HAIRSPRAY...Harvey Fierstein, Susan Anton & John Stamos on stage live! Hollywood Bowl! August 5-7th!

 

 





Fans are snapping up tickets - left, right, and center (no doubt) - to catch weekend performances of HAIRSPRAY at the Hollywood Bowl August 5th thru August 7th.

The much-ballyhooed stage production - based on the New Line Cinema hit feature - is expected to sell-out!

No wonder, two of the original cast members will be playing the boards, much to the delight of discerning theatrical music buffs.

The "Book" is by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan - while the musical compositions - are by Marc Shaiman.

Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman were the creative duo who drummed up the catchy - at times hilarious - lyrics.

Nick Jonas will obviously be a babe magnet - so expect a whoop or two - when he makes his entrance on the Hollywood Bowl stage!

See 'ya there!

http://www.thetattler.biz

San Francisco...Harvey Fierstein kvetches in Fiddler on Roof! 4 star production...

Oh, that Harvey Feinstein is such a ham, isn' he?

One minute, he's garnering accolades for a bang-on characterization on the old boob tube.

The next, Mr. Feirstein has 'em rolling in the aisles when he tries his acting chops in an off-beat feature film role.

When I passed the marquee on Market Street announcing that the celebrated award-winning triple-threat (singing, dancer, actor) was stepping into the role of a main character in the popular Broadway musical - Fiddler On the Roof - my knee-jerk reaction was swift-and -severe.

Oy veh!

That ham.

The secret was definitely out:

Harvey is in San Francisco and about to rustle up a powerhouse of entertainment (and much-deserved applause) in his latest head-scratching incarneration on the West Coast stage.

In fact, when I spied the excited throngs hopping off the trolley and streaming out of Bart (the public transport system under Market Street), I whipped out my camera to catch the electricity in the air that sparked the mood of theatre-goers headed into the lobby for a cocktail or two before last curtain call (Matinee).

HD Video / Golden Gate Theatre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZlXQUWZnsU

A perennial hit since it first opened in 1964 - Fiddler - has enjoyed critical acclaim for bringing to the stage a poignant story about the enduring bonds of the family.

Now, the national touring production of this timeless musical brings the wit and wisdom of  Tevye and his family to audiences throughout the United States with the reproduction of Jerome Robbins' famous masterpiece.

Harvey Fierstein stars as the iconic milkman (Tevye).

San Francisco audiences will undoubtedly be on the edge of their plush seats at the Golden Gate Theatre on one of those rare opportunities when they'll be able to catch the Tony Award-winning actor inhabit one of his favorite meaty roles.

Theatre critics have hailed the musical stage production as a timeless classic.

During the course of the rousing, heartwarming score, music-lovers will delight to renditions of popular show-stoppers such as:

"Tradition," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "If I Were A Rich Man" and "Sunrise, Sunset,"

Fiddler on the Roof

Showtime Dates:

Jan 27 - Feb 21 (2010)
Golden Gate Theatre

1 Taylor Street
(Taylor and Market @ 6th)
San Francisco, CA  (94102)

Phone:  415-551-2000

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com

Versatile Harvey has great gams too!

http://www.julianayrs.com

Harvey Fierstein...the scorn of Vegas! Comment may result in ban...

Man, woman, or beast?

Well, we all know that Harvey Fierstein has a big fat mouth, a raspy Queenie kind-of-one.

But, some allege that in recent days, the "Hairspray" star put his foot in it.

The out-Gay performer angered some Vegas locals in the entertainment business when he lampooned edited shows (the propensity of producers to streamline stage musicals for Sin City audiences short on attention-span and pining to get back to the gambling tables), yardstick-sized exotic cocktails, and theatre environs that smack of a tomb-like ambiance.

Fierstein's poke at the desert oasis opened up the floodgates.

"Harvey should never be allowed to step foot inside this town again," one lamented.

A couple of fans sprang to Fierstein's defense, though.

One put it rather succinctly.

"There's a distinct difference between a New York audience and a Vegas one. Not that one is better (whew that was close!). The New York audience is stuffier, more informed, and more theatrically inclined.

That's a "right on" assessment, I noted to myself, as I read on.

"You have a variety of shows to appeal to many aesthetics. Here the emphasis is purely on the entertainment. The "think" factor is pretty much nonexistent."

The astute oberserver who just closed in "Mamma Mia" finished up by noting that there was less reverence for theatre in Vegas.

"You have customers coming in Bermuda shorts (God forbid!), T-shirts (promoting the musical, I trust), flip-flops, and tank tops (okey-dokey, if they've got great pecs or tasty melons to show off).

A New York producer was allegedly livid when the controversy about the length of musicals on the strip became a bone of contention.

"This story made me sick to my stomach. It doesn't surprise me that one of these Broadway prima donnas would do something like this."

Gosh, the "suit" made it sound like Fierstein was involved in some sinister plot.

"We will be coming to Vegas in the fall," the impersario gushed enthusiastically.

"Our show is ninety to ninety-five minutes and we welcome people to have a drink or two and have a good time. Las Vegas does not need Harvey Fierstein."

Will they be allowed a slot break?

Some noted that cutting parts of a musical actually works.

"It works in Phantom, which I have seen numerous times on Broadway, and it is better here," the actor/singer noted with smug satisfaction.

Not all the criticisms were harsh.

"Bravo Harvey for telling it like it is," one supporter quipped.

As to Los Angeles?

Don't get me started!

http://www.julianayrs.com