your Underwear") is so-- well, hot.
Special thanks as well to the audience member who agreed to pair off in a scene with him, though we suspect she just thought the walk to the stage would answer her unspoken question, "Has frostbite in my toes hobbled me forever?"
Salon Wrap-up, January 8, 2005
Well, these El Flamingo Salons begin with a fun little dance I like to call "Please Don't Take My Coat I Must Take Your Coat", where the folks at Club El Flamingo, the very nice folks who give us this lovely space, get a bit-- how shall I say-- CONTROLLING, and demand that they take your coat. And Salon-goers who are not expecting this-- like, say, people who don't wear nice shirts underneath, or people who don't have an extra $3 to tip-- people get a little antsy.
I blame myself for this, because I have just recently become aware of this coat-nabbing proclivity and have not been able to properly warn people, so here it is now. A warning. Until the weather gets nice, I'm afraid they REALLY WANT your coat. I suggest you A) plan for it, or B) wear nothing under your coat but perhaps an offensive tattoo, and claim decency laws.
The good news is, Club El Flamingo has made it possible for us to show films. More on this in item 3. We opened our evening with the first-ever short film at the Happy Hour Salon, "The Reader," written and directed by Duncan M. Rogers and produced by Fresh Water Films. It is the story of two women (Elizabeth Franz and Morgan Hallett) and a shared moment of deceit-- and features slam-dunk acting, beautiful visuals, and well-woven music by Deborah Hurwitz. Alec Baldwin's company is co-producing Duncan's first feature-length effort, "Ball of Roses" (from the play of the same name by Adrian Bewley)-- read more about it at www.freshwater-films.com. Their company philosophy is well worth reading... and stealing. Vive le short film!
Lee Alan Barrett, magician, followed, dragging an unsuspecting but thankfully game audience member on stage to be amazed and delighted by his "rope trick," and pulling oddly-sized cards out of various pockets and briefcases. He claims that he uses his magic for good and not evil, but I wonder about some of those visual puns. Some of them are evil. Not in a hurt-people-and-cause-devastation way, but, you know, in a Carrot Top way. Thankfully, Lee charms more than creeps out-- not evil at all.
Next, Dane Whitlock, singer-songwriter, and multiple-auditioner for Wayne Newton's new reality show, "The Entertainer." Wayne's looking for protegees to win themselves a contract in Vegas. Paging Corny Cornball, you're wanted in spackle make-up. Dane would have been the "boy who likes to sing about kissing boys." We far prefer him to ourselves; we call him "the one Joanna likes to book because he's funny and sounds so gooood." Three songs, three eruptions of happy hour applause.
Jessi Klein joined us next and made us laugh and laugh and laugh. Attention must be paid-- www.kleintastic.com. You can see her all the bloody time on VH-1's "Best Week Ever" talking about pretty much the same sorts of things she talked to us about-- Brad and Jen, people with crappy sayings on the bottom of their e-mail, pressure to write cool things on e-vite rsvps, and making the imaginary jerking-off gesture at inappropriate times (at the office). It's so funny and interesting when she does it. We hear she'll be the toast of the Aspen Comedy Festival this year-- thanks for warming up on us, Jessi!
Finally, comedy-music-sketch-duo The Rob and Mark Show introduced us to everyone's annoying, impersonating, effeminate roommate, "Tucker"-- we've all known or at least tittered at someone like him. Then they explored their love of showbiz and all of its values and mysteries in a song/rant/piece called "I Fucking Give Up." Oh, no, no, boys! Not when you have the audience of the HHSalon eating out of the palms of your hands-- it's no time at all to give up. Just encourage people to check out your web site, www.robandmarkshow.com, and please-- check your dang coats.
Salon Wrap-up, December 17th, 2004
A fan-fan-tabulous show we had there at Siberia. Really strong line-up, I was very proud. Curse me, I lost my notes that I so painstakingly take at every Salon, so I'm going to have to go with info I can find off web sites and what I remember off the top of my head, but keep in mind, the holidays happened in between there, and my brain has been ginger-breaded.
Andy Friedman, slide-show poet, started us off. He takes his words and his slide projector to dive-y bars and-- I'm going to rip off a quote from his web site. "People will describe what I do and they'll say 'He shows pictures and reads poems,'" Friedman said. "But literally, my pictures have lyrics. It's not multimedia. It's not a poetry reading. It's not spoken word. That term just makes me seethe. I'm a painter, an artist, a performer. I don't need any other monikers. I want to just crush that pretentious clove cigarette that seems to burn in the art world." We thought it was fantastic. You can find his tour dates at http://www.citysalvagerecords.com/-- on January 11th, he'll be in Charlottesville, my UVa friends on this list...
