COCAINE & ETHEL MERMAN : The New Homo Guide
Written and Performed by L. Robert Westeen
Directed by Mark Adams
WHAT'S THE WORD?
Audience Buzz:
“Great storytelling, both hilarious and poignant. Courageous, personal moments. Not to be missed!” -CC “High praise for this show. Terrific storytelling, great characterizations and meaningful content.” -JR “If you can make tonight's performance - do it and you will see why people are saying 'see it'.” - CM "Entertaining with Heart... But not schmaltzy or sentimental, though my friend did ask for kleenex a couple times... We were in good hands ..." - CF Mn Fringe Audience |
* * * L. Robert Westeen was a finalist in the HOUSTON THEATER AWARDS sponsored by the Houston Press for Best Playwright for his writing of Cocaine & Ethel Merman.
FIVE out of FIVE STARS on the MINNESOTA FRINGE FESTIVAL WEBSITE as rated by Audience Members |
More Audience Buzz:
"I left with a feeling I had witnessed a person who had actually used art as a way of healing. He was rewarded with a standing ovation... Bravo!" - TMG “A wonderful, touching show...” - PW “...don't miss this show!” - KS "L. Robert Westeen is a fantastic story teller and performer. This show was heartfelt and funny, and engaging from start to finish. Don't miss this show!" - AH Mn Fringe Audience |
HOUSTON PRESS REVIEW 2014 HOUSTON PERFORMANCES
"Westeen has a lovely way with comedy. Some of his one-liners would turn Oscar Wilde emerald, wishing he could have said such aphorisms. The play is filled with humor, some mordant, some plain funny, and he saves many a scene which might turn saccharine with a prodigious over-the-shoulder toss of salt." - D.L. GROOVER (Houston Press)
Full Review- HERE
ARTICLE IN OUTSMART HOUSTON 2014
L. Robert Westeen explains it all to you in his stage show.
by Donalevan Maines
"Haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re doing—in bed, at the bar, getting a haircut, choosing your drag? Not a problem, because L. Robert Westeen explains it all for you in his stage show Cocaine and Ethel Merman: The New Homo Guide..."
Full Article - HERE
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PRESS REVIEWS FROM THE 2013 MINNESOTA FRINGE FESTIVAL
L. Robert Westeen's one-man show features defiantly traditional storytelling about coming out, with a tale strong enough at its center, told so well, that it's compelling for any audience, gay or straight. - by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low August 9, 2013
For full Review: MNARTSITS.ORG
At least once a festival, my careful schedule breaks down and I find myself at the wrong venue or at the wrong time. That happened Sunday afternoon, and (as I usually do) I got a ticket for the show in front of me and took it in. If Cocaine & Ethel Merman: The New Homo Guide was a mistake, it was a happy one. - By Ed Huyck Wed., Aug. 7 2013
For full review: CITY PAGES
One of the best shows I have seen today. Heartwarming and gives you an inside look on what its like on being a gay teen open about their sexuality in their community. - by Rachel Reiva
For full review: Twin Cities Daily Planet
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From the Houston Press
written by Oliva Flores Alvarez.
June 14th, 2012 edition of The Houston Press.
It started off as a chance encounter with a drug-addicted female impersonator and turned into a personal anthem about being gay. Playwright and actor L. Robert Westeen’s one-man show Cocaine & Ethel Merman: The New Homo Guide, is highly autobiographical. The genesis of the show was an experience Westeen calls “too strange for fiction.” One night, Westeen met a female impersonator who insisted on showing him his Ethel Merman routine. He dragged Westeen back to his place, where he had a mini-cabaret theater set up in his basement, and launched into his show. ''This was no-holds-barred,'' Westeen tells us. ''He was just going to town, and if I laughed, I laughed. If I didn’t, he just tried harder.''
Westeen walked out of the makeshift theater/basement just before dawn the next day, never to see the Ethel Merman impersonator again. ''It was all incredibly surreal. And at the same time, it was such a precious, honest moment.''
