Lia Chang Photos: Alan Cumming, Sutton Foster, David Pittu, Jarlath Conroy and Gordana Rashovich at Charles Busch’s Judith of Bethulia

Charles Busch as Judith of Bethulia at Theater for the New City. Photo by David Rodgers

From the moment Charles Busch as Judith, a glamorously bejeweled and bedecked redheaded widow, is carried in on a sedan chair by two barely-clad hunks in JUDITH OF BETHULIA, I knew I was in for a singularly swell time as only the award-winning playwright and actor could provide.

Busch’s epic new comedy JUDITH OF BETHULIA is an outrageous and bawdy celebration of the Hollywood Biblical epic, populated with lepers, whores, eunuchs, centurions, evil generals and youthful poets.

Helmed by longtime collaborator Carl Andress, JUDITH OF BETHULIA is playing a limited engagement through Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Theater for the New City’s Cino Theater, 155 First Avenue in New York.

Eric Myers, Charles Busch and Carl Andress. Photo by Lia Chang

I attended the first performance last night with Jarlath Conroy and Gordana Rashovich, who appeared with Busch in the Bay Street Theatre’s 2008 production of Shanghai Moon in Sag Harbor. Alan Cumming, Sutton Foster and David Pittu were also in the house to enjoy this joyful, smart and fiercely funny show.

Jarlath Conroy, Mary Testa and Gordana Rashovich. Photo by Lia Chang

The fearless ensemble of actors with finely tuned comedic chops lead by Busch include Dave August as Conan, Christopher Borg as Urdamani, Larry Bullock as Thor, Jennifer Cody as Naomi, Kendal Sparks as Ozias, Mary Testa as Arga, Jennifer Van Dyck as Nathan, Billy Wheelan as Simon, and John Wojda as Holofernes.

David Pittu, Alan Cumming, Charles Busch and Sutton Foster. Photo by Lia Chang

Busch returns to Theater for the New City following the 2010 world premiere of The Divine Sister which became a sold out hit for the landmark downtown theater. Later that year, Daryl Roth transferred the production to the SoHo Playhouse which became one of the biggest hits of Busch’s legendary Off-Broadway career.

Carl Andress and Christopher Borg. Photo by Lia Chang

The creative team for JUDITH OF BETHULIA includes: Scenic and Graphic Design by B.T. Whitehill, Costume Design by Jessica Jahn, Lighting Design by Kirk Bookman, Sound Design by Jill BC DuBoff, and Wig Design by Katherine Carr.

Alan Cumming and Charles Busch. Photo by Lia Chang

JUDITH OF BETHULIA is one of the hottest tickets in town, with the sold out limited engagement on record before the show even opened. Stop by the Theater for the New City and put yourself on the waitlist for JUDITH OF BETHULIA, you’ll be glad you did.

In order to assist patrons still looking to obtain last minute cancellation tickets, Theater for the New City has a waitlist policy. Anyone interested in being put on a waitlist for a sold out performance can call the Theater for the New City box office at (212) 254-1109 and ask to be placed on a waiting list for any specific performance. Patrons may only request to be on the waiting list for one performance. A maximum of 10 people can be waitlisted for any one performance. Once the maximum is reached for that performance, no further waitlist names will be accepted for that performance.
Tickets for JUDITH OF BETHULIA are $25.00 and seating is general admission.

REMAINING PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
JUDITH OF BETHULIA is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Saturday, March 31 at 8 PM, Sunday at 3 PM.
• Monday, April 2 – Sunday, April 8 (4 Performances): Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 8 PM. Matinee on Sunday at 3 PM. There is no performance Friday, April 6.
• Monday, April 9 – Sunday, April 22 (6 Performances per Week): Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM.
• Monday, April 23 – Saturday, April 28 (5 Performances): Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinee on Saturday at 3 PM.

Join the Judith of Bethulia Facebook group:http://www.facebook.com/JudithBethuliaOnstage

Charles Busch and Carl Andress. Photo by Lia Chang

BIOGRAPHIES
CHARLES BUSCH (Playwright, Judith) is the author and star of such plays as The Divine Sister, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, which ran for nearly two years on Broadway and received a Tony nomination for Best Play. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays Psycho Beach Party; and Die Mommie, Die!; the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright.

