Courting Mae West: video

• • "Courting Mae West" — — excerpt from Act I, Scene 2
• • MAE WEST — — Yvonne Sayers
• • BEVERLY WEST — — Sarah Kanter
• • EDWARD ELSNER — — Neal Sims
• • male voice — — Steven Viola
• • An arrest after "The Drag" made for arresting headlines. Pole-vaulted out of the ghetto of the clubby entertainment section, MAE WEST suddenly became notoriously noteworthy in the national news on 2 February 1927.
• • On Tuesday February 1st at 5:00 AM, the Brooklyn bombshell was arrested along with her sister and the director Edward Elsner in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
• • According to The New York Times, Edwin [sic] Elsner of New York, stage director of "The Drag," which opened here last night, and Miss Beverly West of New York, sister of Mae West, author of the play, were arrested at 5:30 o'clock this morning in Miss West's room at the Arcade Hotel and will be arraigned in the City Court on Wednesday on technical charges of breach of the peace.
• • The police allege misconduct, but both Elsner and Miss West deny there was any wrongdoing, explaining that they were in the room going over the events of the opening night and possible changes in the play.
• • Elsner, known for his work in staging "Within the Law," "Bought and Paid For," "Pygmalion," "Sex," and other plays, was released under bond of $250, as was Miss West, after spending several hours locked up at Police Headquarters following a ride from the hotel in the police patrol wagon. . . .
• • The arrest at the Arcade Hotel is dramatized in the play "Courting Mae West." Beverly's drunken antics and Mae's strategies are featured in Act I, Scene 2 [a dramatic 10-minute scene].
• • Arcade Hotel — 1001 Main St, Bridgeport, CT 06604; Tel (203) 333-9376.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West's cast • • "Courting Mae West" • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Mario Fratti Says ...

MAE WEST shared a sheet (of paper) with Mario Fratti recently, who admired the recent production of "Courting Mae West" that was staged as part of the 6th Annual Fresh Fruit Festival.
• • Teatro — — Broadway & Dintorni
• • New York e tutta un festival
• • di Mario Fratti
• • "D'estate si hanno numerosi festival di nuovo teatro," writes the America Oggi columnist and Tony-Award winning playwright. . . . Partecipazione italo-americana al Festival Algonquin Fresh Fruit [123 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010] e stata la presentazione di una nuova versione di "Courting Mae West" della poetessa e giornalista LindaAnn Loschiavo. Molte rivelazioni sulla formidabile personalita della West (la convincente Yvonne Sayers). L' audace difesa dei suoi testi a delle sue interpretazioni, la censura, gli arresti, il tribunale. E' aiutata da attori validi . . . ."
• • Here is an English translation of his article:
• • Theatre — — Broadway & Elsewhere
• • New York is full of festivals
• • by Mario Fratti
• • Summer offers numerous festivals of new theatrical productions. . . . Italian-American participation in the Annual Fresh Fruit Festival [Algonquin Theatre, 123 East 24th Street] included the presentation of an all new version of "Courting Mae West" by the poet and journalist LindaAnn Loschiavo. There are many insightful revelations into the formidable character of Miss West (convincingly portrayed by Yvonne Sayers). Mae West mounts her audacious defense and rebuttal to the police witnesses who have interpreted her plays as indecent, and she is shown dealing with censorship, her arrests, and her courtroom trials. Yvonne Sayers is surrounded by an able cast: the journalist Mario (Jason Emanuel); Beverly West (Sarah Kanter Emanuel); news vendor Declan Rourke and his daughter Eliza Rourke (Steven Viola and the very enjoyable Mary Murphy); the elegant Gloria M. Buccino (in multiple roles). Well directed by Louis Lopardi.
• • In the same festival there is also "Sapphire's Kiss" by Maggie Zarillo and . . .
— — Source: — —
• • Column: "Teatro — — Broadway & Dintorni"
• • Byline: Mario Fratti
• • Published by: America Oggi
• • Published: during July 2008
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • MARIO FRATTI, professor emeritus of Italian literature at Hunter College, is an internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic.
• • Author of such works as Suicide, The Cage, The Return, The Academy, Mafia, Races, and The Bridge, he is best known for his musical Nine (inspired by Fellini's famous film, 8 1/2) which in its original production in 1982 won the O'Neill Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, five Tony Awards, and in 2000 was a recipient of the Otto Award for Political Theater.
• • In its 2003 revival, Nine won three Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Tony Awards.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • 1935 • •
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Mae West.

