Darlings, I Just Love "Retarded Brat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                         This movie, "Female Trouble" just won't stop providing insights into my life!  I relate so much to Taffy Davenport; it is like a glimpse into my childhood psyche!  No wonder I want to play her!!!!!!  Who wants to be called retarded, but when I wanted to be a brat, I could!  I loved it, and I am not a bit sorry!  I love when Taffy throws the plate of spaghetti against the wall!  I can certainly relate to that!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          So, here is the famous scene, containing my favorite line in the movie, a line I wished I had had the cleverness to use, when I was Taffy's age!

                            Enjoy!  And Happy Mermaid Parade Day, and Pre-Pride Weekend!

                            The Davenports (Dawn and Taffy) are role models!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Sixties Icon Passes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             
                                                No sooner are we getting over the death of Ultra Violet, then we learn that, on early Thursday, songwriter Gerry Goffin, the ex-husband of Carole King, and currently being portrayed at the Sondheim Theatre on stage in "Beautiful" by Jake Epstein, passed away of natural causes, at the age of 75!   Doesn't that seem kind of young , for some of us, darlings?????  I bet when the show's cast and crew learned of this passing, they gave one of their most heartfelt performances, which is saying a lot for a show that is heartfelt to begin with, from the moment the lights go down, and Jessie Mueller hits that stage.

                                              Imagine, Ultra Violet and Gerry Goffin in the same week!  Baby Boomers are sure getting a slap in their faces, when it comes to their mortality. The one-time Pepsi generation, who once thought themselves invincible, are painfully finding out they are not!

                                                And my heart goes out to Carole, who, despite his being an ex, has to have some feelings about him!  Complicated, I am sure!  You are loved on here, Carole!

                                                The work both did will become their legacies.  And it is being celebrated on stage right now, each night, at the Sondheim.  One thing to be said--Gerry Goffin certainly did not die, forgotten or obscure!

                                                  How to visually mark this tribute?  Here is Jessie and Company performing some of the material from "Beautiful."   I just LOVE The Shirelles (the actresses doing them, that is!!!!) on "Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow?"

                                                   Gerry Goffin will be loved tomorrow, and onward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let Us Pray The Peccadillo Theatre Company Does It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Girls, I have just received the hottest tip from along the Rialto that I have heard, in the longest time.  It is early, and it is also Mermaid Parade Day, plus we may take Auntie Alvin out for his birthday, so I have to get this out, fast!

                                Several years ago, my beloved and I saw, at Theater At St. Clements, in Midtown. this wonderful production of the little oft done Lillian Hellman "Another Part Of The Forest," which is a prequel to "The Little Foxes," and shows the emergence of the Young Regina as a first class bitch!  I loved it, darlings, because you know how much I identify with Regina!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Well, just a few  days ago, I happened to run into this charming gentleman who turned out to be from the Peccadillo Theatre Company, at St. Clements.  In fact, they had just finished a run of William Inge's little seen "A Loss Of Roses," and, if I had known it was them, I would have gone, because how often do you get to see this play???????????

                                     That day, I noticed him carrying a script copy of Maxwell Anderson's "The Bad Seed," and he said the company was considering doing it.  We talked about the piece, which he could see I was a fan of, having played Rhoda in a reading, and relating to her so much, from the time I was a child!!!!!!!!  In fact, I offered to come down, and audition for the role of Miss Fern!  I know I would never get cast as Rhoda.

                                       Which is a quandary.  He said, with all the happenings, involving gun shootings, and sociopathic children, he thinks the play still has some dramatic relevance!  But, thanks to the cult popularity of the movie, it also has a camp label attached to it.  I told him about two productions I have seen, since living in New York.  One, back in 1998, was on Port Washington, Long Island, and was played straight, except, being community theater, not all of the actors had the skill to pull it off.  Though, as I recall, the ones playing Rhoda and Leroy sure did.  Hell, you could have brought them into New York.  But that was 16 years ago!!!!!!!!!

                                      The visiting gentleman asked me if I thought the play could be played straight.  I said yes, but it would have to be so tightly directed there could be no leeway allowed for the actors to veer into camp.  And, in the case of a couple of parts, like Monica Breedlove, and Mrs. Daigle, (nailed exactly by the late, great Eileen Heckart!!!!!!!!!) that could prove to be difficult.  I told him how I imagined a time, years back, of it being done, with Cherry Jones!

                                        So, this is a personal plea from the Raving Queen to the Peccaduillo Theatre Company, at St. Clements--please, Please, PLEASE do "The Bad Seed!"  It will be the hottest ticket in town, because people will flock to it, (when I told the head of our Playreading Group, she said, "Let's all go!") who have been dying for a genuinely good production of this play.  Which there really has not been, since the 1954 original!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        "May I call you Christine?  Oh, I'm quite aware you come
                                         from a higher level of society.  You probably made a debut,
                                         and all that.  Me?  I worked in a beauty parlor!"