CARL ANDRESS (Director). Directing credits include: the world premiere of Charles Busch’s critically acclaimed comedy The Divine Sister (SoHo Playhouse, Theater for the New City – NYT Top 10, 2010); the New York concert premiere of Kander, Ebb and McNally’s musical, The Visit, starring Chita Rivera and John Cullum (Ambassador Theatre); Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo’s A Wonderful Life (Shubert Theatre – Time Magazine’s Best in Theater 2005); Die Mommie, Die! (New World Stages); The Third Story starring Kathleen Turner (MCC Theater, La Jolla Playhouse); Charles Busch & Julie Halston Together on Broadway (Music Box Theatre); Douglas Carter Beane’s The Cartells (Drama Dept.); Shanghai Moon (Drama Dept., Bay Street Theatre, Theater for the New City); The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (Paper Mill Playhouse; Coconut Grove Playhouse; Royal Poinciana Playhouse); Crush the Infamous Thing (Coconut Grove Playhouse); Rum & Coke(Abingdon Theatre); J.A.P. Chronicles – The Musical (Perry Street Theatre); Queen Amarantha (WPA Theater);Times Square Angel (Theater for the New City); It’s Not My Fault, It Was On Fire When I Got There (FringeNYC, Theater for the New City); I Love My Wife and The Mad Show (“Musicals in Mufti” – York Theater Co.); Being Comden & Green (Lyrics & Lyricists – 92nd Street Y); numerous galas and special events, including Valley of the Dolls and A Party for Comden & Green (The Actor’s Fund). Also, co-writer and costar of the independent feature, A Very Serious Person (Tribeca Film Festival, available on DVD). Carl is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Charles Busch stars in Judith of Bethulia at Theater for the New City, March 30-April 28, 2012
Primary Stages Presents World Premiere of Charles Busch’s “Olive and Bitter Herbs” at 59E59 Theaters
Charles Busch’s THIRD STORY Actors Fund Benefit
Spotlight on Shanghai Moon’s Thom Sesma
Jarlath Conroy set for Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, June 12–July 15, 2012 at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington D.C.
Photos: BD Wong, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tom Viola at Rosie’s Theater Kids Benefit
Mark Bennett Receives Lucille Lortel Nomination for Outstanding Sound Design for An Iliad
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with Andre Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: BD Wong in Rehearsal for “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
David Henry Hwang to Receive 2012 William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Charles Busch and Lia Chang. Photo by Jarlath Conroy

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia was the production photographer for the Bay Street Theatre’s 2008 production of Shanghai Moon in Sag Harbor.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@backstagepasswithliachang.com.

Charles Busch stars in Judith of Bethulia at Theater for the New City, March 30-April 28, 2012

Charles Busch as Judith of Bethulia at Theater for the New City. Photo by David Rodgers

Theater for the New City presents Charles Busch’s epic new comedy JUDITH OF BETHULIA. The play, starring Busch, and directed by Carl Andress (The Divine Sister; Die, Mommie, Die!) will play a limited engagement of 24 performances from Friday, March 30 through Saturday, April 28 at Theater for the New City’s Cino Theater, 155 First Avenue in New York.

Busch as ‘Judith’ will be joined by Dave August (Naked Boys Singing!), Christopher Borg (Penny Penniworth), Larry Bullock (Charles Busch and Julie Halston: Together on Broadway), Jennifer Cody (Shrek, The Pajama Game), Kendal Sparks (Where’s Charley? at Encores!), Mary Testa (Queen of the Mist, Xanadu), Jennifer Van Dyck (The Divine Sister, The Third Story), John Wojda (The Merchant of Venice, Busch’s Queen Amarantha), and Billy Wheelan (Our Leading Lady, The Lady in Question is Charles Busch).

JUDITH OF BETHULIA is an outrageous and bawdy celebration of the Hollywood Biblical epic. Lepers, whores, eunuchs, centurions, evil generals, youthful poets and a beautiful redheaded widow make Charles Busch’s latest comedy an event worth praying for.

Busch returns to Theater for the New City following the 2010 world premiere of The Divine Sister which became a sold out hit for the landmark downtown theater. Later that year, Daryl Roth transferred the production to the SoHo Playhouse which became one of the biggest hits of Busch’s legendary Off-Broadway career.

