Charles Busch’s The Tribute Artist goes virtual September 30 – October 4
Who: Charles Busch, Mary Bacon, Julie Halston, Keira Keeley, Carole Monferdini, Jonathan Walker
What: Virtual reading
Where: Primary Stages, 59E59
When: September 30 – October 4, $35 (opening night $50 with Zoom talkback and reception)
Why: In 2014, Primary Stages presented Charles Busch’s The Tribute Artist at 59E59. In my review, I wrote that the show “is a wonderfully entertaining homage to the classic screwball comedies and films noir of the 1930s and ’40s. . . . Busch is a hoot as Jimmy, chewing up the scenery in Gregory Gale’s fab costumes and Katherine Carr’s wacky wigs while mixing in the wacky slapstick of Lucille Ball and the grace of Katharine Hepburn, and Julie Halston has a field day as his loud, acerbic, quick-witted sidekick. Busch veteran Jonathan Walker supplies a big dose of testosterone to the proceedings, including a scene-stealing monologue late in the second act.” The original cast, which also features Mary Bacon, Keira Keeley, and Carole Monferdini, is back for six live readings, directed again by Carl Andress, from September 30 through October 4 via the renewed partnership between Primary Stages and 59E59; tickets are $35 except for opening night, when $50 also gets you into a Zoom talkback and reception with members of the cast and crew. Primary Stages is also hosting the online workshop “Seeing Between the Lines” (September 29, $40, 6:00) with associate artistic director Erin Daley. Busch previously reunited with the cast of The Confession of Lily Dare for a terrific Plays in the House one-time-only benefit reading for the Actors Fund; you can get a sneak peek at the Zoom edition of The Tribute Artist here.