Armistead Maupin's Blog, page 32

Readers contest: 'Chronicles of the Bay'

May 22, 2011


More than 30 years ago, Armistead Maupin invented a bunch of characters who depicted the richly colorful life of San Francisco in his singular "Tales of the City" books. This month, those magical books will take on a new dimension as the basis for a world-premiere musical at the American Conservatory Theater.

Imagine if you were to write a novel about characters in your Bay Area town or city whose lives reflected what life is like today in Oakland, Orinda, Santa Rosa or Los Gatos, to name a few. Maybe you'd call it "Chronicles of the Bay."

We are asking readers to write an opening chapter of a novel set in your own city or town in the 21st century, with characters who reflect what makes your community unique. It should be in your own voice - not an attempt to imitate Armistead Maupin, who, after all, is inimitable.

The entries should be 250 to 300 words and must be submitted online only by June 13. The first-place winner will receive a voucher for a pair of tickets to "Tales."

Please e-mail your entries to pinkletters@sfchronicle.com or datebook@sfchronicle.com. We cannot accept entries submitted by mail.


http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-05-22/entertainment/29580170_1_chronicles-magical-books-armistead-maupin

Tales of the . . . Cast! Meet Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone

Meet Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone, who plays DeDe Halcyon-Day. Click here to read her official bio.

NAME Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone.

CHARACTER DeDe.

HOMETOWN Portland, Oregon.

FIRST THEATER EXPERIENCE Best Christmas Pageant Ever in sixth grade.

FAVORITE THEATER EXPERIENCE Coming home to Portland with the national tour of Legally Blonde. I loved performing for my hometown.

FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TALES Reading the script for the audition.

HOW ARE YOU LIKE DEDE? I'm married :) and I would also eat donuts at a low point.

FAVORITE MUSICAL Not a musical, but I love August: Osage County.

FAVORITE SONG TO SING Anything country. Country music always makes it seem like its sunny outside.

EDUCATION B.A. in acting with a minor in musical theater from Marymount Manhattan College.

PERFORMANCE RITUAL Pre-: work out and steam (pretty normal). Post-: depends on the night!

FAVORITE '70s WARDROBE ITEM I have a bracelet I got at a shop in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. I always think, "I would have worn this to Studio 54."


http://blog.act-sf.org/2011/05/tales-of-cast-meet-kathleen-elizabeth.html

ACT Presents TALES OF THE CITY, 6/1 - 7/10

Thursday, May 26, 2011; Posted: 12:05 PM - by BWW News Desk

According to the SF Gate, San Francisco audiences are excitedly anticipating the arrival of the musical, ARMISTEAD MAUPIN'S TALES OF THE CITY that will open June 1 at the American Conservatory Theater.  First serialized in The Chronicle, Armistead Maupin's bittersweet novel "Tales of the City," is set in San Francisco and consists of interlaced stories of dewy-eyed newcomers and dissolute social climbers, gay coming-out stories and paisley-clad hippies. The story captures the era of the mid-'70s in San Francisco, complete with disco and drugs, fern bars and pickup night at the Marina Safeway, as well as feelings of hope, heartbreak, innocence and laughter.

The ACT production, aimed at Broadway but with no up-front commercial backers or specific New York plans at the moment, is a big-budget undertaking at $2.5 million. Jeff Whitty, author of the ebullient "Avenue Q," wrote the book. Fellow "Avenue Q" alum Jason Moore ("Shrek: The Musical," an early collaboration on "The Book of Mormon") is directing. The glam-rock band Scissor Sisters signed on to write the music and lyrics.  The set, which features a lofty set of stairs and landings at 28 Barbary Lane, is by Broadway vet Douglas Schmidt. The cast includes plenty of names with major theatrical street cred. They include Judy Kaye as Anna Madrigal, Betsy Wolfe as Cleveland transplant Mary Ann Singleton, Wesley Taylor as the book's gay lead Michael "Mouse" Tolliver and Mary Birdsong as bisexual Mona Ramsey.

