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Director Alan Paul enjoying frothy romp ‘The Comedy of Errors’

Theater bug bit Michael Kahn protege at young age

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Alan Paul interview, gay news, Washington Blade

Alan Paul says a ‘60s Greek aesthetic has informed much of his work. (Photo courtesy STC)

‘The Comedy of Errors’ 

 

Through Oct. 28

 

Shakespeare Theatre Company 

 

at Lansburgh Theatre

 

450 7th St., N.W. 

 

$44-118

 

Shakespearetheatre.org 

Director Alan Paul came out at just 15. He was the last of his group at performing arts camp to come clean on his sexuality. The rest had all come out at about 12, he says. Paul felt quite left behind. Certainly he’s never been behind professionally. 

At 25, Paul was named Shakespeare Theatre Company associate artistic director under the auspices of legendary STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn. Now 34, Paul boasts an impressive CV crammed with work on classics, opera and musicals. He’s been nominated for several Helen Hayes Awards for directing and won for STC’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” His more recent production of “Camelot” has broken STC box office records.

Growing up in nearby Potomac, Md., Paul made frequent trips to New York to see Broadway musicals. He loved “Sunset Boulevard” with Glenn Close as Norma Desmond but was verily obsessed with the London cast recording featuring Patti LuPone as the reclusive silent film star. From an early age, Paul longed to be a part of the theater world and struck up correspondences with many Broadway professionals. After graduating from Northwestern University where he was in the musical theater program, Paul returned to his hometown to pursue a career in earnest. He splits his time between Washington and New York where he’s often called to meet with designers and audition actors.

Currently, Paul is staging STC’s production of Shakespeare’s early work “The Comedy of Errors,” a farce jam-packed with slapstick and mistaken identity revolving around two sets of identical twins. A twin himself, Paul felt instantly at home with the work’s situations and possibilities.

Recently he took a break from tech week to talk about his latest directorial effort and other things.  

WASHINGTON BLADE: I read that you wanted to plumb the work for its romantic and elegant elements. True?

ALAN PAUL: Those were early words. When you see the fart jokes you won’t think elegance. It’s a difficult play because it has to be funny but it also has to be about real people. The characters are searching for lost loved ones. The premise is deep. The comedy of it is what happens in the course of this crazy 24 hours. But there is elegance in the physical production. I wanted a mostly black-and-white set and costumes. I’m inspired by films from the early ‘60s like the Greek romantic comedy “Never on a Sunday” starring Melina Mercouri. 

BLADE: Is it wrong to associate you primarily with musicals?

PAUL: I’ve directed many plays but musicals have been the most visible thing I’ve done. I love both. It’s fun to jump back and forth. In addition to Michael (Kahn), my heroes include Jack O’Brien. He directed “Hairspray” and “Henry IV” on Broadway in the same year. And Michael Blakemore who on the same night won Tony Awards for directing a play and a musical, “Copenhagen” and a revival of “Kiss Me, Kate,” respectively. People mistakenly think a director of musicals can’t be serious or real. Or a play director can’t be fun. I try really hard to play both sides of that. For “The Comedy of Errors,” we’re including some original music. It’s about creating that ‘60s Greek feeling. Also, the cast includes Eleasha Gamble who plays the courtesan and owner of the Porcupine Club. How could I not give her a song?

BLADE: You’re a twin. Has that been your way into “The Comedy of Errors”?

PAUL: Yes, I have a twin sister. For me, I understand the bond with my sister. The bond is different from what I have with anyone else. We share a sense of humor. If you looked at our text messages you’d have no idea what it means but we think it’s hilarious. Twins figure into so many of Shakespeare’s plays. I think Shakespeare had twins and one of them died. This play, and “Twelfth Night” especially, is about needing to find your other half. Shakespeare had a fantasy of family coming back together that never happened. I believe it comes from an extraordinary sense of loss. 

BLADE: How did you go about casting twins?

PAUL: I’ve cast two sets of twins who look nothing alike. Put the same hat on them and who cares? We get it.  

BLADE: Tell me about how Michael Kahn hired you. 

PAUL: It was over drinks at Playbill Café. I miss that place so much. Not a big deal for him, but life changing for me. 

BLADE: This is Michael Kahn’s last season at STC. What has he taught you?

