Showbiz is a cutthroat business.  Even in Provincetown – our quaint little enclave on the tip of forever.  You think everyone there gets along?  Think again.  After years of entertaining the masses with world-class performers, Mark Cortale announced that the Provincetown Art House would be no more.  The owner planned to turn the space into a microbrewery – ‘cause that’s what Ptown needs!  Last year was the final season of entertainment, and Cortale promised to continue producing large shows at Town Hall.  Now it’s time for the various venues to announce their shows for the upcoming season.  And what arrives in my inbox?  A press release from…the Provincetown Art House!  While we don’t know what machinations went on, I noted with interest that one of the producers is drag artiste Ginger Minj – someone who was introduced to Ptown fans under the aegis of…wait for it…Mark Cortale at the Ptown Art House!  I am not so naïve as to not understand business.  If you own the Ptown Art House and want to bring in a new promoter, just say something like, “We want to go in another direction.  Instead of Marilyn Maye, we want drag queens.”  Admittedly, not a huge leap.  But, the underhandedness seems to be uncalled for.

Cortale’s Town Hall series will include Audra McDonald, Seth Rudetsky, Jinkx Monsoon, Cheyenne Jackson, Denée Benton, Bianca Del Rio, Melissa Errico, Marilyn Maye, the Indigo Girls, and Claybourne Elder – who’s really hot and talented, but has a name right out of The Crucible.  You can get more info at PtownTownHall.com.

I’ll have more Provincetown dates as they trickle in, but I should mention that the Provincetown Theater will soon kick off their 30^th anniversary season with Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches.  Remember when the millennium was something we thought was so far away?  And here we are, glancing at it in our rearview mirror!  This is a special project for artistic director, David Drake, who has oft wanted to direct it.  He’s got his wish…and a talented cast to boot.  The run begins on May 9^th, and you can get more details at ProvincetownTheater.org.

Could it be that someone who has been in the news recently is somewhat dismayed by his physical appearance?  When he was filmed under professional circumstances (including good lighting and a snappy outfit in a questionable color), guys and gals alike reached out and wanted to touch parts of him best left untouched.  In slightly more recent footage which he filmed on his own…well, let’s just say the response was underwhelming.

When our blind item’s singing a different tune, we’ve definitely come to the end of yet another column.  Speaking of tunes, we survived the total eclipse of the sun.  I don’t know about elsewhere, but in Boston it got a bit overcast for half an hour.  Certainly nothing worth waking Bonnie Tyler up for – which begs the question, where is she?  While I look into that, you can check out www.BillyMasters.com, the site that isn’t opposed to kissin’ cousins.  If you have a question, send it off to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before someone offers to pay Wynnona for sex!  So, until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.