Federico Garduno has been kicking along as an improv-performer-all-around-funny-actor type, and has recently starting doing stand-up. We would encourage this, as I cackled loudly from the back many many times, pretty much the whole time. I can't remember the actual jokes, but they were sneaky and subtle and funny and sly.
Andy Christie, Moth-winner and master blogger! Check out www.andychristie.com. He free-styled a story for us about a secondhand Christmas gift, boyhood jealousy, and adult remorse. His father was a landlord and used to "find things" when his tenants passed away. Anyone who knows me and my family and our wild desire for other people's stuff can understand how this touched me. At our Christmas present-giving, it's a point of pride to say "I'm glad you like it, I stole it from a homeless person." Okay, that's just rude, so just so you know-- we don't actually steal from the homeless, it's just our crazy thrifty make-believe. (Every time we rip something off from a homeless person, an angel gets his wings.)
Zero Boy! What a pair of lungs on that man. He's become a phenomenon on "The Next Big Thing" (WNYC), where listeners can "commission a short-form radio cartoon." Go to www.zeroboy.com, see what we're talking about since it's indescribable. And check out first Tuesdays of the month at the Belt Theatre, where "E-Z Tuesdays" brings together Zero Boy and Ethan Lipton for a night of alternative sounds...
Finally, those kooky crazy Knuckleheads, your absolute "Favorite Variety with Music" act at last year's Happy Hour Salon Audience Appreciation Awards, sang it up. Michael Hannon and Spence White would, I'm sure, love you to come (for free) to "The Knuckleheads' January Jamboree," on Friday January 21st at 9:30 (that'll be a Salon night, so you'll want to make it to Siberia at 6:00 p.m., grab a bite, and then you'll be good to go.) They sound fantastic, so take a listen at www.theknuckleheads.net, and be their fans.
Salon Wrap-up, November 19, 2004
We started off with a brand-newbie to the Salon scene, stand-up comic Dwight Wells. Fully prepared to throw (cheap) beer at him (it is Siberia, after all) and boo him off the stage, we were delighted to be more metaphorically cracked up. Dwight started off with some political insights and ended up on the subject of movies about retarded guys. We're not sure how we got there, but we enjoyed the ride.
Essayist and sex writer for your favorite dirty web sites and mass market glossy mags, Jennifer DeMerritt, read a latest essay, "Who's Afraid of National Velvet?" She laid bare all the dirty secrets of Elizabeth Taylor's horse named "Pie," and Velvet's nontraditional use of stirrups. Needless to say, we rushed straight to Netflix and have a new number one.
Monologuist Alexandra DeSuze gave us some musings about being a Red Sox fan through the years. We learned a little, we recollected a little, and I think my friend Jen who was working the door and is a Yankees fan yawned a little, but I'm sure she was just acting out because her team lost, and what can they do now but misbehave?
I sang a song I originally wrote for Tracie Thoms at the Atrainplays, "Hey I'm Neurotic World," about a girl who runs onto the subway breathless wearing her wedding dress and gets asked by a stranger if she's okay. Tracie's more than okay, she just got cast in the movie of "Rent," playing Joanne-- so this was in celebration. Rock out, Tracie.
Susannah Perlman up next with some stand-up. When she's in full regalia, I've been informed, with her cheap keyboard and her beautiful make-up, all of which you can see at www.goddessperlman.com, she's Goddess Perlman. When she's just laying her stand-up down, she's Susannah. She's a funny funny woman and we love when she comes by, keyboard or no. We can appreciate anyone whose relatives are homophobes PLUS musical theatre fags-- it's those kind of contradictions that led this country to vote on "moral values" and put "Desperate Housewives" at number one on the Nielsens.
Stand-up Eric Vetter tried out something new with his take on topical material-- something he doesn't usually do. His repeated message of "It's a time for healing" may have been a little undercut, however, by his proposal to ban all Republican marriage. You can find Eric and debate this fine point at www.nonamenyc.com.
Finally, jazz singer DeeAnne Gorman made her Happy Hour debut as "Ze French Madame." DeeAnne's been an audience member for two years or so, so I was so happy to have her. She brought along a bass player and sang "These Golden Days" and "A Spoonful of Sugar"-- she's got beautiful intonation and a sassy little blow-up doll dance routine that I can't wait to see more of. In fact, I will not wait. In a bold and unprecedented move, DeeAnne will do two Salons in a row, so you can check her out ON HER BIRTHDAY celebration night, December 4th (see top of this e-mail).
Salon Wrap-up, November 5, 2004
November 5th's Salon at El Flamingo was one of my favorites of the year thus far.
Katy Pfaffl, Joshua Kobak, and Marni Penning, started us off with their hip-hop beat poetry rock musical, "Subway Train", fresh from the New York International Fringe Festival. The show has evolved over the years from scribbled poetry to a heart-tugging, sensitive and funny show with infectious beats and voices that soar through the tunnels. For more info, check out www.subway-train.com-- I hear the show has undergone even more changes since the Festival, and I can't wait to see where it's going to pop up next.