PAUL: He pushed me very hard when I was very young to run the department. He gave me a lot of responsibility and expected me to know what I was doing. I figured out how to do it and I think that he gave me a lot of confidence early on. Also, I will take away his incredibly high standards. He won’t let anything go that does meet a certain standard. And I have that myself. An internal GPS that says “not good enough.” 

BLADE: Will you work under Kahn’s appointed successor, Simon Godwin?

PAUL: That’s an ongoing conversation. I like him and am excited to see what he’ll do. 

BLADE: Was directing The Comedy of Errors your choice?

PAUL: STC wasn’t doing a musical this season so I knew I’d do a play. I really wanted to do Shakespeare so Michael and I talked about a lot of different titles. Comedies to dramas. We hadn’t done this one in a long time. I thought it was a great way to open the season and I wanted to assemble a group of funny people that the audience would know. It’s always fun to have artists on stage together who have contributed to the success of STC. People like Tom Story, Nancy Robinette, Ted van Griethuysen, Sarah Marshall. 

BLADE: And don’t forget Veanne Cox as Adriana.

PAUL: Yes, wait until you see her arguing with a parrot. She has a pet bird that talks to her. 

BLADE: Last season you broke Shakespeare Theatre Company sales record with your production of “Camelot.” How do you explain that?

PAUL: The election. I’d been uncertain about doing “Camelot.” People love the music but not so much the book. But when Hillary Clinton lost the election, I couldn’t help but wonder what Obama was thinking about his legacy. That’s what King Arthur goes through at the end of the play. When the Round table is cracked he says that barbarism is the natural state of man. Then at the end of the scene he meets the kid and his spirit is revived. I thought that’s the story Washington needed to hear. And I was right. 

BLADE: There are so many shows opening right about now. Why see “The Comedy of Errors”?

PAUL: Well, it’s short — 95 action-packed minutes. Nobody wants to see a really long play. With this production, you’re out in time to get drinks or supper. Also, it’s funny. In these times of the stressful news cycle, I want to give people some entertainment and joy. 

BLADE: Tell me about your childhood letter writing. 

PAUL: Yes, I have a whole book of correspondence, about one hundred letters. I started writing letter c/o the stage door when I was a kid. I wrote stage managers, a dance captain and actors like George Hearn. I have letters from Audra McDonald before she was famous. Bob Mackie wrote me. I wanted to know how things worked. 

BLADE: How does being gay figure into your work?

PAUL: Freedom to have fun with sexuality. Someone in the show accused me of trying to make this into a John Waters’ movie. I said that’s a good thing. There’s lots of drag. Sarah Marshall plays a man, Dr. Pinch. Three men double as female characters. 

BLADE Any directorial projects you’re itching to tackle?

PAUL Yes, two musical and a play. In keeping with my Greek ‘60s film thing, I’d like to do the musical “Zorba.” And another is “Golden Boy,” the musical based the Clifford Odets play about a young man from Harlem who pursues prizefighting despite his family’s objections. It needs a little doctoring, but I think that would make a wonderful Broadway revival. And the play is “Teenage Dick.” It’s got a provocative title but it’s actually a version of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” set in an American high school. It played at the Public Theater in New York this summer. Please someone in Washington let me do this. It will be a huge hit in this town, I’m certain. 

The cast of ‘The Comedy of Errors,’ a brisk farce now on the boards at Shakespeare Theatre Co. (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy STC)

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Theater

D.C.’s spring theater scene offers ‘Macbeth,’ ‘Peter Pan,’ Sedaris and more

Queer themes well represented in season’s productions

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Out actor Adam Chanler-Berat to play Andrew the archivist in ‘Unknown Soldier’ at Arena Stage (March 29-May 5). (Photo courtesy Arena)

There’s a lot on for theater this spring. And here’s a queer heavy sampling. 

If it’s “Company” you’re after, try the Kennedy Center. The national tour of the Tony-winning, gender-swapped revival of out legend Stephen Sondheim’s hit musical withBritney Colemanas forever single Bobbie is moored to the Opera House through March 31. Kennedy-center.org 

Signature Theatre in Arlington presents “Penelope” (through April 21), a one-woman musical featuring out Broadway star Jessica Phillips. With glass of bourbon in hand, Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, gets a few things off her chest. Think Trojan War. Sigtheatre.org

At Studio Theatre, nonbinary playwright Bryna Turner’s “At the Wedding” is currently making its regional debut in a production helmed by out director Tom Story. It’s a queer comedy about a woman crashing her ex’s wedding with the intention of not making a scene. Good luck with that. Out actor Holly Twyford plays Maria, mother of the bride. Studiotheatre.org

At Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Justin Weaks is workshopping his new play “A Fine Madness” (March 17-24)). The solo piece is inspired by the talented out actor’s 2016 HIV diagnosis and the ensuing years he spent alone and processing. (Tickets are pay what you will – starting at $5.)