Mae West: An A-MAE-zing Actress

Joe Franklin has always enjoyed MAE WEST. During 1951 — 1999, when he was the host of television's first talk show "Joe Franklin's Memory Lane," the king of nostalgia invited Mae West to be featured six times on his popular program broadcast from New York City on WABC-TV and on WOR-TV.
• • In 2005, Joe Franklin enjoyed seeing scenes from Courting Mae West — — and this month he had a chance to get acquainted with the current cast when he popped in on a performance at the Kaufman Theatre [123 East 24th Street] on Monday 21 July 2008.
• • Before coming to the play, Joe Franklin plugged the show during the "Potpourri" section of his broadcast on Bloomberg Radio.
• • Here's Joe Franklin during Intermission, enjoying some refreshments. "With her whip cracking dialogue," Joe Franklin told theatre manager Mark Sportiello, "the playwright shows she is as much of a word jockey as Mae West."
• • An expert on vaudeville and a member of a prestigious sheet music society, Joe Franklin is no stranger to the lawless decade — — the Prohibition Era — — when Courting Mae West takes place.
• • According to Joe Franklin, what he enjoys about this serious-minded comedy is the sense that what happens in Act I and Act II is spontaneous and yet inevitable. And he enjoys the characters: the ambitious women and the complex, lovable scoundrels around them.
• • Joe Franklin was completely mesmerized by the star of Courting Mae West — — Yvonne Sayers, who relished the opportunity to play such a unique woman in American history.
• • "She's a high-wattage actress," said Franklin. "She has the skill to keep her performance as acting and not an impersonation of Mae West."
• • A lifelong theatre buff, Joe Franklin has seen many performers try to portray Mae and fail. "I feel that, ultimately, you have to love the individual you are playing. You have to have a certain feeling. You have to have passion for the person. I can see that Yvonne Sayers is the type who prepared for the part by trying to understand why Mae did what she did, defending it, and getting behind it."
• • According to Joe Franklin, Yvonne Sayers is destined for stardom. "She's got what it takes — — just like Mae."
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West cast • • Yvonne Sayers illustration • •
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • author of "Courting Mae West" with Joe Franklin and Mae • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Backstage

Ronni Reich of BackStage came up to see MAE WEST at the Fresh Fruit Festival last week.
• • Courting Mae West would not be without its excitement — — nor is LindaAnn Loschiavo's play of the same name, writes Ms. Reich.
• • "Loschiavo adopts Mae's language with ease and intelligence. . . and the vibrancy of Mae's world [the Prohibition Era] comes across," writes Ms. Reich.
• • "[Yvonne] Sayers's Mae West has several show-stopping moments," adds Ms. Reich. "Sarah Kanter Emanuel gives a stand-out performance as Beverly [West]."
— — excerpt: — —
• • Byline: Ronni Reich
• • Published in: BackStage Magazine
• • Published on: 21 July 2008
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Praise for a Play