ACT artistic director Carey Perloff committed to the project after attending an early workshop. "I loved Armistead's book so much," she told SF Gate. "There are so many Mary Anns who come here from Cleveland and everywhere else and say, 'This is my story.' "

Whitty, 39, had what he calls his "lightning-bolt moment" when he watched the "Tales" miniseries on a plane to London almost five years ago. "This is how a musical begins," he said of the book's opening, in which 25-year-old Mary Ann arrives in San Francisco. "You put a character into a new environment and see what happens to her." Director Moore, 40, agreed, comparing the story's musical-friendly premise to that of "My Fair Lady" and "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

Songwriters Jake Shears, 32, and John Garden, 36, said they jumped at the chance to write their first musical. "Especially this one," said the voluble Shears. "I read the book when I was 13, before I even knew I was gay, and loved it." He and Garden got to work right away, writing "Tales" songs between Scissor Sisters shows in London, New York, Berlin and elsewhere. The first number they wrote, "Plus One," is still in the show.

Whitty had the daunting task of whittling his 180-page script down to something that could be managed on stage and enjoyable to an audience. "The hardest part was getting the flow," Whitty told SF Gate. "I see this as one 2 hour and 40 minute song."

To view this story in full, click here

ARMISTEAD MAUPIN'S TALES OF THE CITY's previews end next Sun. The show will run from June 1 to July 10 at the  American Conservatory Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. $40-$127. (415) 749-2228. For more information, please visit:  www.act-sf.org.

http://sanfrancisco.broadwayworld.com/article/ACT-Presents-TALES-OF-THE-CITY-61-710-20110526

PHOTO CALL: Tales of the City, With Judy Kaye, Wesley Taylor, Betsy Wolfe, Premieres in San Francisco

By Matthew Blank
26 May 2011

Armistead Maupin's novel series Tales of the City, about the eccentric inhabitants of the enchanting San Francisco residence of 28 Barbary Lane, comes to life as a new musical at the American Conservatory Theatre.

Directed by Tony Award nominee Jason Moore (Shrek, Avenue Q, Steel Magnolias), the musical is based on the first two novels in Maupin's series, which trace the intertwining lives of colorful San Francisco residents in the 1970's. Tales of the City will officially open May 31 and play an extended run through July 10.

Here's how ACT bills the work: "On the bustling streets of 1970s San Francisco, neon lights pierce through the fog-drenched skies, disco music explodes from crowded nightclubs, and a wide-eyed Midwestern girl finds a new home — and creates a new kind of family — with the characters at 28 Barbary Lane. Three decades after Armistead Maupin mesmerized millions with his daily column in the city's newspapers, detailing the lives and (multiple) loves of Mary Ann, Mouse, Mona, Brian, and their beloved but mysterious landlady Mrs. Madrigal, his iconic San Francisco saga comes home as a momentous new musical."

Here is a first look at the show:

Best friends Mona Ramsey (Mary Birdsong) and Michael "Mouse" Tolliver (Wesley Taylor)move back in together at 28 Barbary Lane. Photo by Kevin BerneView the entire gallery here

Tony Award winner Judy Kaye (The Phantom of the Opera, On the Twentieth Century, Souvenir) leads the cast as enigmatic pot-smoking landlady Anna Madrigal, with Betsy Wolfe (Everyday Rapture, 110 in the Shade) as Midwestern transplant Mary Ann Singleton, Mary Birdsong (Martin Short Fame Becomes Me, "Reno 911") as the free-spirited Mona Ramsay and Wesley Taylor (Rock of Ages, The Addams Family) as Michael "Mouse" Tollivar.

Tales of the City also features Tony Award nominee Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd) as Norman Neal Williams, Matthew Saldivar (Grease) as Brian Hawkins, Richard Poe (Cry-Baby) as Edgar Halcyon, Kathleen Monteleone (Legally Blonde) as Dede Halcyon-Day, Andrew Samonsky (South Pacific) as Beauchamp Day, Josh Breckenridge (Scottsboro Boys) as Jon Fielding, Diane J. Findlay as Mother Mucca and Alex Hsu as Lionel.