Openly gay, Westeen says the experience became a metaphor for his approach to life. ''Looking back on things, I had these really great moments, moments that I lived fully and completely, and I need to continue to do that. The joy of this show for me is that I get to share some of those experiences. I have a young friend who is coming to terms with being gay. This show lets me say, 'Hey, life isn’t so bad. There’ll be bumpy parts, but there’ll be good parts, too.' That’s important for people to hear.''
"Westeen has a lovely way with comedy. Some of his one-liners would turn Oscar Wilde emerald, wishing he could have said such aphorisms. The play is filled with humor, some mordant, some plain funny, and he saves many a scene which might turn saccharine with a prodigious over-the-shoulder toss of salt." - D.L. GROOVER (Houston Press)
Full Review- HERE
ARTICLE IN OUTSMART HOUSTON 2014
L. Robert Westeen explains it all to you in his stage show.
by Donalevan Maines
"Haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re doing—in bed, at the bar, getting a haircut, choosing your drag? Not a problem, because L. Robert Westeen explains it all for you in his stage show Cocaine and Ethel Merman: The New Homo Guide..."
Full Article - HERE
----------
PRESS REVIEWS FROM THE 2013 MINNESOTA FRINGE FESTIVAL
L. Robert Westeen's one-man show features defiantly traditional storytelling about coming out, with a tale strong enough at its center, told so well, that it's compelling for any audience, gay or straight. - by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low August 9, 2013
For full Review: MNARTSITS.ORG
At least once a festival, my careful schedule breaks down and I find myself at the wrong venue or at the wrong time. That happened Sunday afternoon, and (as I usually do) I got a ticket for the show in front of me and took it in. If Cocaine & Ethel Merman: The New Homo Guide was a mistake, it was a happy one. - By Ed Huyck Wed., Aug. 7 2013
For full review: CITY PAGES
One of the best shows I have seen today. Heartwarming and gives you an inside look on what its like on being a gay teen open about their sexuality in their community. - by Rachel Reiva
For full review: Twin Cities Daily Planet
------------
From the Houston Press
written by Oliva Flores Alvarez.
June 14th, 2012 edition of The Houston Press.
It started off as a chance encounter with a drug-addicted female impersonator and turned into a personal anthem about being gay. Playwright and actor L. Robert Westeen’s one-man show Cocaine & Ethel Merman: The New Homo Guide, is highly autobiographical. The genesis of the show was an experience Westeen calls “too strange for fiction.” One night, Westeen met a female impersonator who insisted on showing him his Ethel Merman routine. He dragged Westeen back to his place, where he had a mini-cabaret theater set up in his basement, and launched into his show. ''This was no-holds-barred,'' Westeen tells us. ''He was just going to town, and if I laughed, I laughed. If I didn’t, he just tried harder.''
Westeen walked out of the makeshift theater/basement just before dawn the next day, never to see the Ethel Merman impersonator again. ''It was all incredibly surreal. And at the same time, it was such a precious, honest moment.''
Openly gay, Westeen says the experience became a metaphor for his approach to life. ''Looking back on things, I had these really great moments, moments that I lived fully and completely, and I need to continue to do that. The joy of this show for me is that I get to share some of those experiences. I have a young friend who is coming to terms with being gay. This show lets me say, 'Hey, life isn’t so bad. There’ll be bumpy parts, but there’ll be good parts, too.' That’s important for people to hear.''
Photos from World Premiere Performance on June 22nd and 23rd, 2011. Used with permission from Christine Weems photography.
Dab the AIDS Bear appears in this production courtesy of Dab Garner and his staff.
http://www.dabtheaidsbearproject.com/
Keith Haring Images and art work appear in this production courtesy of the Keith Haring Foundation.
http://www.haring.com/kh_foundation/
For More information on Keith Haring feel free to visit the Keith Haring Artist Page at: https://www.artsy.net/artist/keith-haring