The creative team for JUDITH OF BETHULIA includes: Scenic and Graphic Design by B.T. Whitehill, Costume Design by Jessica Jahn, Lighting Design by Kirk Bookman, Sound Design by Jill BC DuBoff, and Wig Design by Katherine Carr.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
JUDITH OF BETHULIA is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Friday, March 30 – Sunday, April 3 (3 Performances): Friday and Saturday at 8 PM. Matinee on Sunday at 3 PM.
• Monday, April 2 – Sunday, April 8 (4 Performances): Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 8 PM. Matinee on Sunday at 3 PM. Please note there is no performance Friday, April 6.
• Monday, April 9 – Sunday, April 22 (6 Performances per Week): Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM.
• Monday, April 23 – Saturday, April 28 (5 Performances): Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinee on Saturday at 3 PM.

Tickets for JUDITH OF BETHULIA are on sale now via SmartTix.com or by calling 212-868-4444. All tickets are $25.00 and seating is general admission.

For more information on JUDITH OF BETHULIA, to get exclusive offers, and to follow the cast and creative team as they prepare to bring the show to Theater for the New City, join the Facebook group:http://www.facebook.com/JudithBethuliaOnstage

BIOGRAPHIES
CHARLES BUSCH (Playwright, Judith) is the author and star of such plays as The Divine Sister, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, which ran for nearly two years on Broadway and received a Tony nomination for Best Play. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays Psycho Beach Party; and Die Mommie, Die!; the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright.

CARL ANDRESS (Director). Directing credits include: the world premiere of Charles Busch’s critically acclaimed comedy The Divine Sister (SoHo Playhouse, Theater for the New City – NYT Top 10, 2010); the New York concert premiere of Kander, Ebb and McNally’s musical, The Visit, starring Chita Rivera and John Cullum (Ambassador Theatre); Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo’s A Wonderful Life (Shubert Theatre – Time Magazine’s Best in Theater 2005); Die Mommie, Die! (New World Stages); The Third Story starring Kathleen Turner (MCC Theater, La Jolla Playhouse); Charles Busch & Julie Halston Together on Broadway (Music Box Theatre); Douglas Carter Beane’s The Cartells (Drama Dept.); Shanghai Moon (Drama Dept., Bay Street Theatre, Theater for the New City); The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (Paper Mill Playhouse; Coconut Grove Playhouse; Royal Poinciana Playhouse); Crush the Infamous Thing (Coconut Grove Playhouse); Rum & Coke(Abingdon Theatre); J.A.P. Chronicles – The Musical (Perry Street Theatre); Queen Amarantha (WPA Theater);Times Square Angel (Theater for the New City); It’s Not My Fault, It Was On Fire When I Got There (FringeNYC, Theater for the New City); I Love My Wife and The Mad Show (“Musicals in Mufti” – York Theater Co.); Being Comden & Green (Lyrics & Lyricists – 92nd Street Y); numerous galas and special events, including Valley of the Dolls and A Party for Comden & Green (The Actor’s Fund). Also, co-writer and costar of the independent feature, A Very Serious Person (Tribeca Film Festival, available on DVD). Carl is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Primary Stages Presents World Premiere of Charles Busch’s “Olive and Bitter Herbs” at 59E59 Theaters
Charles Busch’s THIRD STORY Actors Fund Benefit
Spotlight on Shanghai Moon’s Thom Sesma
Photos: BD Wong, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tom Viola at Rosie’s Theater Kids Benefit
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (3pm) with Andre Bishop, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Philip Kan Gotanda, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Richard Thomas, Jay O. Sanders, and more
Photos: Highlights of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan (8pm) with Oskar Eustis, Patti LuPone, Lisa Emery, Ann Harada, Paolo Montalban, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Henry Stram, Richard Thomas, John Weidman and more
Photos: BD Wong in Rehearsal for “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
Photos: In Rehearsal with Director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
David Henry Hwang to Receive 2012 William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@backstagepasswithliachang.com.

Primary Stages Presents World Premiere of Charles Busch’s “Olive and Bitter Herbs” at 59E59 Theaters, 7/26-9/3

Charles Busch at home in New York. (Photo by Lia Chang)

New York, NY (July 20, 2011) – Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) launches its 27th season with the World Premiere of a work commissioned by the company, the new comedy, Olive and the Bitter Herbs by Charles Busch directed by Mark Brokaw.

The cast features Dan Butler as Trey, David Garrison as Robert, Julie Halston as Wendy, Marcia Jean Kurtz as Olive and Richard Masur as Sylvan.