The ensemble includes Keith Bearden, Kris Cusick, Kimberly Jensen, Stuart Marland, Pamela Myers, Julie Reiber and Josh Walden.

"Tales of the City" has also been adapted into several television miniseries featuring performances by Olympia Dukakis, Laura Linney, Chloe Webb, Parker Posey, Marcus D'Amico, Donald Moffat, Thomas Gibson, Barbara Garrick, Nina Foch, Paul Gross, Stanley DeSantis and Philip Moon.

For tickets call (415) 749-2228 or visit ACT-SF.




http://www.playbill.com/news/article/151212-PHOTO-CALL-Tales-of-the-City-With-Judy-Kaye-Wesley-Taylor-Betsy-Wolfe-Premieres-in-San-Francisco

Tales of the . . . Cast! Meet Richard Poe

Meet Richard Poe, who plays Edgar Halcyon.  Click here to read his official bio.

NAME Richard Poe.

CHARACTER Edgar Halcyon.

HOMETOWN Pittsburg, California.


FIRST THEATER EXPERIENCE Playing Scrooge in the eighth grade (magnificent!).

FAVORITE THEATER EXPERIENCE Hard to choose. Journey's End on Broadway: nine guys in a dark World War I dugout talking for two and a half hours, and everyone dies . . . then winning every available award in New York, including the Easter bonnet competition. 1776 on Broadway: more guys, more talking, more light, same result. Cyrano de Bergerac at A.C.T. in 1973, playing Second Musician/Third Cadet, being a novice in the middle of all that wonderfulness. There's more. Just ask me.

FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TALES I lived in San Francisco until about 1977 (graduated from the University of San Francisco [USF] and started acting at A.C.T.). I had never read the books until this show came up. What a walk down memory lane! I had no money then and was always scrambling for odd jobs, but what a city! It's really exciting and a little unnerving to come back for a while—like I'll see my old self passing in the street.

HOW ARE YOU LIKE EDGAR? Though I'm told in the business that I have a patrician quality, I'm pretty far from the manor born. But I like to think I can fake it when need be, and Edgar knows he's been faking it when he realizes his number's up and that he's denied himself so much. I have lots of me that would like to bust loose in new ways. I just hope I don't suffer Edgar's plight before I do it.

FAVORITE MUSICAL Sweeney Todd; 1776; The Drowsy Chaperone.

FAVORITE SONG TO SING Whatever's in my head driving me crazy at the time: "My One and Only Love"; "Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)"; "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

EDUCATION B.A. from USF; M.A. candidate at UC Davis. Some acting gurus: Erich Morris, Milton Katselas, Lee Strasberg.

PERFORMANCE RITUAL Pre-: stretch, vocal warm-up, speaking the entire first scene aloud (don't ask me why—it's a habit of 15 years that I can't break for superstitious reasons). Post-: whatcha got?

FAVORITE '70s WARDROBE ITEM Having witnessed the '70s, I once owned a pair of shimmering blue velveteen pants. Hell in the rain.

http://blog.act-sf.org/2011/05/tales-of-cast-meet-richard-poe.html

Locating "Tales of the City"

By:  Drew Bourne
May 24, 2011

Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City is a series of eight novels set primarily in San Francisco, spanning from 1976 to the present. The stories recount the lives of a broad cross-section of the city's denizens, and the transformative impact that the characters and the city have on each other. The first five novels were originally published as serials in The San Francisco Chronicle and The San Francisco Examiner; the first installment appeared in the Chronicle exactly thirty years ago today. Beginning in 1993, the first three novels were adapted as three television miniseries starring Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis (the entire first miniseries can be seen for free online). This year, the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco is premiering a new musical based on the first two novels. When San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein installed a time capsule under the Benjamin Franklin statue in Washington Square Park in 1979, the small collection of items intended to represent San Francisco's most recent past included a copy of the first Tales novel.

