Courting Mae West

The play "COURTING MAE WEST: Sex, Censorship & Secrets" is based on true events during the 1920s when actress MAE WEST was arrested and jailed in New York City for trying to stage two gay plays on Broadway. Maybe she broke the law - - but the LAW couldn't break HER!

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Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Mae West: Next Month

The Mae West Blog wishes all our visitors a happy autumn — — and take a moment to note on your calendar that the next free MAE WEST events in New York City will occur in late November 2013 in Greenwich Village in New York, NY. Details will be posted shortly. 
• • If you are having any Mae West events, too, let us know.
• • Mae West Takes Centerstage in "The Sex Issue" • •
• • "Mae West: Sex, Censorship, Prison, and Politics" was the lead piece in the summer issue of The Dramatist. Editor-in-Chief Joey Stocks tapped DG member LindaAnn Loschiavo to write the cover story, emphasizing that he wanted the focus to be on the politics that created the legal tornado that sent the actress to prison, making headlines around the world.
• • "At a Publications Committee meeting last fall, Lynn Nottage suggested an article about the Mae West court trials," explained Mr. Stocks, pushing up his green eye-shade as the Broadway traffic noises below his office grew more raucous. "A week later, the newsletter from the National Coalition Against Censorship landed on my desk with the headline: 'The Sex Issue.' I went back to the committee and this issue was conceived. DG member and Mae West expert, LindaAnn Loschiavo agreed to write the article from which everything else would grow. Taking our cue from Mae, we've tried  to make this issue both playful and serious."
• • Who was Mae West in 1926? And why did City Hall make her a target? Ms. Loschiavo, who has read the trial transcripts and done exhaustive research on every aspect of Westiana, wrote the eye-opening article, which the editors turned into a glorious six-page spread. The native New Yorker is also the author of the stage play "Courting Mae West" based on true events during the Prohibition Era.
• • THE DRAMATIST (July 2013 issue) was published by The Dramatists Guild of America, 1501 Broadway [# 701], New York, NY 10036; T 212-398-9366. For a copy, send your inquiries here. This issue of the magazine, sent by mail to subscribers, will only be available to others for a limited time. 
• • THE DRAMATIST is also sold at The Drama Book Shop, 250 West 40th St., New York, NY; T (212) 944-0595.
• • The July 2013 issue is a must-have keepsake for all you Mae-mavens out there.
PHOTO: Wayne Takenaka

• • See "Diamond Lil" This Autumn! •
• • By popular demand, actress Darlene Violette — — and the wonderful cast who brought the Bowery denizens and Suicide Hall’s ne’er-do-wells to life — — will return in “Diamond Lil” for several evening performances at Don’t Tell Mama [343 W. 46th Street] on these dates:
• • 7:30pm on Sunday October 27th — Hallowe'en Party — come in 1890s costume!

• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 3rd — Gus Jordan for Sheriff — Pre-Election Mayhem.
• • 8:30pm on Sunday November 10th
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 17th
• • 7:00pm on Sunday November 24th
• • Reserve seats by phone: 212-757-0788; RSVP online: www.donttellmamanyc.com
• • Closest MTA subway stations: 42nd St./ Times Sq. via A, C, E, 1, 2, 3
• • The public is invited (suitable for age 18 and over). Join us as we turn the iconic NYC nightspot Don't Tell Mama into Gus Jordan's "Suicide Hall"!
• • The Cast: Starring Darlene Violette as Diamond Lil, Queen of the Bowery and also featuring Sidney Myer, Anthony DiCarlo, Joanna Bonaro, Gary Napoli, Juan Sebastian Cortes, Kimmy Foskett, Jim Gallagher and live music by Brian McInnis
• • Come up and see for yourself.
• • Read a Review of "Diamond Lil" • •
• • L'Idea Magazine's editors attended four times and had a lot to say. Here's the link: http://www.lideamagazine.com/usa-still-entertaining-mae-wests-diamond-lil-makes-new-fans-in-new-york-city/
• • Staying faithful to the gritty themes in the novel, LindaAnn Loschiavo trimmed the work to 85 minutes for a cast of eight.
• • Meet Mae West at Jefferson Market Court! • •
• • In 1927 Mae West sat sulking in the Police Court (425 Sixth Avenue) after her arrest.
• • To commemorate her passing, on Friday, 22 November 2013 and again on Saturday, 23 November 2013, two special events will be held in the Willa Cather Reading Room — — i.e., the same judicial chamber where Mae and her cast faced off with the Special Sessions magistrate 86 years ago. Don't miss it.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I'd rather be looked over than overlooked."
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • The legal battles fought by Mae West and Jim Timony are dramatized in the play "Courting Mae West: Sex, Censorship, and Secrets," set during the Prohibition Era.
Watch a scene on YouTube.

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• • Photo: Mae West
• • "Diamond Lil" restaged in 2013 • •
Mae West.

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