11,878 stories by "Trav S.D."
Tonight through October 14, the Min Theatre presents the first ever revival of the 101 year old Allan Monkhouse play Mary Broome. The plot? “Mary, the housemaid, is pregnant by L…
Tonight at 8:30pm! Only $10! An evening celebrating the work and life of inventor, animator, artist, and dreamer, WILLIS O’BRIEN. The night culminates with one of the most perfect film…
Here’s an awesome nugget! Dick Cavett interviewing Mae West in 1976. (It’s her birthday today — see my full essay on her here). I love this artifact…Cavett seems wary…
Here’s an oldie but a moldie. Here I am performing the grunge-tastic Nirvana unplugged goof “Trav S.D. Theme Song”, backed by Mr. Pinnock on drums, Ron Moore (later Chairma…
One of our American Vaudeville Theatre alumnae, Vangeline has been cooking with gas lately, and so we thought we’d pass on to you all the cool recent developments in her career. First,…
For the past little while, Mae Clarke has been a personal favorite of the Countess’s and mine. She is, sadly, an almost-great, with plum roles in several films in the very early 30s be…
Today is the birthday of Rose Marie — one of the few true vaudevillians who’s actually still alive! For her full bio, go here. I actually got to interview her for No Applause,…
Today is the birthday of Ethel Barrymore, who happens to be the Barrymore with the most vaudeville street cred. (For my post on all three of the thespian siblings go here). Here she is, in s…
A few words about an interesting artifact the Countess and I watched last night, a 1961 episode of The Shirley Temple Show a.k.a Shirley Temple’s Storybook, devoted to an a…
Today is the birthday of Robert Woolsey, who along with partner Bert Wheeler formed one of the great comedy teams of the early 1930s (see more on them here). The attached number from So T…
Today is the birthday (1945) of a man who may be the supreme neo-vaudevillian of the late 20th century, Steve Martin. Would this man have headlined at the Palace? Oh yes, I think so. A portm…
That ethereal sylph Sweet Soubrette has an event at the Living Room tonight, celebrating the release of her swell new EP What’s My Desire? and the launch of her tour in support of it. …
Today is the birthday of the meteoric force of nature Bert Lahr (for my full article on him go here). To the clip below, what could one possible add? To find out more about these variety art…
As a veteran of many a theatre festival, I’m here to tell ya: lean and mean is the way to go. Scaled back solo shows and two-handers may come with challenges, but they’re the goo…
Simon Callow is a rarity, highly accomplished both as an actor and as a writer of non-fiction. He created the title role in Amadeus on the stage (and played a smaller role in the Hollywoo…
It seems to me Martin Scorsese is one of those artists who improves with age. Always the most masterful of stylists, he was best during his early years when probing the most ugly, violent hu…
I am proud to say I am a former MacDowell Fellow. In early 1994 I spent two of the best months of my life as a full-time playwright at their New Hampshire artists’ colony. If there …
Today is the birthday of the sui generis comedian Joe Besser (for more on him go here). I think if you watch him in this 1950 (pre-Stooges) Columbia short “Dizzy Yardbird” …
Today is the birthday of Gus Van of Van and Schenck. To learn more about the team, you can read my liner notes to the Archeophone Records release “Van and Schenk: Pennant-Winning Batte…
Festivities include live music by New York City’s legendary brass ensemble the Hungry March Band, Ragtime and Dixieland by the Banjo Rascals, andBenjamin Ickies and the Coney …
For much more on this amazing looking event go here.Â
Oh, I am very, very sad. David Rakoff has lost his battle with cancer. He was a very good friend to me and a generous supporter of my work. In gratitude, in 2010 I wrote an appreciation of h…
Today is opening day of the umpteenth New York International Fringe Festival. I’m proud to say my association with the festival began in its second year (1998) and my disassociation wi…
Today is the birthday of Jack Haley, best known to modern audiences as the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Audiences of the 20s knew him as one of the top headliners and masters of cere…
I feel comfortable guaranteeing you a good time at this event. Kevin Maher is indisputably hilarious in his low-key way (viz, his sadly defunct but highly laugh-inducing AMC web series ̶…