Larry Rhodes first moved to San Francisco in 1982 – when Maupin was still publishing Tales of the City as a serial in The San Francisco Chronicle. However, it wasn't until three years later, when Rhodes was living in Atlanta, that he began to read Maupin's work. Rhodes became so engrossed with Maupin's writing that he subsequently developed a website featuring Tales-related self-guided walking tours, Tours of the Tales, which launched in July 2010.

Rhodes' initial impulse to create the tours came around 2001, when he was again living in the Bay Area and wanted to take out-of-town friends to sites mentioned in Tales of the City. At that time, Maupin's website included a walking tour of locations mentioned in Tales, but the tour focused almost exclusively on the Russian Hill and North Beach neighborhoods. Rhodes was interested in developing something more comprehensive.

In 2003, Rhodes began in earnest to research the locations that appeared in the first six Tales novels and the first two television miniseries. Because some of the businesses mentioned in Tales had moved or closed by the time Rhodes began his investigation, he relied on telephone directories and Polk's city directories going back to the 1970s at the San Francisco Public Library to establish their correct locations. He also sought information online, using sites such as Mister SF by journalist Hank Donat and
" I want to place the locales not only in the context of the books or movies, but in San Francisco itself. I want the people who take the walking tours to have a feel for San Francisco – somehow capture the essence of the City that captured me."

So far, Rhodes has created four self-guided walking tours that are available as PDFs on his website. These cover Acquatic Park and Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Russian Hill, North Beach, Jackson Square, Telegraph Hill, Chinatown, Nob Hill, the Tenderloin, and Union Square. He plans on extending the scope of his tours; additional areas for future tours might include the Castro, Noe Valley, Civic Center, South of Market, the Haight, and Golden Gate Park. He is also considering tours that cover sites outside San Francisco that are mentioned in Tales, including locations in Oakland, Marin County, Mendocino, Los Angeles, and Reno.

Because Rhodes provides these tours as PDFs, they can be printed out or read on e-book readers such as Kindle and Nook. Although he is considering a map-based presentation such as Google Maps would provide, it is not an option that he is actively pursing at present. He plans to lead occasional free group walking tours, but the primary focus has been on developing a means by which fellow Tales enthusiasts could explore the sites mentioned in the series at their own pace and on their own schedule. Rhodes' website also includes a guestbook, which provides an opportunity for those using the tours to respond not only to Rhodes' work but also to connect with one another.

To learn more about Larry Rhodes' project, and to download the tours, visit his website: Tours of the Tales. 

http://usingsfhistory.com/2011/05/24/locating-tales-of-the-city/

Tales of the . . . Cast! Meet Josh Breckenridge

Meet Josh Breckenridge, who plays Jon Fielding. Click here to read his official bio.

NAME Joshua Breckenridge.

CHARACTER Jon Fielding.

HOMETOWN Fallbrook, California.

FIRST THEATER EXPERIENCE The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at Circle Bar B Ranch Theatre in Santa Barbara, California . . . at age 14!

FAVORITE THEATER EXPERIENCE The Scottsboro Boys. From our very first reading to our closing night on Broadway . . . what a journey!

FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TALES Being cast in the original workshop at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut.

HOW ARE YOU LIKE JON? I'm very focused and career driven, much like Jon . . . oh yeah, and I'm a hopeless romantic.

FAVORITE MUSICAL Crazy for You.

FAVORITE SONG TO SING "On the Wings of Love" (I sang it for my Tales of the City audition).

EDUCATION B.F.A. in musical theater at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

PERFORMANCE RITUAL Pre-: gym. Post-: food!

FAVORITE '70s WARDROBE ITEM Afro pick.
http://blog.act-sf.org/2011/05/tales-of-cast-meet-josh-breckenridge.html

Tales of the . . . Cast! Meet Betsy Wolfe

Friday, May 20, 2011

Meet Betsy Wolfe, our Mary Ann Singleton. Click here to read her official bio.

NAME Betsy Wolfe.

CHARACTER Mary Ann Singleton.

HOMETOWN Visalia, California.

