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Book and Reading History -- and nice things people have said
“When Anna was singing in the gay leather bars of Dallas in 1977 with her friend Mario, she was invited into a Fairytale Land of Queens and Princesses and Lizards and Twinkies. She entered a Far Away Land where the sex was rough and the décor was flawless, where self-esteem was low and everyone on the dance floor was high. She dove into the Land of Two Identities where everyone had two names and two personas: one for day, one for after-dark. She has been to Never Never Land, and she has shared laughs and tears and Poppers with the boys there. She lived there for almost two years, and they were the best years of her life.”
From the Book “Late Nights with the Boys: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse” © Alex Bond 2006
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The stories from my past have taken a strange and circuitous route in a variety of forms. I started writing about my singing-in-the-leather-bars days as a television series with the idea of creating a four part two-hour program series for HBO or Showtime. (My tales are not suitable for the PG stations.) It was a great idea, but I knew no-one in that media world, nor did I even know someone who knew someone who knew someone, so it was a deadend.
I was encouraged to make the stories into a book. Okay, I'll try that. But, before I could start a book I had to decide what kind of book I wanted to write: memoir or novel... and I chose novel. I wanted to create characters in the present who could enjoy and learn from the past.
That is when David and I started doing readings from the book at fringe festivals and as fund raisers. Response from that was: the book should become a play.... or a musical.... so I wrote a play version. It was a finalist in a new play contest. It has not been produced though and I am still trying to get the book published before I complicate things any further.
Sooooooo..... if you know any publishers, editors, literary agents who want to have a discussion with me....... you know what to do: Email me at info@latenightswiththeboys.com
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WE HAVE GOTTEN LOVELY FEEDBACK FROM THE READINGS.
Some quotes are listed below: |
"Clear, clever, intelligent writing that creates a specific time, world and experience. Honesty that makes me blush, think, laugh and cry as those vivid accounts are painted. A passion of life is always present in any medium she writes in. She challenges her audiences, while making them feel they are on a journey with an old friend. A great director's writer; always observing, fixing, focusing and collaborating."
......Steven Yuhasz --Director/Producer
" It is a pleasure to hear a voice from outside the Gay community paying homage to the free wheeling, sexually open Gay past. Alex Bond's novel approaches that world with wonder , awe and a wise humor. The world she knew and describes so well was a world of shocking and sometimes ironic contrasts, filled with danger and love....A tender evocation of a world that is no more."
...Carol Polcovar -- playwright/poet/director/producer and Artistic Director of the Fresh Fruit Festival
“It was perfect! "
"Confessions...is a funny, shocking, poignant slice of gay/straight history. (It) completely captures its time period with love, joy and sorrow.”
......Guy Wolf – Producing Artistic Director, The New Provincetown Players
“LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS:Confessions of a Leather Bar Chanteuse offers a window into the late 1970's that is equal parts sterling wit and Southern hospitality. Pre-AIDS, Post Stonewall-LATE NIGHTS tells the story of one remarkable woman and the men who created and transformed her and she, them. Alex Bond's characters are fully human, magnificently flawed, delightfully provocative and heartbreakingly human. Ms. Bond possesses a canny ear for language-both spoken and unspoken. To be present with her prose is to spend a delightful evening with a treasured friend.”
……Heidi Stallings -- Broadway Actress
"I had no idea what to expect. The title makes one open to a spectrum of possibilities; to be prepared for anything, yet I still found myself surprised, inspired and captivated with each turn. Also, in a world dominated by either gratuitously gay plays or neo-conservative candy, this story is refreshingly delightful while at the same time taking itself just serious enough. I can’t wait to see the finished product, which I hope is a play. “
……Tim Shane -- Artistic Director, Dallas Hub Theatre
“I was deeply moved with your wonderful creation and have often repeated your lines and reflected upon your thoughts…”
.........Wayne Falcone -- Owner/Host, The Daisy Polk Inn, Dallas
“…one of the most insightful and honest looks into human interaction told with humor and love…”
....... Leon Stieb -- Broadway Technician
“Alex Bond's writing is colorful and seamless, moving you from laughter to tears in almost the same breath.”
.........Karen Luschar – Broadway Actress
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AUDIENCE MEMBERS IN SAN FRANCISCO HAD SOMETHING TO SAY
They posted these comments from the 2008 SFFringe @ the EXIT THEATRE on-line:
Play: Late Nights with the Boys
Reviewer: Elsa
5 Stars
Phenomenal! I forgot completely where I was - I was totally in that Manhattan apartment with them, in Dallas too.
I could have listened for another hour at least... not to mention seen it all in action. Well done
Play: Late Night with the Boys
Reviewer: rana
5 Stars
it started looking boring when i saw they were doing a reading and not a live action play.
but what a reading! the performers are so talented. they became their characters right there in their chairs. it was funny, touching, vivid and at the same time, a history lesson of an era in time so rare, that i feel lucky to have experienced it through this show.