Also slated for Woolly is “Amm(i)gone” (April 20–May 12). Created and performed by queer theater maker Adil Mansoor, the personal story is about inviting his Pakistani mother to translate “Antigone” into Urdu as means of exploring the tensions between family and faith. Woollymammoth.net

At Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street, N.E., Mosaic Theater presents Rhiana Yazzie’s “Nancy” (March 30- April 21), a tale of ambition and ancestry soaked in ‘80s nostalgia. Staged by out director Ken-Matt Martin, the seven-person cast includes Lynn Hawley as Nancy, out actor Michael Kevin Darnall as Ronnie, and Anaseini Katoa is Esmeralda, a Navajo woman advocating for her community. Mosaictheater.org

Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., delivers divas. Meow Meow, the post-post-modern phenom from down under, brings her globally celebrated act to the park’s Barns venue on March 21. And on June 8, a single show featuring both Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight promises to light up Wolf Trap’s cavernous Filene Center with legendary star power.Wolftrap.org  

Arena Stage presents “Unknown Solder” (March 29-May 5), Daniel Goldstein and Michael Friedman’s sweeping musical about a woman in search of her family’s past. The topnotch cast includes Lori Lee Gayer, out actor Adam Chanler-Berat, and Broadway’s Judy Kuhn. Arenastage.org

At 1st Stage in Tysons, Va., wonderful out actor Michael Rusotto plays the titular sissy in Douglas Carter Beane’s “The Nance” (April 4-21). Set in 1930s New York, the action follows a queer burlesque actor as he navigates his way through a world where it’s safer to be gay onstage than off. Nick Olcott directs. 1ststage.org

Broadway at the National moves musically into spring with “Peter Pan” (April 9-21). Playwright Larissa FastHorse’s fresh adaptation of the eternal boy’s classic tale feels fresh without losing the familiar including terrific tunes like “I’m Flying,” “I Gotta Crow,” and “I Won’t Grow Up.” Broadwayatthenational.com

Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) presents “Macbeth” (April 9-May 5) starring movie star Ralph Fiennes as the Thane of Glamis, and Indira Varma as sleepwalking Lady M. Staged by STC’s artistic director Simon Godwin, the production won’t be performed in the company’s usual digs but rather a borrowed former BET soundstage (1301 W St., N.E.) where the world of the Scottish play will be created. Exciting stuff. Shakespearetheatre.org

Attention dance lovers! In Fairfax, GMU Center of the Arts presents Martha Graham Dance Company — the oldest modern dance ensemble in the country— for just one night (April 13) with a program that showcases the company’s legacy through iconic classics and new work. Cfa.gmu.edu

Also on April 13, bestselling gay author David Sedaris brings his inimitably hilarious take on life to the Strathmore in North Bethesda. Strathmore.org 

Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater presents Opera Lafayette’s modern premiere of “Mouret’s Les Fêtes de Thalie” (May 3 and 4), an opéra-ballet that broke with serious French operas by putting contemporary characters on stage. Renowned French conductor/musician Christophe Rousset conducts. Operalayette.org

At GALA Hispanic Theatre, it’s Gustavo Ott and Mariano Vale’s “The Return of Eva Perón: Momia en el closet” (May 9–June 9), a dark musical comedy filled with “historical intrigue and spine-chilling entertainment.” (Performed in Spanish with English surtitles.) Galatheatre.org

This spring, Creative Cauldron in Falls Church presents Kirsten Childs’ new musical “The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin” (May 16-June 9), the humorous and pointed story of a seemingly confident woman’s journey through racism, sexism, showbiz, and finally self-acceptance. Angelisa Gilyard directs. Creativecauldron.org 

