“YOU roll with it!  You don’t need hair.  You’re a pastor –
you don’t need any hair.  I’m an actress –
I need all the hair!”
– Cheyenne Jackson’s response when his older brother told him to
“roll with it” when he started losing his hair at 19.  I can’t quite put my
finger on it, but I’ve never been so turned on by any member of the
Jackson family since Rebbie and the centipede!  I must also highly
recommend his backstage Instagram feed “Mirror, She Wrote”.  Fantastique.

Last week, I was invited to an all-star reading of the film script of All About Eve.  The most glittering of the cast was Scarlett Johansson as Eve – and she was superb (I’d stop short of saying she was a mass of fire and music).  J. Cameron-Smith was Margo, and she did a clever thing – she made the role her own.  Not an easy task when every drag queen, gay man, and several straight women can give you pitch-perfect line readings in Miss Davis’s inimitable style.  Alec Baldwin’s Addison DeWitt was a revelation.  While I thought he was channeling Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, my companion felt he was the embodiment of Big Daddy.  Nicole Ari Parker was a spunky Karen, while the always reliable John Benjamin Hickey played her husband, Lloyd.  I was unfamiliar with Luke Kirby, our Bill.  This perhaps made his performance all the more impressive.  Effortless, timeless, natural.  And then Alec Baldwin summed it up when he said, “How lucky are we to have Charles Busch channeling Thelma Ritter.”  As usual, Charles was divine.  And while Charles included a heaping portion of Ritter, he brought more than a bit of his own magic, and perhaps a dash of Joan Blondell!  The reading was directed by Scott Wittman, and his frequent collaborator Marc Shaiman tinkled the ivories.  Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

This event was a benefit for The Center at West-Park Presbyterian Church – a historic building that has not only been a place of worship, but has also housed many artistic endeavors.  It’s inspired quite a few neighborhood celebrities to join forces to try and save the magnificent building, which has been a fixture since 1889.  People like Matt Dillon (who was at the reading), Mark Ruffalo and many others are working to obtain landmark status.  In fact, they are meeting with the Landmark Preservation Committee at a public hearing on December 9^th, and they can use more people to support the cause – even by Zoom.  You can get more details at CenterAtWestPark.org.

While he didn’t mention it to me, Charles Busch is also part of another benefit reading – this time, of his own play, The Lady in Question.  This December 6^th event is a fundraiser for the medical expenses of Ken Sanders, who is directing the reading.  Alongside Busch is his muse and frequent collaborator Julie Halston, and their pal Doug Plaut (who I enjoyed seeing at Eve).  You’d be a fool to miss this event, which can be found on Eventbrite.com.