WMG Volume 7 • Issue 23 January 1, 2020
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Producer Brings Popular Chicago ‘Bathhouse’ Musical to Wilton Manors By J.W. Arnold Ronnie Larsen likes bathhouses. In fact, he’s been known to crash at Steamworks, the legendary Chicago bathhouse, rather than a hotel while on overnight trips to the Windy City. “I always meet the most interesting people at bathhouses,” the gregarious theater producer and playwright earnestly said. “You never know who you will run in to.” It’s surprising that Larsen has never penned a play about bathhouses. His “All-Male Peep Show” chronicled adventures in Times Square while the writer lived in New York City in the 1990s. “Making Porn” was an Off-Broadway hit and inspired another Larsen classic, “Shooting Porn.” And then there was the semi-autobiographical “Cocksucker: A Love Story” about a young man’s sexual adventures at truck stops. Larsen certainly met “interesting” people there. While on one of those trips to Chicago to present his “Penis Talk Show,” Larsen saw a flyer for “Steamworks the Musical” at the local Annoyance Theatre. He didn’t think much about it at first, but on a subsequent trip, he again encountered a bill advertising the play and bought a ticket. “It was so much fun and the actors were having a great time,” he recalled. “I knew
it could be a big hit in Wilton Manors.” The show, created by director Clay Goodpasture, composer Tara Trudell and several original cast members, is essentially a cabaret with a very thin plot featuring the patrons of Steamworks. Al, an innocent young twink from Nebraska, arrives declaring “I’ve never been gay before,” (“except for a hot threesome in Lincoln”). He immediately meets Carol, the resident Boystown fag hag who endlessly complains that she can’t score a man on the North Halstead strip. Al quickly learns “the lay of the land” from bathhouse attendants TwinkieDee and Twinkie-Dum and longtime customer Chester, who claims he hasn’t left the building in 12 years. When meeting with theater leaders about the rights, Larsen realized there was something more to the plot when he was told it was like a gay “Alice in Wonderland.” The characters were named Al (Alice), Twinkie-Dee and Twinkee-Dum (Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum) and Chester (Chesire). “I remember thinking that sure was trippy,” Larsen admitted with his throaty laugh, “because this certainly isn’t deep theater,” referencing his recent criticallyacclaimed—and serious—drama, “An
Larsen cast 15 local actors for the show, seeking to lend a realistic touch for audiences.
“Steamworks the Musical” opens Jan. 9 at Wilton Theater Factory in Wilton Manors. Credit: Ronnie Larsen Presents.
Evening with John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” Larsen was given permission to adapt the story a bit and he moved the setting to South Florida. Carol has been renamed “Jennifer McClain,” with the permission of the popular cabaret singer, and while the original production costumed the actors in towels, Larsen’s version will offer plenty of full-frontal nudity. Larsen cast 15 local actors for the show, seeking to lend a realistic touch for audiences. There are twinks and muscle hunks, bears of all kinds, daddies and sons. “Who wants to see a show about a bathhouse with no nudity? Really? I also wanted this production to be a celebration
of the diversity of our community,” he said. “This isn’t ‘Naked Boys Singing’,” a show that typically features “pretty” boys. Apparently, Larsen’s audiences don’t just enjoy seeing nudity on stage, they enjoy watching theater in the buff, too. Two advertised “naked nights” have already sold out and Larsen plans to add more. “The more the merrier,” he concluded. WMG
Ronnie Larsen presents “Steamworks the Musical,” Jan. 9 – Feb. 16 at the Foundry at Wilton Theater Factory, 2306 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors. Tickets start at $35 at RonnieLarsen.com.
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Opinion
WMG Looking Ahead in 2020
January 1, 2020 • Volume 7 • Issue 23
2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305
By Sal Torre
Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
Image via Adobe.
As I start to write another article, my first attempt was full of doom and gloom as I look ahead into the New Year. There is no shortage of topics to be pessimistic about during these troubling times. However, I could not welcome in a new year and a new decade with such pessimistic thoughts. Voices in my head began to shout, “Stop, halt, hold the presses, pull back and start anew, don’t give in.” I forced myself to step away and focus on a more positive and optimistic train of thought as I make a second attempt to welcome in the New Year. As I focus on life here in Wilton Manors I quickly get in a much happier state of mind. It’s so much better to welcome in the New Year with hope and optimism than to curse it with ramblings of pessimism. Here in the Island City we have accomplished much in the last decade, and the sky seems very bright here in our Island City as we move into the new year. I quickly acknowledge the wonderful holiday season I have been blessed to enjoy with wonderful gatherings of friends, food, and festivities with many Island City residents coming together to enjoy and celebrate. This sense of community can bring rays of sunlight through the darkest of storm clouds. This camaraderie is not limited to just this time of holiday festivities, but also throughout the year. Dark troubling storm clouds on the horizon outside our borders can easily make one shudder with a sense of fear -- fear from the insanity coming out of the White House, fear from a much-divided world, fear from the effects of global warming, fear from the concentration of wealth in the hands of just a few, fear from the monopolistic corporations that keep getting bigger and bigger. There is no shortage of bad news out there. However, we cannot allow such pessimism to consume us and to cause us not to have hope in the future. My hope is right here in Wilton Manors. Our city’s motto of, “Life is just better here,” was not some silly creation of someone in an office
Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli piero@sfgn.com Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com Copyeditor • Kerri Covington
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cubicle. This motto came from the belief of many residents that such a reality exists here in our city, that life actually is better here. We know it, we love it, and we are committed to keeping it this way. As I look ahead to the New Year with hope and optimism, I look forward to seeing wayfinding signs and new city gateway signs to begin appearing around town. I look forward to seeing new development plans for the church site on NE 26th Street. I look forward to getting the new zoning and Land Use changes in place for the Andrews Ave/Oakland Park Corridor. I look forward to seeing the new entrance way completed for Colohatchee Park. I look forward to trees and streetscaping along Wilton Drive. I look forward to the newly planned Fourth of July celebrations here in our city. I look forward to more public art and to finally see utility boxes wrapped with local artwork. I look forward to the thousands of international visitors that will be coming to the Wilton Manors/Fort Lauderdale area
Only by insuring safe and vibrant neighborhoods can we continue to be such a wonderful community.