MAE WEST's gay play "Pleasure Man" had a $200,000 box office advance when it premiered at the Biltmore on 1 October 1928. The police raided the show, however, and shut it down the same night. Perhaps this was an easy target, since the theatre was on the same block as the precinct: 47th Street, west of Broadway.
• • The infamous raid at the Biltmore is dramatized in the play "Courting Mae West," which will have its final performance on Tuesday 22 July 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [123 East 24th Street] in Manhattan.
• • The Algonquin's manager Mark Sportiello, who attended two performances, has become a big fan of both the play and the talented cast. "Courting Mae West is what great theatre is supposed to be!" said Sportiello, whose brother Tony is an award-winning playwright.
• • In "Courting Mae West," Texas Guinan [portrayed by Eileen Glenn] visits Mae West [portrayed by Yvonne Sayers] backstage at the Royale Theatre to warn her about the raid.
• • MAE WEST: Tex, isn't there a way to trouble-shoot this?
• • TEXAS GUINAN: Honey child, the problem with trouble-shooting is that, invariably, trouble shoots back!
• • In addition to battling a hex by legal voodoo, Mae West was in enormous physical pain during 1928.
• • The usually healthy, resilient, durable actress had begun to experience fierce abdominal agony, perhaps from stress. When the infamous raid at the Biltmore Theatre occurred, New York's bulldog of a district attorney was threatening her with another jail term.
• • Seized by the talons of legal eagles, Mae was rescued (somewhat) and got a jolt of good news from her savvy attorney Nathan Burkan. Burkan had convinced a judge to allow Mae to continue touring in "Diamond Lil."
• • Adding more relief to Mae's life was the fact that the Shuberts had just bought out Mark Linder, who had staked a claim on "Diamond Lil" because he suggested the locale.
• • Info and showtimes are here — — and we invite you to come up and see Mae.
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" opens at 6 o'clock on Saturday night July 19, 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [East 24th Street and Park Avenue South].
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" — — showtimes
• • July 19th, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 20th, 2008 — — 2:00 PM matinee
• • July 21st, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 22nd, 2008 — — 9:00 PM
• • Tickets to "COURTING MAE WEST" are $18 per adult.
• • Theatermania.com sells the tickets — — http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/144297
• • Phone 212-352-3101 and get a ticket.
• • The play is 95 minutes.
• • Get ready to come up and see Mae West, Texas Guinan, and the gang onstage in mid-July 2008.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West cast • • Yvonne Sayers and Eileen Glenn • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Clairvoyant

MAE WEST move over, declared Ward Morehouse III.
• • After seeing "Courting Mae West" at the Kaufman Theatre [123 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010], Morehouse said: Please welcome another first-class clairvoyant to the swelling ranks of those who dazzle by channeling dead celebrities on the stage and screen. Resurrecting the iconic screen queen, Yvonne Sayers easily matches the achievements of Oscar winners Philip Seymour Hoffman (who portrayed Truman Capote in "Capote") and Reese Witherspoon (June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line").
• • Like Mr. Hoffman and Ms. Witherspoon, Morehouse added, Ms. Sayers embodies a once living figure of distinctive style with a radiant conviction and finesse that turn surface mimicry into fine-grained portraiture. Ms. Sayers does a fine job of speaking "Brooklyn," shimmying across the stage, and channeling the original blonde bombshell.
• • Info and showtimes are here — — and we invite you to come up and see Mae.
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" opens at 6 o'clock on Saturday night July 19, 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [East 24th Street and Park Avenue South].
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" — — showtimes
• • July 19th, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 20th, 2008 — — 2:00 PM matinee
• • July 21st, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 22nd, 2008 — — 9:00 PM
• • Tickets to "COURTING MAE WEST" are $18 per adult.
• • Theatermania.com sells the tickets — — http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/144297
• • Questions? Phone 212-779-3051.
• • The play is 95 minutes.
• • Get ready to come up and see Mae West, Texas Guinan, and the gang onstage in mid-July 2008.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Yvonne Sayers • •
NYC
Mae West.