Performances begin Tuesday, July 26, 2011 for a limited run through Saturday, September 3, 2011 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Opening night is Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

In Olive and the Bitter Herbs, the latest comedy from Tony-nominated playwright Charles Busch (The Divine Sister, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife), actress Olive Fisher sees a ghost in her mirror, but that’s the least of her problems. Her radiator’s broken, the couple next door stink up her apartment with exotic cheeses, and the highlight of her long career was a sausage commercial in the ’80s. While she’s not the most popular tenant, her neighbors invite themselves over and she finds herself hosting a Passover Seder. But are Olive’s guests there to see her or the mysterious man in her mirror? Olive and the Bitter Herbs is a comedy about connecting to the people in our lives – those with us and those who have passed on.

The creative team includes Anna Louizos (Set), Suzy Benzinger (Costumes), Mary Louise Geiger (Lights) and John Gromada (Sound and Original Music). The Production Stage Manager is William H. Lang.

Performances for Olive and the Bitter Herbs are Tuesday – Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. on July 31, August 7, 14 & 21, and special Wednesday matinees at 2:00 p.m. on August 24 & 31. Following the public performances on August 18 & 25, there will be a special “Artist/Audience Talkback” for the attendees of those performances.

Single tickets for Olive and the Bitter Herbs are priced at $45 for the first two weeks (July 26 – August 7) and $65 for all remaining performances (August 9 – September 3). Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, online at www.primarystages.org, or in person at the 59E59 THEATERS Box Office. Group Tickets (10+) are $35 each for the first two weeks (July 26 – August 7) and $45 each for all remaining performances (August 9 – September 3), and are available by calling (212) 840-9705, ext. 204. Please visit the website at www.primarystages.org, or call (212) 840-9705 for additional information.

The special Pay What You Can ticket offer (now in its fourth season at Primary Stages) will be available for the first two preview performances on July 26 & 27 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale two hours prior to curtain at a minimum of $1 per ticket and are limited to two (2) tickets per person, cash only, no change given, must provide email and mailing addresses and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, only at the 59E59 Theater Box Office.

For theater patrons 35 and under, Primary Stages offers specially priced $20 tickets (maximum two tickets per valid ID). Advance tickets are available through Ticket Central using code PS35. Failure to present a valid ID will result in an additional fee. All tickets are subject to availability.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Rick Shiomi Checks out Performing Arts Playwrights Series in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection of Library of Congress; Attends “Asian American Plays for a New Generation” Book Signing in NY
Lia Chang Theater Portfolio at Library of Congress Features Photos of Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation as Scar in Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas, Robert Lee and Leon Ko’s Heading East Starring BD Wong, David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, and Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s Bakwas Bumbug!
“In Rehearsal”: Lia Chang Theater Portfolio Features Rehearsal Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Broadway Bound Chinglish and Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s “Bakwas Bumbug! on View in the Asian Division Reading Room at Library of Congress through 8/2
Photos: Playwright David Henry Hwang in rehearsal at the Goodman Theatre for World Premiere of Chinglish
David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish is Broadway Bound this Fall; Goodman Theatre Photo Feature
Photos: Christmas in June w/ Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s “Bakwas Bumbug” at The Wild Project in NY
Spotlight on Shanghai Moon’s Thom Sesma
My portrait of “Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation into Scar in The Lion King” on view in HHC’s New York City: IN FOCUS, Vol. 2
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Photo Call: BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society
Photos: André De Shields leads the cast of Charles Smith’s Knock Me A Kiss at The National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC, 8/2-8/4
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway & John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Photos: Phylicia Rashad, Michael McElroy, Marva Hicks in Broadway Inspirational Voices “Wondrous Grace” Concert in NY
Photos: Willie Reale, Frances McDormand, Lewis Black, Bela Fleck, Renee Goldsberry, Duncan Sheik, Lisa Benavides, Abigail Washburn, Tim Blake Nelson at The 52nd Street Project Benefit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Lia Chang: Rufus Wainwright to perform at the Ali Forney Center “A Place at the Table” Benefit

Grammy nominated singer and songwriter Rufus Wainwright is giving a solo performance at The Chelsea Art Museum, 556 W. 22nd St., tonight at The Ali Forney Center’s benefit, A Place at the Table. The evening features a cocktail reception, food tastings from up-and-coming NYC chefs Seth Johnson and Andrew D’Ambrosi of the Norwood Club, sushi chef Kevin Chan of Bamboo 52 and current TopChef contestant Ash Fulk of Trestle on Tenth, and live and silent auctions. The Ali Forney Center will honor NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Council Member Lewis A. Fidler for their work in bringing much needed resources to homeless LGBT youth.