For one night only, the Alden Theatre in Mclean, Va., presents “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now — The Three Leading Ladies of ‘Hairspray’” (Saturday, June 8) with Marissa Jaret Winokur, Kerry Butler, and Laura Bell Bundy. Broadway’s original Tracy, Penny, and Amber are staging a rare reunion to celebrate the hit musical’s 20th anniversary. Mcleancenter.org

And on time for Pride, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington presents what promises to be a beautifully rendered multidisciplinary event. Titled “Portraits” (Sunday, June 16 at Lincoln Theatre), the concert features visual art, music, and dance, representing a vibrant spectrum of sexual, gender, racial, ethnic, and cultural identities in a nine-movement commission combining the work of nine visual artists, nine composers, nine choreographers, and sung by the Chorus and featuring 17th Street Dance. Gmcw.org

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Theater

‘Avaaz’ traces journey from Iran to California

Olney production brings comedy, singing, improv, and even magic

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Michael Shayan in ‘Avaaz.’ (Photo by Jenny Graham)

‘Avaaz’
Through April 7
Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road
Olney, MD 20832
$55-$90
Olneytheatre.org

How better to understand your own mother’s psyche than by playing her on stage? 

In his solo show “Avaaz,” queer actor/writer Michael Shayan pretty much does just that. As “Roya” (not his mother’s actual name), he explores how a woman’s fun, larger-than-life presence might belie a deeper sadness. It’s a party but not without truth and moving drama. 

And now, after a successful world premiere run in California’s South Coast Repertory last spring, his play is at Olney Theatre Center (through April 7) before kicking off on a national tour. 

“Avaaz,” a Farsi word for “a song as it is being sung,” follows Roya’s journey from Tehran to what Shayan cheekily tags “Tehran-geles, CA, formerly known as Westwood.” It’s here where the courageous single mother carves out a life for herself and her closeted queer son.

Recently, via phone, Shayan offered a glimpse into his show, describing how we first meet Roya in her heavily chandeliered L.A. living room where she’s marking Nowruz (Persian New Year) with a lavish party; but despite the festive atmosphere there’s some detectable tension in the air.

Over 80 minutes, Roya’s story unfolds, alternating between dark revelations and her return to fabulous hostess mode. After all, Roya is entertaining guests – in this case it’s the 200 theatergoers seated in Olney Theater’s intimate Mulitz-Gudelsky space. 

He adds, “There’s a lot going on. This show brings everything together: writing, acting, comedy, a little singing, lots of improv, and even some magic.”  

For Shayan, an early and ardent interest in magic set the stage for theater: “As an illusionist, I was big on the bar mitzvah circuit. With magic, you’re a one man show. There was acting, directing, learning about audience and theatricality. I learned a lot.” 

He also did characters — Elaine Stitch, Bernadette Peters, all the divas, but other than a few snippets of her Persian accent, never his mom. 

Higher education lured Shayan eastward. A Harvard grad with an MFA in playwriting from Brooklyn College, his bio includes gigs such as Emmy-nominated writer and consulting producer on “The Book of Queer” for Max and worked on “We’re Here,” the Emmy-winning Max show featuring former “Drag Race” contestants.

But the actual genesis of Roya, and in turn “Avaaz,” was sparked at a Lambda Literary Retreat. “We were doing an exercise where you put your hand on your heart and feel the heartbeat of a character. I felt my mom’s heartbeat, and listened to what she had to say.

“I’d always wanted to better understand my mother and had even interviewed her in the past, but it was at the Lambda retreat that a first draft really poured out. And still, more continues to be revealed about her past and our dynamic.”

When asked exactly how he approaches the part, Shayan, who exudes warmth and humor, replies, “It’s about the channeling of energy and personality.”

Visually, he’s not exactly going for total realness. Shayan paints his nails but keeps his full beard. Emmy-winning costume designer Joshua “Domino” Schwartz dresses him in a golden Persian-inspired robe over pants emblazoned by a single outsized Gucci logo.  

“When I put that on, I become Roya, baby,” Shayan says. “It’s very powerful. It’s a ritual. There are several pieces. My posture changes.”

Roya’s over the top décor comes compliments of Tony Award-winning set designer Beowulf Borritt.

And because Roya leans on humor to pivot away from what’s uncomfortable, Shayan indulges in a bit of standup: “Tony-nominated director Moritz von Stuelpnagel and I share a language – not Farsi, but humor. Recently he surprised me by singing a Persian pop song pitch perfect and almost word perfect. I call him Persian adjacent. He’s a comic genius.”