Courting Mae West — Onstage

The author of "Courting Mae West" discusses her a-Mae-zing journey taking MAE WEST through the Prohibition Era.
• • For decades my imagination was embracing an armful of women’s history attached to the crooked elbow of 10th Street west of Sixth Avenue. A 19th century Iandmark [that now houses a public library] used to be a busy courthouse with a prison annex. The notable dames who passed through here included Evelyn Nesbit, Texas Guinan, Polly Adler, Margaret Sanger, Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg, Starr Faithfull, Dorothy Day, Mae West [1893—1980], and many others.
• • Unfortunately, the only sign on this High Victorian Gothic wonder is a plaque about the two male architects: Frederick Clark Withers and Calvert Vaux.
• • Each time I passed this structure — — which resembles a quirky castle — — I pondered how to bring its cultural history out of hiding. Since I'm a journalist and an historian, I had a lot of opportunities to write about the former Jefferson Market Judicial Complex. And I did. I wrote several articles that were published in newspapers and magazines. I also blogged about Jefferson Market and began collecting rare images and vintage photos. None of this did the subject justice, I felt, so I began writing a play. But I had amassed too much material; too many noisy narratives clanged in my head. By process of elimination, one woman's battle and her censorship trials inside Jefferson Market Court came into focus. As a journalist, I feel a strong kinship with the First Amendment. Here was soul food.

• • "COURTING MAE WEST" • •
• • When I wrote the first draft of my play "COURTING MAE WEST" during October 2003, I knew a great deal about the courthouse and very little about the controversial actress. But the theatre company I was then attached to was quite enthusiastic about it, and a Staged Reading was organized for February 2004.
• • In early January 2004, The New York Law Journal did an interview with me. Immediately, other articles about my play followed. The New York Sun wrote about "COURTING MAE WEST" and then The Villager, The Forward, The New York Times, The Brooklyn Eagle, etc. On the day of the first Staged Reading, over 250 people had to be turned away for lack of room.
• • Hearing the dialogue spoken by trained actors helps a dramatist develop the play. After this first public reading, I would revise these 100 pages numerous times. Simultaneously, I was reading biographies about Mae West as well as 1920s newspapers. My play is set during the lively Prohibition Era [specifically from December 1926 — December 1932] when Mae West was arrested and jailed for writing two gay plays and staging them on Broadway.

• • By February 2005 the play was ready for its second Staged Reading, which was held in Proshansky Auditorium [396 seats] on Fifth Avenue across from The Empire State Building. Again there was a full house and the audience loved it. By then I began to know Mae West much better but I continued researching and revising. Eventually, I rewrote this play EIGHTEEN TIMES, adding scenes, deleting material, trimming, polishing until I was satisfied.
• • Mae West was a comedienne who wrote her own material. I did not want to use any of her famous one-liners from her motion pictures since my play ends in December 1932 before she became a movie star. And this presented another challenge: could I be funnier than Mae West?
• • After the seventeenth revision, I gave the manuscript to Steve Rossi, an entertainer who had worked with Mae West during the 1950s. Steve Rossi said it was the funniest thing he ever read. "And," he added, "it sounds exactly like her. You got her speech and tempo to a T!"
• • So I began submitting my play to competitions and sending it to producers and theatre companies. The play was a semi-finalist for the Stanley Drama Award at Hofstra University. Then the play came in as a finalist in another contest — — but, unfortunately, this non-profit theatre group lost their funding and disbanded. Every day I found more places to submit to.

• • Based on true events . . . • •
• • The play meant a lot to me and so did the true events I based the story on: how an unsuccessful but determined vaudevillian wrangled with City Hall and tangled with the moguls behind male-dominated Broadway. The theatre world has not changed that much since Mae West trod the boards; most plays that are produced are written by men and are focused on male characters. In contrast, "COURTING MAE WEST" has powerful, determined women at its heart: Mae West, Beverly West, Texas Guinan, Starr Faithfull, etc. The play is filled with strong roles for actresses.
• • As luck would have it, in January 2008 a New York City theatre group that I had not submitted to heard about the play and asked if they could do a production as part of an annual two-week arts festival in Manhattan.
• • On July 11th, 2008, the cast was invited to give a free mini-performance at the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble.
• • Saturday July 19th is the play's opening night.
• • Moving from the first draft in October 2003 to a fully-cooked final draft by October 2007 was an a-MAE-zing journey. Along the way I was invited by The Biography Channel to do an episode on Mae West; that episode was broadcast in 2006. Recently [last month, in fact], I was filmed for a TV documentary on the Prohibition Era. Footage from a dress rehearsal of my play will be part of this 90-minute film that will be broadcast in 2009.
• • More information and showtimes are here — — and we invite you to come up and see Mae.
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" opens at 6 o'clock on Saturday night July 19, 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [East 24th Street and Park Avenue South].
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" — — showtimes
• • July 19th, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 20th, 2008 — — 2:00 PM matinee
• • July 21st, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 22nd, 2008 — — 9:00 PM
• • Tickets to "COURTING MAE WEST" are $18 per adult.
• • Theatermania.com sells the tickets — — http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/144297
• • Questions? Phone 212-779-3051.
• • The play is 95 minutes.
• • Get ready to come up and see Mae West, Texas Guinan, and the gang onstage in mid-July 2008.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • playwright • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Mary Murphy