The Ali Forney Center (AFC) was started in June 2002 in response to the lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City. They have grown quickly to become the nation’s largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. They are committed to providing LGBT youth with safe, dignified, nurturing environments where their needs can be met and where they can begin to put their lives back together. The center provides short and long term housing, plus free medical care, HIV testing, mental health services, showers, food, computer access and job training and placement at its drop-in centers in Chelsea and Brooklyn.

Tickets for A Place at the Table are available at aliforneycenter.org and are $150. VIP tickets are $250 with sponsored tickets ranging from $1000 – $2000.
www.aliforneycenter.org



Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and a multimedia journalist. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. She is currently working on several botanical portrait commissions for the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation Art Collection and on a book of portraits of her favorite Asian American men in the arts and space.

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Lia Chang: Charles Busch’s THIRD STORY Actors Fund Benefit

Charles Busch's THIRD STORY has special Actors Fund Performance on 3/8.

Don’t miss your chance to see Charles Busch’s The Third Story, which stars the playwright and Kathleen Turner, and features Scott Parkinson, Sarah Rafferty, Jennifer Van Dyck and Jonathan Walker, on March 8, at MCC at The Lucille Lortell Theatre in New York, when they have a special performance to benefit the Actors Fund of America. 

A mother and son screenwriting team hunkers down in Omaha after fleeing Commie-obsessed 1940′s Hollywood. A romantically-inclined but socially-inept princess makes a deal with an ancient witch. And tommy guns meet test tubes as a way-too-well-dressed first lady of the mob forms a desperate alliance with a cloning scientist whose experiments have had, um, less-than-consistent results. Gangster flicks, fairy tales, and B-movie sci-fi collide in this epic comic fable from the imagination of Charles Busch.

Kathleen Turner, star of Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, and Serial Mom, appears on the New York stage for the first time since her Tony-nominated turn in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Charles Busch, a seminal figure of the downtown theater scene since his early years as a drag superstar in Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Red Scare on Sunset, has recently achieved widespread acclaim as writer of the Tony-nominated hit The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and star of the film Die, Mommie, Die!.

Charles Busch at home in New York. (Photo by Lia Chang)

The Actors Fund, a nonprofit human services organization founded in 1882, serves all professionals in film, theater, television, music, opera, and dance through programs that address their unique and essential needs. As a national organization with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, The Fund directly serves over 8,000 entertainment and performing arts professionals across the country, and approximately 300,000 more through Web resource programs. In providing care and service to professionals throughout the industry, The Fund’s programs are wide in scope, responsive in nature, and produce significant results, affecting the lives of people in our community year after year.

To purchase tickets for the Actors Fund performance, priced $65, call (212) 221-7300, ext. 133; e-mail tickets@actorsfund.org or visit http://www.actorsfund.org.

MCC Theater at
The Lucille Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher St
New York, NY 10014
Limited Engagement!
Now thru March 15 only

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
“In Rehearsal”: Lia Chang Theater Portfolio Features Rehearsal Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Broadway Bound Chinglish and Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s “Bakwas Bumbug! on View in the Asian Division Reading Room at Library of Congress through 8/2
Photos: Playwright David Henry Hwang in rehearsal at the Goodman Theatre for World Premiere of Chinglish
David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish is Broadway Bound this Fall; Goodman Theatre Photo Feature
Photos: Christmas in June w/ Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s “Bakwas Bumbug” at The Wild Project in NY
My portrait of “New York actor Thom Sesma’s Makeup Transformation into Scar in The Lion King” on view in HHC’s New York City: IN FOCUS, Vol. 2
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Photo Call: BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society
Will Calhoun Trio in Free Jazzmobile Concert at Morningside Park in New York on August 18
2011 Asian American International Film Festival Kicks Off w/ John Sayles’ AMIGO on 8/10; AAIFF’11 Lineup, 8/10-14
Photos: André De Shields leads the cast of Charles Smith’s Knock Me A Kiss at The National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC, 8/2-8/4
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway & John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Photos: Phylicia Rashad, Michael McElroy, Marva Hicks in Broadway Inspirational Voices “Wondrous Grace” Concert in NY
Photos: Willie Reale, Frances McDormand, Lewis Black, Bela Fleck, Renee Goldsberry, Duncan Sheik, Lisa Benavides, Abigail Washburn, Tim Blake Nelson at The 52nd Street Project Benefit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.