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Theatre: “Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays” To Close Soon

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Forget the rice, and save yourself the trouble of buying a present for the lucky couple, as you treat yourself to the theatrical gem that is “Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays.” This compilation of ten short plays and monologues will make you laugh, think, and it may even have you shedding tears as you walk down the aisle through these humorous and heart-warming stories with characters that you see on television and even in your own lives. Sadly, producers today announced the show will be closing December 18.

From the brilliantly portrayed anti-gay bigot in “The Gay Agenda,” by Paul Rudnick, to the overly-concerned mom who’s determined not to be outshone by her progressive liberal friends in “My Husband,” also by Paul Rudnick, Harriet Harris will keep you laughing and asking for more as she expertly weaves a truthful character through these moments in their lives.

Richard Thomas gives a frighteningly spell binding performance in “London Mosquitoes,” by the famous Moises Kaufman, as he eulogizes the last 45 years of his partner’s life. Thomas also gives us a very funny take on wedding vows and what the legal system and political process is doing to them in “The Revision” by Jordan Harrison.

Those were just two out of the cast of six, and I could go on about all of them. So you will be lucky to see this much talent on one stage. One of the only real criticisms that I can give this cast is the pairing of Mark Consuelos and Harriet Harris was poorly constructed. Harris outshines the funny and talented Consuelos in “My Husband.”

Each of the short plays moves us through the different stages of relationships that are affected by the changing climate of the countries views toward marriage equality and with witty poignancy points out the fatal flaws within our political system and our unequal equality claiming society. They challenge past traditions and it begs the question, is it alright to create your own form of happiness?

Playbill notes:

The premiere cast comprises Tony Award winner Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone), Richard Thomas (most recently seen on Broadway in Race), Tony Award nominee Craig Bierko (The Music Man), Tony Award winner Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Daytime Emmy nominee Mark Consuelos (“All My Children”) and Emmy Award nominee Polly Draper (“thirtysomething”).

Directed by Stuart Ross, Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays includes a mix of short plays that address the on-going battle for marriage equality throughout the United States. Among the writers whose works are featured are Obie Award winner Mo Gaffney, Heideman Award winner Jordan Harrison, Tony Award nominee Moisés Kaufman, Emmy and WGA Award winner Joe Keenan, Tony Award nominee Neil LaBute, Sundance Jury Prize winner Wendy MacLeod, Obie Award winner José Rivera, Obie and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Paul Rudnick, and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright.

Conceived by Brian Shnipper, Standing On Ceremony began as a series of benefit events in Los Angeles, taking on a life of its own as an inspiring theatrical evening.

Hurry — you have but a few short weeks left! The show closes one week before Christmas, on December 18. “Standing on Ceremony” plays at New York City’s Minetta Lane Theatre. Visit the show’s site for tickets.

Editor’s note: The producer of “Standing on Ceremony” generously provided two tickets so we could review the show, and has been a paying advertiser on the site, but in no way shaped this review.

Caleb Eigsti is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor degree in Theatre, emphasis in Directing and Acting. He currently lives in New York City with his fiancé, David Badash, and two dogs, Text & Topher.

He assistant directed the revival of Lanford Wilson’s ‘Lemon Sky’ off-Broadway with the Keen Company, and is currently developing his first novel. His writing was featured on ‘Psychology Degree’ in their post, “50 Brave Blog Posts About Coming Out.”

With a passion for politics, photography, writing, and theatre he hopes to bring his own unique perspective to the site while searching for truth in the human experience.

Twitter: @CalebEigsti


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COMMENTARY

‘I’m Broke’: One Day Before Shutdown and With No Plan McCarthy Says He Has ‘Nothing’ in His ‘Back Pocket’

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Just 30 hours before his own Republican conference likely will have succeeded in shutting down the federal government of the United States, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy candidly admitted to reporters he’s run out of ideas.

Earlier Friday in an “embarrassing failure,” 21 House Republicans killed legislation from their own party, a short-term continuing resolution, that would have kept the federal government open.

Later on Friday afternoon, swarmed by reporters, McCarthy was asked if he was going to tell them what his plans are. He sarcastically replied, “No, I’m going to keep it all a secret.”

When pressed, he said he would “keep working, and make sure we solve this problem.”

“What’s in your back pocket, Speaker?” another reporter asked, pressing him for an answer.

“Nothing right now. I’m broke,” he admitted, apparently referring to options and ideas to avoid a shutdown.

READ MORE: ‘Bad News’ for Sidney Powell as First Trump Co-Defendant in Georgia RICO Case Takes Plea Deal: Legal Expert

But another reporter asked Speaker McCarthy the main question: Would he partner with House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to put the Senate’s bill before the House.

He refused to answer.