Rena Zager, stand-up comic, is just funny. So funny. I fully admire her riffs on Googling her problems, quesadilla fever, and long distance relationships. My friends call her "The real New York-y one." Funny.
Carl Kissin up next, taking the stage as a Nigerian millionaire looking for some assistance with his extra $30 million. He needs an outsider's help. Imagine the fun you'll have splitting the money. The poor guy, his father died from "suicide by wild game." You can try to contact Carl through his web site, www.carlkissin.com, though I'm somewhat suspect, as it hasn't been updated since 2002. Carl has also hawking a reading of "The Twelve Days of Christmas", a new musical review concocted by those talented buggers over at the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, of which Carl is a part-- the first reading has come and gone by now, but I feel sure it will be rearing its head again soon.
I came on next and spat out the most truly true truth in my new song, "Stars Steal Salmon Steak," about the hidden caste system in this country in place at Screen Actors Guild movie sets during lunch time. The line I'm most proud of referenced the stripper-hooker-extras in front of me "plucking protein from the casseroles like they were size eights at a Blahnik sale, leaving only the carbohydrates, or in the Blahnik example, shoes for clown feet." That's why I write these wrap-ups, so that lines like that can live on.
Next, Theatre Askew presented an excerpt from "I Claudius, Live," which is camping it up currently at the Marquee (356 Bowery) Tuesday nights-- check out www.theatreaskew.com, a mighty good-looking web site. Apparently this Tuesday's show has an orgy scene. An orgy! Now this e-mail will never make it past spam filters.
Finally, Julie Foldesi brought along her bass player and back-up singer for the first time to the Salon and we were lucky for it-- this Salon was bookended by great voices, great music. Check out her web site, www.juliefoldesi.com. (Busy girl is also in rehearsal for Broadway's "Little Women," which we can't wait to see.)
Salon Wrap-up, October 15, 2004
We packed Siberia to bursting and had a great time-- thanks to everyone involved!
"Bitter" music and laugh-maker Toby Blackwell started us off with exerpts from the latest version of his not-for-the-blue-hair cabaret act I encourage you all to see. He got straight into the political bend of the evening, changing Bruce Springsteen's version of "Fire" to "(Bush is a) Liar." Then he blew the house away with his spot-on whack job impersonation of Whitney Houston in full out crazy mode, talking about Israel and crack versus cocaine and "How much is blow" to "How will I know." Laugh laugh laughs.
Larry Getlen was on next, firmly in his element with the political tirade. Like a good clever stand-up, he did his homework, watched the whole Republican National Convention, and learned that apparently George Bush invented freedom. He claims it will be very simple for Democrats to vote this Tuesday, they'll just be required to accurately throw three small tennis balls into a thin-necked bottle, no sweat. Check out http://www.zhet.blogspot.com.
Mary Purdy read two essays from "The Next Big Thing" radio show-- I love "Grandma is quieter than they used to be," which brings us all the way from awkward geriatric sex-talk to a sweeter appreciation for the declining fortunes of women we love-- then Mary bluntly told us Grandma was dead now and we all booed her off the stage. Well, no, we let her do her clever funny second essay, but she was certainly booed, we loved that Grandma. Look for Mary's latest show, "Judy Blume Owes Me."
I sang a new little ditty next, lyrics poster later.
Jeffrey James Keyes, playwright member of Ensemble Studio Theatre's new workshop group "Wetlab," presented "3 AM Jellybelly Hook-Up," a charming urban scene directed by Jorelle Aronovitch, with actors Kate Schol and Greg Forell (forgive my spelling)-- the scene asked the age old question, can 20-somethings find love on the subway? And how much does candy all over the floor of Siberia sweeten the deal? Answer: I don't know, but I adore it when people hook up at the Happy Hour Salon, it's my reason for living.
Finally, Dane Whitlock, singer-songwriter, returned for the first time after his triumphant win of the 2004 Happy Hour Salon Audience Appreciation Award for Favorite Male Singer. He's also a favorite at Siberia-- management loves him. He gave us three songs-- one co-written by Salon favorite Becca Ayers. I hope you all get the opportunity to hear Dane someday-- it's a treat.
Finally-- lyrics when I (Joanna) tried to write a political song this year. Well, I thought it was going to be simple, but writing a song apparently requires ambiguity and confusion. And I just have none, so this is all I came up with:
I CAN'T WRITE A SONG ABOUT BEING RATIONAL
EVERYONE LIKES IT WHEN I GET HOT
UNDER THE COLLAR, SO I CAN'T WRITE A SONG ABOUT POLITICS BECAUSE I'M RATIONAL
I WATCH WITH A VERY CLEAR EYE, DARTH VADER
AND LUKE SKYWALKER AS THEY DEBATE.