As both performer and writer, his solo show is serving up new opportunities for the Iranian American theater maker. 

Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, whom Shayan describes as both an inspiration and a friend, has given him parts in several readings of some funny and moving new works. He says, “I’d like to be acting more, but my writing career is busier than ever.”

These days, Shayan very happily splits time between New York and L.A., depending on when and where he’s needed for each of his many projects. 

There isn’t a lot of down time, and he couldn’t be happier. 

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Theater

Tony Thomas brings ‘Tempestuous Elements’ to DC

Ann Julia Cooper play will be at Arena Stage through March 17

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Tony Thomas (Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas)

‘Tempestuous Elements’
Through March 17
Arena Stage 
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
$56-$95
Arenastage.org

Tony Thomas isn’t shy about his talent. The accomplished choreographer says, “With every show I work on, the artists continue to grow. They leave wanting to keep moving and to expand that part of their artistry.”

Over the years, he’s successfully carved out a niche as a choreographer of plays with music and/or movement. For many of these “playsicals” as he whimsically dubs them, his creative credit reads “choreography consultant.”

Once an actor who danced a lot, he’s now passionate about helping other actors do the same. Currently, he’s serving as choreographer and associate director for the world premiere production of “Tempestuous Elements,” at Arena Stage’s in the round Fichandler space. Penned by Kia Corthron and staged by Psalmayene 24, it’s the true-life story of Ann Julia Cooper (played by Gina Daniels), a Black principal at D.C.’s historic M Street School who, against all odds, fights for her students’ rights to an advanced curriculum. 

WASHINGTON BLADE: Is this a D.C. story?

TONY THOMAS: In part. It’s more a story of its time. Anna understood she was poised to be somebody, but still feel the pushback. Superintendent white doesn’t approve of the classic curriculum she’s created for Black students. Hers is a turn of 20th century Black middle-class life with high tea and much finery. More importantly, Black people are being seen as human beings. It’s an opportunity to really be someone, but the fight isn’t over. People are boxed in another systemic way.

BLADE: And how does choreography work within a play?

THOMAS: With plays, I need to demonstrate the choreography. The actors want to see it. It’s not like with dancers when we speak the same vocabulary. 

I realize energy is one of my selling points. I’ll be 45 in April and apparently my turns and jumps are still on point.

BLADE Is there a difference between beautiful movement and not just actor movement?

THOMAS: There’s a difference. With “Tempestuous Elements,” I taught them a little ballet, warmed them up and imbued them with the dignity needed for the story they’re about to tell. Some of the cast already move like dancers while others understand tempo. When choreographing plays with movement, you have to trust the actors. 

BLADE: Is that tough for a trained dancer?

THOMAS: No, not really. I have a concert dance background — ballet, modern, jazz — and have studied with Debbie Allen, Shawn Cosby and Mike Malone. I don’t expect that level of training from actors. I like the freedom to move and put their characters into it. They’re not like ten concert dancers who need to look like one person. They are moving as characters — students, different adults.

BLADE: For a decade, you stepped away from showbiz? 

THOMAS: I stopped in my mid-20s. I turned Ailey down twice. Then I went to art school and pursued a degree in interior architecture at Academy of Art University in San Francisco. 

BLADE: And you returned theater? 

THOMAS: Now I do both theater and interior architecture, but in 2012 friends dared me to come along on an audition for the Broadway “West Side Story.” Well, I did and I booked a national tour. That got me back in the business. Not long after, I played Richie in “A Chorus Line” at Olney Theatre. And around 2015, I did “The Shipment” with Psalm, and ever since I’ve done all of the choreography and movement for his plays.

            BLADE: Tell me how you connect with “Tempestuous Elements”?

THOMAS: Who was your first teacher? We asked the actors to come to this production with that in mind, and to let that warm their hearts as we developed this original piece.

I grew up as a child actor doing TV, film and theater shuttling back and forth from D.C. to New York, and I took that from my mom who was an actor, singer, and dancer. I watched her teach, dress as a clown and put on parties for kids, and there were all sorts of performance-related things that I learned from her.

BLADE: And does that continue? 

THOMAS: Oh yeah. Increasingly, I enjoy being the process. I’ve grown past the point of just coming in and doing my job. I feel more invested. More and more, I want to be part of the creation process.

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