Play: Late Night With The Boys
Reviewer: David D
4 Stars
Nice job by the two readers.
The story about a female singer pulled into the night life scene of all gay men. I was enticed into script by their emotional heart felt performances and interplay of the material.
Recommended
Play: Late Night with the Boys
Reviewer: Pat
5 Stars
This show was nothing like what I expected, which was a re-enactment of scenes in a leather bar. When I saw that it was 2 people reading scripts, I was prepared to be very disappointed. I was not prepared to have tears running down my face for the second half of the show, and to be asking them where I could buy the book from which the script came. This is a very poignant story of a straight woman's love for her gay friends, and the magical (I wanted to say "fairy tale," no pun intended) life they lived before AIDS, when they were able to stay out of mainstream Dallas's violent prejudice. The two actors were so good that it felt like a play, not a reading.
Play: LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS
Reviewer: Mia Paschal
I am so very happy that I saw this jewel of a performance. Not even five minutes into it, I knew that this was a show I did not want to end - and five hours later, I still feel that way. It reminded me of how apt and lovely a staged reading can be, how it can be an art in and of itself. The two actors are superb, their chemistry is a true pleasure to behold, and the writing sparkles. I want to read the book now, to have more, but this was the perfect introduction. There's only one more show (Monday 8/8) - I hope many more people will see it before it returns to NYC.
Play: Late Night With the Boys
Reviewer: Anun
4 Stars
It's really a shame this show ends on the 8'th. Two extremely engaging performers and a charming tale made for an unexpectedly wonderful Late Night.
Play: LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse
Reviewer: Steve
4 Stars
I was a bit apprehensive when I saw that this was a "reading". I'm very glad that I did not let that keep me from the show. The material is excellent and the two readers do a great job with it. If you are familiar with "Word for Word", this presentation is similar.
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AND..... there was a review in San Francisco:
The San Francisco Bay Times
Late Nights With The Boys is Boisterous Reading at The Fringe
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By
Sister Dana Van Iquity
Published: September 11, 2008
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"Alex Bond is in process of completing what would appear to be a hilarious new novel, Late Nights with the Boys: Confessions of a Leather Bar Chanteuse, giving an up-close and personal peek back at the fast and furious leather scene during the late ‘70s. Those of us at the SF Fringe Festival event at EXIT theatre were treated to a fascinating reading of a chapter by two very skilled actors.
Susan Baum passionately played the part of Anna Zander, a Southern belle from way back, who is writing her memoirs. Anna is not afraid to use the f-word as in “f__k,” but loathe in hearing the f-word as in “faggot.” Baum is an accomplished professional in all aspects of the performing arts, including film, TV, and theater. David L. Carson played the part of a self-employed journalist who has landed the lucrative job of interviewing Anna and at the same time acquiring a dear friend in the process. Carson has been a native New Yorker for 34 years acting in and directing more than 25 productions and workshops over the last 15 years. Both readers really dug in to their scripts, showing every emotion imaginable from tears of laughter to tears of sorrow. It is by no means all laughs —especially when Anna/Alex vividly describes an extremely brutal gay-bashing.
Alex Bond is an actress, comedienne, playwright, lyricist, dresser, and now a novelist. She claims she decided at age seven that she was going to live her life so it would make a good book. I have no idea whether this book is semi-autobiographical or not, but as they say, a writer writes what a writer knows.
I’m guessing there’s a lot of Alex in Anna. A quote from a chapter that was read gave a taste of what Anna is all about: “In 1977, when Anna was singing in the gay leather bars of Dallas with her [gay] friend Mario, she entered a far away land where the sex was rough and the décor was flawless; where self-esteem was low; and everyone on the dance floor was high. She has been to Never-Never Land, and she has shared laughs and tears and poppers with the Lost Boys there. She lived there for almost two years, and they were the best years of her life.” Anyone who had the privilege of living the later ‘70s in gay bars will delight in this trip (pun intended) down memory lane. And if one has not had such an experience, what a learning opportunity this will be! These were the pre-AIDS days, when condoms were only for straights who wanted to avoid pregnancy.
The writing is deft, quirky, both neat and messy (on purpose), verbose yet succinct, and so very, very colorful. It fairly flows with wit and passion.
One of the lines from that night’s reading referred to the writer’s appetite being whetted over some salacious, highly personal information that Anna defiantly did not want disclosed in her autobiography. When he said his appetite was whetted, she snapped back, “Well, you’d best un-whet it, then!” My hope is that this review has whetted Bay Times readers’ appetites. I know I am certainly salivating until I get to review the whole book!"
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