AND I BELIEVE GOOD WILL TRIUMPH IT ALWAYS DOES
OVER HATE, THAT'S ONLY RATIONAL.
GOOD WILL TRIUMPH IN THE END
WE'RE DESIGNED TO GROW TOWARD LIGHT
THESE PARTICULAR MEN STYMIE THE SYSTEM
WITH FEAR, GREED AND THE CONSERVATIVE RIGHT
I CAN'T WRITE A SONG WHEN I'M SO VERY SENSIBLE
I'M JUST NOT FILLED WITH THE PASSION I NEED
THE WORLD'S SITUATION IS JUST VERY CLEAR CUT IT'S OBVIOUS
BUT YOU CAN'T WRITE A SONG ABOUT OBVIOUS.
LIKE YOU CAN'T PRETEND THERE'S NO WAR.
AND YOU CAN'T PROTECT JUST THE WEALTHY.
AND YOU CAN'T GIVE THESE MEN FOUR MORE.
GOOD WILL TRIUMPH IN THE END
WE'RE DESIGNED TO GROW TOWARD LIGHT
THESE PARTICULAR MEN FUCK UP THE SYSTEM
WITH ALL OF THEIR MIGHT
SO I'M SORRY I BORE YOU WITH MY CLEAR AND LOGICAL
ONE-PLUS-ONE FACTUAL SNOOZE OF A TUNE
PLEASE VOTE, THAT'S CRUCIAL AND THEY WILL BE COUNTED
IT'S ALL VERY SENSIBLE, LOGICAL, RATIONAL
NOVEMBER SECOND CANNOT COME TOO SOON.
Salon Wrap-up, October 1, 2004
Well, my friends, what a beautiful, beautiful space. Those of you who missed it-- the first-of-the-month Happy Hour Salon is now being held at Club El Flamingo (547 West 21st). Project 400, the people behind The Donkey Show, have pulled out all the stops to give us a beautiful venue and make us feel welcome. Beautiful tables with candlelight, tech capabilities, and friendly bar staff with half-price drinks from 6-7. We can't wait to be back on November 5th for our second El Flamingo show.
Shannon Hummel/CORA started us off in style, with nudity (well, they do it in The Donkey Show...) Shannon's the choreographer of CORA, a well-reviewed, fast rising dance company. It seems like eons ago in our first season when she first performed this piece ("Good Side") in its infancy-- now it's fully set. A woman in a beautiful green dress can't zip up the back-- hijinks ensue. Modern dance with story lines! And beautiful movement and laughs and pathos. See more at www.coradance.com, and learn about their October 28th wine and cheese event.
Christian Finnegan promptly brought the mood of the house from hifalutin' arty to TV-ready dick jokes, in accordance with the grand Salon master plan 'o eclectic-ness... Our tech person told me afterwards, "That was so fun! That guy, I kept thinking I knew him from somewhere... Then I realized it was from TV!" That's right, famed talking head from VH-1's Best Week Ever brought his google-bombing and drunk-dialing and terrorism (he's on the case) and vacationing with girlfriend observations to our lil' Salon. I'm sure his new level of fame is not nearly as exciting to him as his win in the Favorite Male Comedian category of the 2004 HHSalon Audience Appreciation Awards (The Hizzas)!
I took the stage next and introduced you to a couple of pals. It's occurred to me that as the Salon grows and more and more people wish to come see what's brand new in the performing arts scene, I might need to get more help running this thing. Specifically, some substitute hosts for me when I run off to bask in the Riviera sun for my well-deserved vacations. Funny and endearing Kipley Wentz and Jill Abramovitz were kind enough to answer the call, and I taught them my philosophies of hosting in a musical-number-with-monologue extravaganza (written by Jill and myself) staged for us by the tireless and talented Tony Parise.
Writer Allen Salkin braved the space next-- in knocking our heads together afterwards, we decided that Siberia might be the cozier venue for the literary folks, and my bookings might be adjusted to reflect that-- Allen was kind enough to throw some celebrity ("This is the room Richard Gere stayed in") and scatalogical ("shitting the brown child") references into his real life mystery about an American writer who died in India-- twould captivate Madison Square Garden, we feel sure.
Finally, the deep and delightful voice of Jeremy Schonfeld rocked us on home. True to the nature of the Salon, Jeremy debuted a new song, "37 Notebooks"-- I had just been talking to the HHSalon Writing for Performance workshop students about looking back on old journals and what a trip that is-- Jeremy was clearly looking into it as well. And then making it lyrical and touching. He then filled the room with "Joy" and we sang and clapped and went forth into our weekend with great rhythm and cheer. (See Jeremy's "Drift" CD reviewed at http://www.showbusinessweekly.com/archive/256/cd_schonfeld.shtml.)