ELIZA ROURKE is one of the fictional characters in the play "COURTING MAE WEST." Yes, the Irish characters do dominate because, in Mae West's real life, she surrounded herself with people of Irish birth and descent.
• • In her early 20s, ELIZA is an unpaid maidservant in the boarding house owned by her Irish Catholic parents on West Ninth Street in Greenwich Village.
• • Raised by the schemer and master manipulator DECLAN ROURKE, ELIZA ROURKE is totally her father's daughter.
• • Still a virgin and dependent on her parents because of a lack of income, ELIZA is frustrated and getting desperate due to her lack of options. ELIZA feels imprisoned by her situation and is constantly scheming about how to improve her situation.
• • Infatuated by their boarder SHORTIE, ELIZA plans a way to be alone with him, hoping to get closer to him.
• • Fascinated by the chic SARA STARR, when ELIZA realizes SARA is admiring her body, she is quite prepared to seize control of the situation and take the upper hand.

• • ELIZA ROURKE's core: manipulation in a "velvet glove"
• • MARY MURPHY (Eliza Rourke) — — A few of her credits include: Jane Eyre, Artist Descending a Staircase, Stonewall Voices, Why Does it Sting…, Jailbirds, Wait Until Dark, and All Night Meeting. She has also lent her voice to the cartoon Pokemon, various radio, film, and television projects, along with an award-winning children’s audio adventure series.

• • "COURTING MAE WEST" opens at 6 o'clock on Saturday night July 19, 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [East 24th Street and Park Avenue South].
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" — — showtimes
• • July 19th, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 20th, 2008 — — 2:00 PM matinee
• • July 21st, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 22nd, 2008 — — 9:00 PM
• • Tickets to "COURTING MAE WEST" are $18 per adult.
• • Theatermania.com sells the tickets — — http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/144297
• • Questions? Phone 212-779-3051.
• • The play is 95 minutes.
• • Get ready to come up and see Mae West, Texas Guinan, and the gang onstage in mid-July 2008.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West cast • • Mary Murphy • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Sister as sub-plot