                                        Now, who would believe that of me, dolls?????????????????????

This Scene Brings Out So Many Aspects Of My Life, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Not since "Girl, Interrupted," has a movie plummeted the depths of my life, like "Female Trouble."  Now, I never ate anything in class.  The reason I am including this scene is because of the girl in the lower left corner, in the blue sweater. That is Maggie Skidmore, playing what is credited as "School Snitch," and whom the teacher addresses as "Miss Harren."  But, girls, for those of you who don't know, and who wonder what I have been talking about on here, she is exactly what it was like being in a class with Diane Dykeman!  This is the screen equivalent of Diane Dykeman.

                                Now, I know all schools have these representative types, so when you watch this scene, I am sure you will see yours.  Mine just happened to be Diane!

                                 And what happens to these so-called high achievers?  Many end up living in street side trailers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 I was also glad to see Dawn smack the girl in front, for calling her fat!  Plenty of people I should have smacked!

                                  But the nice thing about this scene, girls, is you can achieve a catharsis!  It can make you feel you are reliving those moments--on YOUR terms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    There is just so much that Dawn Davenport can teach future gays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, My Summer Reading Season Has Officially Begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              It traditionally spans the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Most people then turn to the lighter fare, but I choose to turn to the heavier stuff, to make sure I get it in, during the year.

                               This year, because I had some things I had to get out of the way first, I have begun my Summer Reading Season with a fourth reading of George Eliot's "Middlemarch."  This is planned to be followed by Rebecca Mead's "My Life With 'Middlemarch'," which came out last year, and, wanting to read it, I figured I would reread Eliot before tackling Mead.

                                  Now, after that, I am scheduled to tackle something even more momentous than "Middlemarch--"  Leo Tolstoy's Russian epic, "War And Peace."  I have one of the more updated translations waiting for me, and this will be my third reading thereof.

                                    Aside from that--I have only some considerations--some of which I may or may not get to.  And many, because of the type of reader that I am, are rereads.

                                      Dickens--Either "David Copperfield," "Great Expectations," or "Bleak House".

                                      "Little Women," by Louisa May Alcott.

                                      "The Alienist," by Caleb Carr--Not heavy duty like some of these others, but Serial Killer Fun!!!!!!!!!!  Probably one of the best serial killer novels ever, and I am sure some would say THE best!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      "Gone With The Wind," by Margaret Mitchell--It is the 75th Anniversary of the movie, and after that disgusting comment in "Vanity Fair," claiming it has been reduced to a "piece of routine schmaltz, read only by teenage girls, if anyone!"  Nonsense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         The Mayfair Trilogy, by Anne Rice--consisting of the masterpiece, "The Witching Hour," and  its lesser, but necessary sequels, "Lasher" and "Taltos."

                                           Like I said, I don't know how far I will get.  Right now, I am on page 27 of "Middlemarch" (the Modern Library Classics Edition, best to own!!!!!!!!) and I will inform you of how I fared, and what I enjoyed, when the season ends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Bur, right now, it is just Heaven, with Dorothea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, This Is What My Adolescence SHOULD Have Been!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Girls, it's tough all over, I am telling you!  You think it gets any easier?????????  Well, it doesn't!!!!!!!!!  I should have started out this way in high school, except no one would allow me in the Girls Room, and the Boys Room was not fit for human habitation.  Just like today!

                                 When you are glamorous, and superior, darlings, people are always jealous of you!  I found this out as early as kindergarten!  And, with the exception of the English Department at Highland Park High School, who were the only ones to recognize my brilliance, the rest of the teachers were morons!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Of course, if I had smoked my way through the Girls Room, I might have inherited my mother's propensity for lung cancer, in which case I would either be pushing up daisies or have one foot in the grave!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      But we want to talk about fun and rebellion, as generated by having seen "Female Trouble" last night. So, girls, I am telling everyone to make a concerted effort. Go up to to someone who bothers you today, and say "Fuck you!" to their face!  They will be too taken aback, to say anything!  Believe me, I know!

                                      Let's have a practice session now!!!!!!!  Ready? One--Two--Three--

                                       FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        But you know I love you all, my bitches, don't you?????????????????????????????

Now, THIS Is Auntie Alvin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Imagine him, curled in for an evening on Grand Street, with his birds, sleeping in his own bird cage! And just look at that fashionable, matching sleep wear!!!!!!!!!!

                            Who knew Auntie Alvin could turn himself out so well????????????  Too bad he did not come with us last night; Edith Massey would have changed his life!  He would never nap at the Spumoni Gardens again!  Too many people would be vying for his attention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!