Just before 5 PM CNN’s Manu Raju reported on the ongoing House Republicans’ closed-door meeting with the Speaker, a meeting where the 21 Republicans who will likely be effectively responsible for the shutdown reportedly did not attend.

“McCarthy is telling [Republicans] now there aren’t many options to avoid a shutdown, according to sources in room. He says they can approve GOP’s stop-gap plan that failed, accept Senate plan, put a ‘clean’ stop-gap on floor to dare Democrats to block it — or shut down the government.”

READ MORE: Will McConnell and Senate Republicans Use Feinstein’s Passing to Grind Biden’s Judicial Confirmations to a Halt?

He adds, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) largely responsible for the impending likely shutdown and the impending possible ouster of McCarthy said: “We will not pass a continuing resolution on terms that continue America’s decline.”

At midnight Saturday Republicans will likely have succeeded in furloughing 3.5 million million federal workers – two million of them service members in the U.S. Armed Forces – and countless contractors, while financially harming untold thousands of businesses that rely on income from all those workers to keep running – unless Speaker McCarthy puts a bipartisan continuing resolution approved by at least 75 U.S. Senators on the floor, legislation every House Democrat is likely to vote for.

Should he do so, many believe he will have also signed his own pink slip.

But whether or not the government shuts down, and whether or not McCarthy puts the Senate’s CR on the floor, according to The Washington Post the far right extremists in his party are already moving to oust him “as early as next week.”

The Biden campaign is making certain Americans realize the blame for the impending shutdown sits at McCarthy’s feet.

At 6:23 PM Friday evening, Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman wrote on social media: “HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE NO PLAN TO KEEP GOVERNMENT OPEN.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

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‘Bad News’ for Sidney Powell as First Trump Co-Defendant in Georgia RICO Case Takes Plea Deal: Legal Expert

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The first of 19 co-defendants in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ RICO and election interference case against Donald Trump has pleaded guilty in what is being described as a “plea deal.”

“Under the terms of an agreement with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s office, Hall pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer theft, conspiracy to commit computer trespass, conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy, and conspiracy to defraud the state,” NBC News reports. “Under the terms of the deal, he’s being sentenced to five years probation.”

CNN previously reported “Hall, a bail bondsman and pro-Trump poll-watcher in Atlanta, spent hours inside a restricted area of the Coffee County elections office when voting systems were breached in January 2021. The breach was connected to efforts by pro-Trump conspiracy theorists to find voter fraud. Hall was captured on surveillance video at the office, on the day of the breach. He testified before the grand jury in Fulton County case and acknowledged that he gained access to a voting machine.”

READ MORE: Will McConnell and Senate Republicans Use Feinstein’s Passing to Grind Biden’s Judicial Confirmations to a Halt?

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, a professor of law and frequent MSNBC contributor, says Hall “was in the thick of things with Sidney Powell on Jan 7 for the Coffee County scheme involving voting machines. If he’s cooperating, it’s a bad sign for her.”

Hall’s plea deal “spells bad news for, among others, Sidney Powell,” says former Dept. of Defense Special Counsel Ryan Goodman, an NYU Law professor of law. Goodman posted a graphic showing the overlap in charges against Hall and Powell, which he called “alleged joint actions.”

See the graphic above or at this link.

 

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Far-Right Republicans Kill GOP Bill to Keep Government Running in ‘Embarrassing Failure’ for McCarthy: Report

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With a shutdown less than 36 hours away, far-right Republicans in the House of Representatives Friday afternoon voted against their party’s own legislation to kept the federal government running. Democrats opposed the content of the bill and voted against it. Just 21 far-right members of the GOP conference were able to effectively force what appears to be an all but inevitable shutdown at midnight on Saturday.

“HARDLINE HOUSE RS take down stopgap funding bill. 21 GOP no votes. 232-198,” reported Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman just before 2 PM Friday.

NBC News reported that a “band of conservative rebels on Friday revolted and blocked House Republicans’ short-term funding bill to keep the government open, delivering a political blow to Speaker Kevin McCarthy and likely cementing the chances of a painful government shutdown that is less than 48 hours away.”

READ MORE: Will McConnell and Senate Republicans Use Feinstein’s Passing to Grind Biden’s Judicial Confirmations to a Halt?

“Twenty-one rebels, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a conservative bomb-thrower and a top Donald Trump ally, voted Friday afternoon to scuttle the 30-day funding bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR, leaving Republicans without a game plan to avert a shutdown. The vote failed,” NBC added. “The embarrassing failure of the GOP measure once again highlights the dilemma for McCarthy as his hard-liners strongly oppose a short-term bill even if it includes conservative priorities. It leaves Congress on a path to a shutdown, with no apparent offramp to avoiding it — or to quickly reopen the government.”

A bipartisan group of at least 75 U.S. Senators has passed two bills this week that would keep the government running. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has refused to allow it to come to the floor for a vote.

 

 

 

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