Beverly West was quite unlike her sister MAE WEST. Their relationship forms one of the sub-plots of "Courting Mae West," set between 1926 — 1932 when BEVERLY is age 28 — 34.
• • Born in December 1898 and afflicted with polio that left her with a limp, BEVERLY WEST did not have the career drive her sister MAE WEST [1893 — 1980] had — — nor was she able to excel in dancing and athletics due to polio. Since MAE WEST did financially support her sister, she employed BEVERLY as her errand girl, messenger, lackey, and understudy. In her entire career, MAE WEST only missed one performance (after breaking her ankle), therefore, BEVERLY never took the starring role in a Broadway production.
• • Growing up in her sister's shadow, BEVERLY became an alcoholic and took pleasure in annoying and frustrating MAE by being late to performances, by not rehearsing enough, by being impulsive, and by doing whatever her head told her to do. Angry, hurt, childish, status conscious, frustrated, belligerent, loud, and an out-of-control exhibitionist when drunk, BEVERLY was quite prepared to seize the spotlight whenever possible.
• • When young, BEVERLY was much prettier than MAE. But MAE got her nose job first and alcoholism would quickly ravage BEVERLY's youthful beauty. The sisters had a very testy relationship. There was always tension between them. Except for one photo during Mae’s trial [April 1930], Beverly always looked away from Mae in photo sessions. MAE never forgave BEVERLY for the drunken spectacle she created in the theatre lobby during the Bridgeport try-outs of "The Drag" [January 1927]. BEVERLY never forgave MAE for all the ways she used her and bossed her around. However, since BEVERLY depended on MAE's financial support, there would always be an indisputable family tie along with a nervous imbalance between them.
• • In reality, BEVERLY was an actress who did get a radio gig doing Mae West impersonations — — and she did follow Mae to Hollywood (not having other options). The sisters remained loyal to each other (in their fashion) and wary of each other. But they were never close.
• • This is why in ACT II, Scene 5 BEVERLY is shown reliving her successful audition TO HERSELF or AN UNSEEN AUDIENCE instead of to MAE, whose approval she is prepared NOT to get.
• • THE SHOCK OF RECOGNITION MOMENT — — MAE surprises BEVERLY (and herself!) by showing her true appreciation of BEVERLY's performance. BEVERLY is so stunned to be appreciated that she can only stare at MAE. Deliberately, it is the SHOCK and the RECOGNTION that is dramatized (vs a cosy reconciliation). When MAE WEST says, "C'mere, kiddo" the sisters do not embrace nor touch — — they only seem as if they might, creating tension by the distance.
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" opens at 6 o'clock on Saturday night July 19, 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [East 24th Street and Park Avenue South].
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" — — showtimes
• • July 19th, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 20th, 2008 — — 2:00 PM matinee
• • July 21st, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 22nd, 2008 — — 9:00 PM
• • Tickets to "COURTING MAE WEST" are $18 per adult.
• • Theatermania.com sells the tickets — — http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/144297
• • Questions? Phone 212-779-3051.
• • The play is 95 minutes.
• • Get ready to come up and see Mae West, Texas Guinan, and the gang onstage in mid-July 2008.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • with family circa 1935 • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Gay City News

Gay City News reminds us that "Summer's Fresh Fruit Has Ripened" — — and Mae West will be back on Broadway on 11 July 2008.
• • The Sixth Annual Fresh Fruit Festival of queer arts is back and runs July 11-27 at venues throughout Manhattan. The festival includes both themed-evenings and shows, highlights of which follow:
• • THEMED EVENINGS • •
• • THE CAVALCADE OF FRUITS: A preview and post-view of the festival featuring comedian Kelli Dunham, jazz vocalist Nhojj, Rome Neal, and scenes from Chip Deffaa's musical comedy "Theater Boy" and LindaAnn Loschiavo's "Courting Mae West."
• • 11 July 2008 — — 7:30 p.m.; Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Center, 1972 Broadway at 66th St. Free.
• • SHOWS • •
• • All shows are presented at Kaufman Theater at the Algonquin Theater Company, 123 E 24th St., btwn. Park Ave. So. & Lexington Ave. Tickets are available at http://www.theatermania.com or 212-352-3101.

• • COURTING MAE WEST: SEX, CENSORSHIP AND SECRETS: Written by LindaAnn Loschiavo and directed by Louis Lopardi, this show is based on true events that happened in New York City between 1926 and 1932, when "Verdi worthy-villains" rose up against the tough talking, liberal minded actress/ playwright Mae West. Fighting for the freedom to talk about sex in the Prohibition era, Mae West faces off with her critics. July 19th — 22nd. Tickets are $18.
— — Excerpt: — —
• • Article: "Summer's Fresh Fruit Has Ripened"
• • Published in: Gay City News — — www.gaycitynews.com/
• • Published on: 10 July 2008
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" opens at 6 o'clock on Saturday night July 19, 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [East 24th Street and Park Avenue South].
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" — — showtimes
• • July 19th, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 20th, 2008 — — 2:00 PM matinee
• • July 21st, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 22nd, 2008 — — 9:00 PM
• • Tickets to "COURTING MAE WEST" are $18 per adult.
• • Theatermania.com sells the tickets — — http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/144297
• • Questions? Phone 212-779-3051.
• • The play is 95 minutes.
• • Get ready to come up and see Mae West, Texas Guinan, and the gang onstage in mid-July 2008.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Courting Mae West logo • •
NYC
Mae West.

