4 Shows for Fall

ECHOMAG.COM EXCLUSIVE: Four Shows for Fall

By Richard Schultz

Vera White Fur 0211. By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

Through Sept. 6 | iTheatre Collaborative

This Arizona premiere of a new comedy from Lynn Nottage, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Ruined, draws upon the screwball films of the 1930s to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood.

This show chronicles a 70-year journey through the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood movie starlet desperately grasping to hold on to her career. When circumstances collide and both women land roles in the same Southern epic movie, the story behind the cameras leaves Vera with a surprising and controversial legacy scholars will debate for years to come

Nottage credits the life and career of Theresa Harris, a pioneering African-American film star known for her appearance in the 1933 Barbara Stanwyck movie Babyface, for her inspiration.

Herberger Theater Center – Kax Stage;

222 E. Monroe, Phoenix

602-252-8497

Tickets: $20

Lend_Me_a_Tenor2. Lend Me a Tenor

Sept. 5-14 | Desert Foothills Theater

Kicking off its 40th season, Ken Ludwig’s zany screwball comedy is wild romp of mistaken identity, slamming doors and nonstop double entendres combine for an evening of side-splitting hilarity.

Set in 1934, the play begins with a scene showing the Cleveland Grand Opera Company anxiously awaiting the arrival of the world-famous Italian tenor Signor Tito Merelli, known to legions of fans as Il Stupendo. Their benefit performance of "Othello" is the most important fundraiser of the season for the opera company. Merelli’s late arrival sets off a series of mishaps.

“We purposely chose Tenor and its ongoing popularity as an audience favorite,” said Mark-Alan C. Clemente, the show’s director. “We have an amazing cast of tenured Valley actors who are up to the task in this challenging comedy.”

Clemente said his inspiration was the movie It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

“We're doing an ode to Frank Capra,” he said. “Even our set designer researched 1930s hotels from Cleveland and created a design to replicate them.

Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center

33606 N. 60th St., Scottsdale;

480-488-1981

Tickets:  $25-$32

baby with bathwater3. Baby with the Bathwater

Sept. 5-21 | Theatre Artists Studio

This dark comedy by gay playwright Christopher Durang delves into the perils of parenthood. Durang’s absurd depiction of Helen and John, new parents without a clue as to how to take care of their newborn – coupled with a hilarious, warped Mary Poppins-type Nanny – make for a comedy of epic proportion. Part farce, part satire and part wicked wackiness, this dark comedy presents a hysterical view of modern parenting.

While the play premiered in 1983, its biting commentary on permissive parenting and sexual identity are not only pertinent today, they’re two of the most relevant issues facing modern society.

“Durang unravels the “normal” rules of behavior and logic and turns the world upside down,” said Barbara Acker, the show’s director. “All his characters earnestly try to do the right thing. Only the audience can see that the characters live in a world in which good is bad and bad is good: in short a crazy world.”

According to Acker, Durang makes fun of all of the authority figures that oppressed and depressed him as a child.

“He has never stopped blaming his parents,” she said. “The shortcomings of unhappy families are the best recipe for laughter. This production is a fable of how the bad world makes baby very unhappy.”

4848 E. Cactus Road, #406, Scottsdale;

602-765-0120

Tickets: $20

4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Sept. 5-Oct. 24 | Desert Stages Theatre – Actor’s Café

Dale Wasserman’s stage adaptation of Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same name, details the friction between the antihero Randle P. McMurphy, played by Trevor Starkey, and Head Nurse Ratched, played by Shari Watts.

McMurphy, who has been convicted of statutory rape and chooses to serve time in a mental hospital rather than state prison, under the manipulative and vindictive, but ever so calm and falsely compassionate care of the Nurse Ratched.

McMurphy fights a futile battle to liberate his fellow mental patients from the psychological and emotional controls exerted by Nurse Ratched. She ultimately wins, but at a cost which diminishes her absolute control over her patients.

“Robin Williams’ shocking suicide has put the spotlight back on mental health and is tragic reminder that the conversation about mental health cannot stop,” said Louis Farber, the show’s director. “As a society, we have come a long way from the days when we treated the mentally ill as oddities. However, we still treat it as a less important disease. While the majority of the characters are deemed mentally ill, the play implies that there’s a fine line between normal and abnormal."

4720 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale;

480-483-1664

Tickets: $22-$25

Keep readingShow less
WhistlePig + Alfa Romeo F1

SHOREHAM, VT (September 13, 2023) — WhistlePig Whiskey, the leaders in independent craft whiskey, and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake are waving the checkered flag on a legend-worthy release that’s taking whiskey to G-Force levels. The Limited Edition PiggyBack Legends Series: Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is a high Rye Whiskey selected by the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake drivers, with barrels trialed in their wind tunnel to ensure a thrilling taste in every sip.

The third iteration in WhistlePig’s Single Barrel PiggyBack Legends Series, the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is bottled at 96.77 proof, a nod to Valtteri Bottas’ racing number, 77, and the precision of racing. Inspired by Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese F1 driver, this Rye Whiskey is finished with lychee and oolong tea. Herbal and floral notes of the oolong tea complement the herbaceous notes of WhistlePig’s signature PiggyBack 100% Rye, rounded out with a juicy tropical fruit finish and a touch of spice.

Keep readingShow less
by Spectrum Medical Care Center

Nurse Practitioner Ari Kravitz

When I started medical transition at 20 years old, it was very difficult to get the care I needed for hormone replacement therapy because there are very few providers trained in starting hormones for trans people, even though it’s very similar to the hormones that we prescribe to women in menopause or cisgender men with low testosterone.

I hope more providers get trained in LGBTQ+ healthcare, so they can support patients along their individual gender journey, and provide the info needed to make informed decisions about their body. I’ve personally seen my trans patients find hope and experience a better quality of life through hormone replacement therapy.

Keep readingShow less

Descanso Resort swimming pool and lounge area

Descanso Resort, Palm Springs' premier destination for gay men, just received Tripadvisor's highest honor, a Travelers' Choice "Best of the Best" award for 2023. Based on guests' reviews and ratings, fewer than 1% of Tripadvisor's 8 million listings around the world receive the coveted "Best of the Best" designation. Descanso ranked 12th in the top 25 small inns and hotels category in the United States. Quite an accomplishment!

Open less than two years, Descanso Resort offers gay men a relaxing and luxurious boutique hotel experience just minutes away from Palm Springs' buzziest restaurants, nightclubs, and shopping. Descanso has quickly established itself as a top destination for sophisticated gay travelers, earning hundreds of 5-star guest reviews and consistently ranking in Trapadvisor's top positions alongside brother properties Santiago Resort and Twin Palms Resort.

Keep readingShow less