Openly gay 25-year-old Harper Watters first began dancing around age five “purely because I had so much energy.” He now dances with the Houston Ballet’s main company.
Dancing is a silent art form, says Harper Watters, but his success at Houston Ballet has taught him that he has a voice. “There is a lot of power in words,” explains the out 24-year-old dancer in the company’s corps de ballet. “I have been solely focused on being a dancer, but I realize there is so much more I want to do, and feel like I have to offer.”
"It’s a long, long way from the Australian outback to the lights of Broadway, especially when you try to make it in a tacky tour bus driven by three ditzy drag queens, but Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical, currently in previews prior to an Oct. 26 opening at the Princess of Wales Theatre, proves it’s possible to make the journey," writes Richard Ouzounian.
Writer Drew Rowsome discovers the art and heart of Broadway hunk Nick Adams in this new profile:
"Nick Adams will be playing the lead role of Felicia/Adam in the Broadway bound Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The musical will make its North American debut for a 12 week run in Ontario beginning October 12, with plans for a spring 2011 Broadway transfer. Adams will join previously announced stars Will Swenson as Tick and Tony Sheldon as Bernadette in the leading roles," reports Broadwayworld.com
"For years, being queer has allowed me to bypass the annoying baby bullet question. Because when I announced I was queer, that announcement pretty much confirmed to my family that this womb was now out of service. But a few baby-happy lesbians messed that up for me, and I am now surrounded by endless gay friends popping out babies by the dozen or taking a trip to the local Children’s Aid Society to adopt. The single, queer, independent, happy, funky, cool, artist (i.e., me) is now a dying breed," writes actress and playwright, Trey Anthony. "Of course, this baby-booming epidemic in the queer community has not escaped my grandmother or my mother. Upon seeing the new bundle of joy of my two favourite lezzy friends, my grandmother declared, “Trey why don’t you just go tomorrow to where they went and go and get a baby!”
The Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights is making its Southern California premiere this summer, running June 22-July 25 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood before moving to the Orange County Performing Arts Center August 3-15, 2010. Chris Carpenter, recently interviewed the handsome and talented cast member, Wilkie Ferguson.
"Tony Award nominee and Million Dollar Quartet star Hunter Foster has started a Facebook group urging the Tony Awards to remember Broadway actors," reports Playbill.com. "Foster... [hopes to] provoke a discussion... about the merits of bringing Hollywood stars to the Tony telecast, both as presenters and as frequent awardees, and whether that overshadows the contributions of working, non-celebrity theatre talent." READ MORE
Broadway's Nick Adams is currently starring in La Cage aux Folles and recently spoke with the New York Post about his workout routine.
If you are looking for an evening out, here's a fun show in Vancouver this month...
"Star of Peepshow and new E! reality show Holly’s World, Josh Strickland reveals why, despite much speculation during his stint as Broadway’s Tarzan, he hasn’t discussed his sexuality in interviews until now."
Gay ally, Kristin Chenoweth, who stars with openly gay actor, Sean Hayes on Broadway in Promises, Promises has rightfully slammed the homophobic Newsweek article, Straight Jacket, written by Ramin Setoodah. Following Broadway.com's lead in giving Kristin as big of a soapbox as possible, you will find her Newsweek.com comment below.
This is great! Check out these sexy Broadway dancers dressed as football players as they strip and kiss. Watch the video below!
"When the musical librettist Michael Zam first read The Kid, a 1999 memoir about a gay couple adopting a baby, he was certain that he wanted to turn it into a musical. He loved the acerbic tone of the book’s author, the syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage, and the frank portrayal of a gay man’s dream for a family. But rather than plunge into adaptation, Mr. Zam made it a long-term project, because he felt it would take time — years, it turned out — to wrest a successful show out of this particular book," writes Patrick Healy. "Among the challenges posed by a musical version of The Kid, which opens Off Broadway on Monday at the New Group at Theater Row, was adding narrative tension and intrigue to a gay adoption story that was, in the memoir, funny and touching but relatively incident-free. Most of the unrest and angst in the book take place in Mr. Savage’s head; how best to dramatize that? And while the journey of a gay couple adopting a baby was a fresh read in 1999, would it feel dated a decade later?" READ MORE
"Who says the Tonys are a craven attempt to boost only the most popular performers and the most sold-out shows? This morning’s nominations are welcome sign of some independence. Fela! (whose producers include Jay-Z, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith) tied the acclaimed musical revival La Cage aux Folles with the most nominations, boasting 11 each. Director Kenny Leon’s much-loved revival of August Wilson’s Fences pulled in 10," writes Thom Geier. "But among the notable un-nominated are Broadway faves Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, passed over for their star turns in the much-reviled musical The Addams Family (which was left out of the Best Musical race as well). Frequent Tony host Hugh Jackman (and his well-Bonded costar Daniel Craig) were also absent from the Best Actor in a Play list despite the fact that their limited-run play A Steady Rain was a sold-out hit last fall." READ MORE