Mae West: Sisterhood

On 8 December 1898 MAE WEST and her parents welcomed a new addition to the household — — sister Mildreth Katharina, who later changed her name to Beverly.
• • Also an aspiring actress, kid sister Beverly performed at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in 1916 in an act billed as "Mae West and Sister."
• • One song-and-dance number featured Mae clad in male drag opposite a very feminine Beverly (who actually got better reviews than the tough-talking Mae).
• • Few Mae-mavens realize that Beverly understudied her sister in three Broadway shows: "Sex," "Diamond Lil," and "The Constant Sinner."
• • Negative anecdotes about Beverly — — her drinking, her failed marriages, and her mental deterioration — — have popped up in every biography of her more famous sibling.
• • But every now and then a journalist would interview Beverly about her career. In 1933, Edward Sammis spoke to her and then wrote about the new direction Beverly was taking now that she and Mae were in Hollywood.
• • In Courting Mae West, Sarah Kanter Emanuel portrays the frustrated, devoted, spiteful, ever resourceful Beverly West.
• • Sarah Kanter Emanuel was born in Los Angeles on December 8th (Beverly's birthday). She then spent her first 11 years growing up in Israel. When her family moved again (this time to Toronto, Canada), she felt a desire to tell stories of love and survival. This led to her theater debut at the age of 11 in Peace Child, opening at the Factory Theater in Toronto and continuing its run in Russia through Volgograd, Moscow, and Leningrad. Upon finishing school, Sarah's passion for acting brought her to the teachings of Judy Silver, Sears, and Switzer, The Second City, and at the London Center for Theater Studies in England. While in Toronto she worked on such theater productions as Human Sound, The Stronger, Blithe Spirit, and Hay Fever. She also worked onscreen and in TV playing roles in such projects like the CBS mini series Young Blood: The Salem Witch Trials, starring Kirstie Alley and Shirley MacLaine; and the award winning film Evelyn, the Cutest Evil Dead Girl with director Brad Payton. The success of this film led to to screenings in both the Toronto and Vancouver International Film Festivals. Sarah also had the honor to work with acclaimed Canadian director Bruce Spangler on CFC's film Hasid, where she was recognized for her brave work. While in Vancouver, Sarah fell in love... so she moved, again. Continuing to master her craft, she studied under Michelle Londsdale Smith, Ben Ratner, and Nancy Sivak. Some of her Vancouver highlights include a stage production of The Maids (by Jean Genet), and yet another award winning film, Kathleen's Closet (by Sheila Jordan). Sarah was humbled when asked personally by acclaimed director Julia Kwan to be the children's acting coach on her new film Eve and the Firehorse — — a motion picture that won attention from the international film community, including the film fests in Sundance, New York, San Diego, Toronto, and Vancouver. She discovered her talent for teaching. Soon after, Sarah co-founded Studio Underground, her own private acting studio. With a heady mix of chutzpah and charm, Sarah brought her talent to New York City just 10 months ago. She once again took up studying, this time with Terry Schreiber. She is excited to be a part of the Courting Mae West cast, communicating the stories of women with conviction, courage, and compassion.
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" opens at 6 o'clock on Saturday night July 19, 2008 at the Algonquin Theatre [East 24th Street and Park Avenue South].
• • "COURTING MAE WEST" — — showtimes
• • July 19th, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 20th, 2008 — — 2:00 PM matinee
• • July 21st, 2008 — — 6:00 PM
• • July 22nd, 2008 — — 9:00 PM
• • Tickets to "COURTING MAE WEST" are $18 per adult.
• • Theatermania.com sells the tickets — — http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/144297
• • Questions? Phone 212-779-3051.
• • The play is 95 minutes.
• • Get ready to come up and see Mae West, Texas Guinan, and the gang onstage in mid-July 2008.
• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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Mae West
• • Photo: • • Mae West's family • • Sarah Kanter Emanuel • •
NYC
Mae West.