FIRST THEATER EXPERIENCE At ten I played Kenickie in my church's basement production of Grease, and Artful Dodger in Oliver! the following year. Apparently I played smooth-talking boys really well.

FAVORITE THEATER EXPERIENCE Having the rain pour down on me at the end of Act II in 110 in the Shade. It was freeing, healing, and my first time on Broadway.

FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TALES Two years ago the casting director for Tales of the City came up to me at an opening night party and said, "There is this part that is perfect for you, but no one knows who the hell you are. You read the books and I'll get you in the room."

HOW ARE YOU LIKE MARY ANN? Let me count the ways . . . BUT I will say I've never dated a child molester.

FAVORITE MUSICAL Into the Woods.

FAVORITE SONG TO SING "Colors of the Wind." My two-year-old niece is obsessed with Pocahontas. And it makes me the "favorite" when I sing it!

EDUCATION B.F.A. in musical theater from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

PERFORMANCE RITUAL The cucumber gimlet from Bourbon and Branch is delicious and will need to be a ritual while in San Francisco.

FAVORITE '70s WARDROBE ITEM I have no clue, but I'm sure I'll be wearing them all during the show!

http://blog.act-sf.org/2011/05/tales-of-cast-meet-betsy-wolfe.html

Tales of the . . . Cast! Meet Judy Kaye

Thursday, May 19, 2011

We know you're counting the days until Tales of the City officially opens on June 1, so to hold you over till then (and to whet your appetite) . . .

We are pleased to introduce to you the cast of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City: A New Musical!

Today, meet Judy Kaye, who plays Anna Madrigal. Click here to read her official bio.

NAME Judy Kaye.

CHARACTER Anna Madrigal.

HOMETOWN Phoenix, Arizona.

FIRST THEATER EXPERIENCE Seeing Damn Yankees with Gwen Verdon on Broadway.

FAVORITE THEATER EXPERIENCE The first night I went on as the understudy for Madeline Kahn in On the 20th Century. I don't remember every detail, but it was a magical night. An out-of-body experience.

FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TALES When my cell phone rang as I was about to tee off on a golf course in Phoenix, barely a month before rehearsals started!

HOW ARE YOU LIKE ANNA MADRIGAL? I love my life!

FAVORITE MUSICAL Oh, God. How could you ask that?! I have so many for so many different reasons. And, now I have a new one to add to the list—Tales of the City!

FAVORITE SONG TO SING I've a whole list of those, too. For every mood: "Simple Song," "Desperado," "Some Other Time," "Move On," "Our Love Is Here to Stay," "All the Things You Are," "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," etc., etc.

EDUCATION UCLA on and off for five years. No degree. Showbiz was calling.

PERFORMANCE RITUAL Rest—eat—workout—stretch—hum—paint my face—GO!

FAVORITE '70s WARDROBE ITEM I had an M&Ms t-shirt . . . and bell-bottoms, of course.

Tales of the City, May 24, 1976

Tales of the City, May 24, 1976
Armistead Maupin
Sunday, May 22, 2011

This is the first installment of the original "Tales of the City" series. It appeared in The Chronicle on May 24, 1976.

Mary Ann Singleton was 25 years old when she saw San Francisco for the first time.

She came to the city alone for an eight-day vacation. On the fifth night, she drank three Irish coffees at the Buena Vista, realized that her Mood Ring was blue and decided to phone her mother in Cleveland.

"Hi, Mom, it's me."

"Oh, darling. Your daddy and I were just talking about you. There was this crazy man on 'McMillan and Wife' who was strangling all these nice young secretaries, and I just couldn't help thinking ..."

"Mom ..."

"I know, it's just your silly old mother, worrying herself sick over nothing. But you never can tell about those things. I mean, look at that poor Patty Hearst, locked up in that closet with those awful ... "

"Mom, this is long distance."

"I'm sorry, sugar, I'm such an old worry-wart. You must be having a grand time!"

"Oh, Mom, you wouldn't believe it! The people here are so friendly. I feel like I've ..."

"Have you been to the Top of the Mark like I told you?"

"Not yet, but ..."

