A contingent from Victory Gardens graciously accepted their Tony Award for regional theatre Sunday night in NY. The company’s playwrights were all thanked—including out lesbian Claudia Allen. The Producers, of course, walked away with most major awards—12. In other news, Victory Gardens announced that actress Julie Harris has become ill, and will be unable to continue appearing in the theater’s current world premiere production of Claudia Allen’s Fossils. The show will go on. … Best Play Tony went to Proof, Best Musical to Producers. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest won for Best Revival of a Play, 42nd Street for Musical Revival. Mary-Louise Parker (Fried Green Tomatoes) won for Best Actress in a Play for Proof, while gay actor Nathan Lane won over his co-hort Matthew Broderick for Actor in a Musical. … The Tony Awards are so much gayer than any of the other TV awards shows.
The new season of HBO’s Sex and the City premiered opposite the Tonys, which had to influence the ratings of both. Omnisexual actors Margaret Cho and Alan Cumming, along with Kevyn Aucoin and former NYC Mayor Ed Koch (was this a gay show?) all had guest appearances. Look for some lesbian action for Samantha soon.
The highly touted new HBO series Six Feet Under, by American Beauty Oscar-winning scriptwriter Alan Ball, who is gay, of course includes a gay character—one of the two sons running a funeral home with their family. The closeted gay son is David (Michael C. Hall of Broadway’s Cabaret) and his police officer lover (Matthew St. Patrick of All My Children). Ball wrote and directed the pilot and the final program of the 13-week series; other directors will include: Miguel Arteta (of the gay film Chuck and Buck), Lisa Cholodenko (who directed the lesbian film High Art), and many more. The opening episode had the closeted son being upset when his boyfriend shows up at the funeral of his dad. Later, the two have a passionate kiss—a long kiss between white and Black male characters on TV.
Chicago rocker Cathy Richardson is featured in the June 2 TV Guide for her role in Love, Janis, rocking the critics in NY. … New City’s Lit 50, Who’s who in Chicago’s literary community, included lesbian writer Achy Obejas. … Singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick recently canceled her performance at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival because they have a policy that only womyn-born-womyn are allowed to attend. She feels it is in conflict with her stance on acceptance. … Anne Heche is reportedly engaged to marry the cameraman she met while making a documentary on then-lover Ellen DeGeneres (the boy-toy’s name is Coley Laffoon). Meanwhile, The Ellen Show is expected to air on CBS this fall, and Ellen will also be hosting the Emmy Awards. — Tracy Baim