Lately I’ve seen a number of one night only events that I am unable to review in time for you to decide to see or avoid. I’ll be trying to catch up a few of those in the coming weeks, for your reference.
Jack Shamblin has conceived, written, starred in and performs in Slumming It that was presented at Dixon Place in the Lower East Side as part of their Hot! Festival. The festival continues through the end of the month and has a wide variety of Queer themed events. Mr. Shamblin starts with the interesting premise to shed light on a real male brothel at the turn of the last century. He veers off into wild speculation, lurid soap opera events and contemporary gay cabaret acts. He obviously has some talented friends and it appears that every single one of them was shoehorned into the evening. This work was interesting but requires significant editing and extensive focusing to make it a viable script. I hope he takes the opportunity to do so as there are real possibilities hidden deep within the bloated event he has assembled so far. There were many talented people in the ensemble (we were there to watch the inestimable Michael Giorgio who recently worked with). Now a big pair of scissors would be advised.
As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes
TOMORROW: TBD
Walter Thinnes 
You’ll be happy to know big scissors were added. I build by doing and getting messy and sometimes bloated. Probably because it’s fun to bring my Queer community together and let them influence the final script. The last viewing of the reading at BGSQD had the focus that lacked before. I’m glad you were there and stay engaged enough to reflect. I do like the words “wild” “lurid” and “contemporary.” Hoping to present a production in the Lower Eastside after the pandemic. You’ll be surprised at how it has shifted. There are now seven characters and one genderfluid time traveler.
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Congratulations. I love to see new versions of scripts. Editing is where the magic happens. To steal a phrase: Writing is 1% inspiration and 99% editing. After this plague eases I look forward to sitting shoulder to shoulder in community and sharing a live theatrical experience. Please send me an invitation when you mount it again. I look forward to seeing the next steps. Thanks for the reply.
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