during the Pride of the Americas celebrations in April. There is indeed much to look forward to here in our Island City. As my thoughts roam around our city, I begin to think about certain matters that warrant our unceasing attention. Keeping a strong and committed police force is vital to the public safety of our great city. Equally important is making sure our Code Enforcement stays vigilante throughout our neighborhoods. Only by insuring safe and vibrant neighborhoods can we continue to be such a wonderful community. Residents should look to assist city staff by contacting Code Enforcement or other city departments when they notice something not right or have any questions. City staff has always responded to my inquires with a quick follow-up. Our elected officials are all available to listen to concerns, with their contact information easily accessible on the city website. Optimism brings about the change we need to see, whereas pessimism guarantees no change for the better. We can make a difference if we stay involved, believe in the future and look to bring about a better tomorrow. This is the only way life will continue to be just better here. Happy New Year! WMG
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politics
Is ‘Dixie Highway’ racist?
The debate is growing By Susannah Bryan Sun Sentinel A movement to rename Dixie Highway — for some a painful reminder of a tragic, racist past — might be gaining steam in Broward County. The argument is being made by one of Broward County’s youngest elected officials after she heard of a similar effort in MiamiDade. The name Dixie harkens back to an era that glorified slavery and white supremacy, says 22-year-old Hallandale Beach Vice Mayor Sabrina Javellana. Her fellow city commissioners agree, approving a resolution in early December urging Broward commissioners to take up the cause. Broward Mayor Dale Holness says it’s an idea worth exploring and plans to bring it up for discussion early next year. “It would be good to have input from the community, to hear their voices and what their thoughts are,” Holness said. “I am not opposed to renaming the street. The dilemma is some people are going to want Dixie to stay. They are going to talk about heritage also.” Javellana pitched the idea after learning of an effort by Miami-Dade Commissioner Dennis Moss to rename Dixie Highway for Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who helped lead others to freedom before the Civil War. “Dixie was the term for the South during the Civil War,” Javellana said during a Hallandale meeting on Dec. 4. “It was also a song that became the anthem of the Confederacy, with lyrics that were painting a positive imagery of
“It’s part of the whole movement to take down symbols of the Confederacy. I would love a Freedom Highway. That would be beautiful.” - Sabrina Javellana
Hallandale Beach Vice Mayor
Dixie Highway at NE 56th Street in Coral Ridge Isles, Fort Lauderdale. Photo credit: Elvert Barnes, via Flickr.
slavery, talking positively of picking cotton. It’s not reflective of the times we’re in.” On Thursday, Javellana said she’d like to see Dixie Highway renamed Freedom Highway. In Riviera Beach, a portion of Dixie Highway is now known as President Barack Obama Highway, Javellana noted. And in Hollywood, three streets once named for Confederate generals are now known as Hope, Freedom and Liberty. “It’s part of the whole movement to take down symbols of the Confederacy,” Javellana said of her attempt to rename Dixie. “I would love a Freedom Highway. That would be beautiful.” The debate has not yet come up in Palm Beach County, but that could change, says County Commissioner Mack Bernard. “We’re keeping an eye on it,” he said Friday. “I haven’t had a chance to speak to staff, the county attorney and county administrator.” Bernard says he’d want to learn more about costs and other issues before suggesting that Palm Beach County find a new name for Dixie Highway. In 2017, State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-Hollywood, urged that cities throughout Florida rename their stretches of Dixie Highway. “The name has divided our country,”
he said at the time. “There should be no recognition of it. It does not represent who we are and what we stand for as a country today.” On Thursday, he said he was happy to hear Broward’s mayor was taking up the cause. “I’d love to have Old Dixie Highway be a road of black history, whether it’s Freedom Highway or Harriet Tubman or Barack Obama,” he said. Not everyone is on board. Hollywood resident Pat Asman fumed at her city for changing its street names two years ago and didn’t take too kindly to the thought of changing Dixie either. “Come on,” she said. “I’m 81 years old and that name has been on that street for years. Someone from New York must have come down here and had a problem with it. I think it’s stupid. That street goes all the way through the United States. You’re not going to change history. And it costs money to change those street names.” Broward Vice Mayor Steve Geller said he was not averse to the idea of coming up with a new moniker for Dixie Highway. “I do think it appropriate to rename it,” he said. “But I don’t want to spend years figuring out what the new name should be. Otherwise it would be known as the street with no name — and that would be bad.” x
Other details also would need to be worked out, including how much any new street signs might cost and who would pay for them. Jones said he had no idea. “That’s the difficult part,” he said. “Before we talk about any name change, we need to find out who’s going to pay for it. I’m sure the signs are expensive.” Javellana thought the county might pick up the tab. Holness thought the cities would pay. Geller, a former state senator, said it could be a combination of the state, county and cities, depending on who has jurisdiction over the road. Dixie Highway runs through seven cities in Broward: Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach and Wilton Manors. Geller shuddered at the possibility of each city coming up with its own name. “I’d hate to make it more confusing by naming it five different things,” he said. Benjamin Israel, the Hollywood resident who led the charge to rename three Hollywood streets named for Confederate generals, agreed. “That can be confusing for out-oftowners,” he said. “They should come up with the same name.” WMG
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