"Well, don't you miss that. You know, your daddy took me there when he got back from the South Pacific. I remember he slipped the bandleader five dollars, so we could dance to 'Moonlight Serenade' and I spilled Tom Collins all over his beautiful, white Navy ..."

"Mom, I called to tell you something."

"Of course, dear. Just listen to me rambling on. Oh, one thing, before I forget it. I ran into Mr. Lassiter yesterday at the Ridgemont Mall, and he said the office is just falling apart with you gone. They don't get many good secretaries at Lassiter Fertilizers."

"Mom, that's sort of why I called."

"What do you mean, honey?"

"I want you to call Mr. Lassiter and tell him I won't be in on Monday morning."

"Oh, Mary Ann, I'm not sure you should ask for an extension on your vacation."

"It's not an extension, Mom."

"What? I don't ..."

"I'm not coming home, Mom."

For a moment, the line seemed to go dead. Then, dimly in the distance, a television announcer began to tell Mary Ann's father about the temporary relief of hemorrhoids. Finally, her mother spoke: "Now you're being silly, darling."

Mary Ann tried to stay calm. "I'm not being silly, Mom. I really feel comfortable here. I mean, it seems like home to me already."

More silence.

"Mom, I've thought about this for a long time."

"You've only been out there five days."

"I know, Mom, but I'm really sure about this. It's got nothing to do with you and Daddy. I just want to start making my own life, have my own apartment ..."

"Oh, that. Well, of course you can, darling. As a matter of fact, your daddy and I thought those new apartments out at Ridgemont might be just perfect for you. They take lots of young people, and they've got a swimming pool and one of those sauna things, and I could make some of those darling curtains like I made for Sonny and Vicki when they got married. You could have all the privacy you ..."

Mary Ann's voice was gentle but firm. "Mom, you aren't listening to me. It isn't the privacy or living with you and Daddy or ... any of that. It's just me. I love it here. I'm grown up now and ..."

"Well, you certainly aren't acting like it! I've never heard such a thing! You can't just run away from your family and friends to go live with a bunch of hippies and mass murderers!"

"Oh, Mom, that's just a lot of TV crap!"

Her mother lowered her voice reproachfully. "Don't you talk nasty to your mother, Mary Ann ... and it's not a lot of TV ... stuff. What about those Giraffe Killers?"

"Zebra."

"Well, whatever. And what about those earthquakes? Your daddy took me to see that awful movie, and I nearly had a heart attack when Ava Gardner ..."

"Mom. I've made up my mind about this. Will you just call Mr. Lassiter for me?"

Her mother began to cry. "Something terrible is going to happen to you. I know it."

"Now who's being silly? What could possibly happen to me, Mom? San Francisco is a lot safer than Cleveland, and the people are so mellow."

Her mother stopped sobbing for a moment. "What does that mean?" she asked suspiciously.

When it was over, Mary Ann left the Buena Vista and walked through Aquatic Park to the bay. For several minutes, she stared at the Alcatraz beacon, drunk with the prospect of an undefined future.

"What could possible happen to me, Mom?" The words came back to her on a chill wind, nibbling uncertainly on a corner of her mind.

Back at the Fisherman's Wharf Holiday Inn, she looked up Connie Bradshaw's phone number. Connie was the only person she knew in San Francisco. Mary Ann had heard that she was a stewardess for United but hadn't spoken to her old high school friend since 1968.

"Oh, God, I can't believe it!" squealed Connie, when Mary Ann identified herself. "How long are you here for?"

"For good, " said Mary Ann, savoring the words.

"Oh, super! Have you found an apartment yet?"

Mary Ann decided to be direct. "Not yet. I was wondering if I might be able to crash at your place for a couple of days. My savings account isn't holding out too well."

"Sure, " said Connie, without hesitation. "No sweat. That is, if you don't mind an occasional sleep-in."

Mary Ann was thrown for a moment. "Oh ... you mean guys?"

Connie uttered a throaty laugh. "Do I ever, honey!"

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/22/PKEM1HKVCH.DTL