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How to Give the Gift of Theater for Mother's Day

Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway get ready to entertain Mom.

"I was so worried that I had missed Mother's Day, I ended up sending flowers two weeks early," laughs actor and playwright Charles Busch.

Don't panic! There's still time to remember your mother on her special day--Sunday, May 14--with the gift of theater.

Impress Mom by taking her to see a show dedicated to one of her favorite legends: Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra, or Barbra Streisand. "My mom grew up with a passion for Dietrich's work," says drag illusionist James Beaman, who stars as the screen goddess in Marlene! Alive at the Café de Paris. "This show is a chance for Mom to 'visit' with Marlene." On May 14, Mickey Coburn (actress, playwright, and Beaman's mother) will introduce Marlene with a poem written by Noel Coward. "Mom has always been very supportive of me," Beaman says proudly.

At Don't Tell Mama, acclaimed Streisand impersonator Steven Brinberg will perform a medley of songs culled from Mrs. James Brolin's "permed-hair days." One song included in Simply Barbra 2000 is "Mother," written by John Lennon. "A lot of fans wish Barbra was their mother," jokes Brinberg.

For Mae-minded Moms: Dirty Blonde

Claudia Shear brings sassy sex symbol Mae West to life in Broadway's newest play, Dirty Blonde. For fans of Old Blue Eyes, the music of Frank Sinatra is faithfully captured in the cabaret show Our Sinatra.

"I'm not sure what I'd take my mom to see," confesses Jason Catalona from The Bomb-itty of Errors,the hip-hop take on Shakespeare. "She would probably enjoy The Green Bird. I like Julie Taymor; she does a lot of cool stuff with puppets and costumes."

For feline-friendly Moms: The Lion King

There seems to be a mutual admiration society among The Bomb-itty of Errors' cast and Taymor, who directed The Lion King in addition to The Green Bird. In the current issue of Vogue, Taymor praises Bomb-itty as "theater at its most compelling!"

A fail-safe choice for entertaining Mom, Grandma, or your favorite aunt is a Broadway musical. Contact, Swing!, Aida, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats are excellent possibilities.

"I'd suggest Cabaret," says Tom Gualtieri, a cast member in off-Broadway's provocative Naked Boys Singing. "Like our show, Cabaret offers singing, dancing, and debauchery!" When Gualtieri's mother saw him in the revealing revue, she remarked, "You haven't changed since you were a baby!" To which a chagrined Gualtieri responds, "I hope she was referring to my personality!"

 

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