The Drowsy Chaperone show ran Tuesday, July 9 through Sunday, July 14 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion in Sacramento.

Hailed by New York Magazine as “The perfect Broadway musical,” The Drowsy Chaperone is a modern musical comedy at its best. A die-hard theatre fan plays his favorite cast album, a fictional 1928 smash hit, which bursts to life with the hilarious tale of a celebrity bride and her uproarious wedding day. Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, this loving send-up of the Jazz Age musical features one show-stopping song after another.

The role of Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone was played by the 6 time Emmy award-winning comedy writer, composer, and actor Bruce Vilanch. Additionally, to serving as head writer for the Academy Awards, his extensive writing credits also include work on various awards shows like The Oscars, Tony Awards, the Emmy Awards, Comic Relief, “Donny and Marie,” and for artists including friend and muse Bette Midler and Angela Lansbury. alongside a six-year stint on “Hollywood Squares” and numerous film and television credits, Vilanch performed as Edna Turnblad on Great White Way and in the national tour of Hairspray, and appeared off-Broadway in his self-penned one-person show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous!

The musical, the cast, and Mr. Vilanch won rave reviews.

The post Video: Bruce Vilanch In ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ Sizzle Reel first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Order your tickets online: 8:30 PM. For more information call 888-596-1027

Bruce Vilanch is a writer, actor, comedian, stripper (it pays), Muppet impersonator, and all-around suspicious individual. For six years, he was a Hollywood Square, just to the left of Whoopi, if that’s possible. For two years, he ironed his way across America and toiled on Broadway as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. For twenty-three years, he wrote the Oscar telecast, winning two Emmys in the process, and four other Emmys for things that now show up on YouTube. There is a documentary about all this called Get Bruce, made by the Weinstein Brothers some years ago. Very netflixable. He would be remiss if he didn’t mention his luminous flop Platinum, which he co-wrote when a toddler. Never believe a biography that doesn’t mention the flops. His latest project is the pre-Broadway show entitled “A Sign Of The Times” (a new 60’s musical) , which he wrote the book for. The show will play The Delaware Theatre Company this winter prior to its arrival on Broadway. Mr. Vilanch’s stand-up routines draw on his years of being a Hollywood insider. Lots of secrets will be revealed!

The post See Bruce Vilanch At The Cock & Bull Restaurant & Stage at Peddler’s Village Lahaska, PA first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Long before Ellen, Boy George, “Will & Grace,” and RuPaul, there was Bruce Vilanch.  You may know him from writing the most memorable moments on the Academy Awards, or from touring as Edna in “Hairspray,” or from being front and center on “Hollywood Squares,” or from writing for Bette Midler. 

No matter how you know him, and even if you don’t know him by name, one thing is certain — Bruce Vilanch always leaves you smiling.

To this gay boy growing up in a Boston suburb, that weirdly wonderful creature who regularly popped up on television brought endless joy – and promise. It proved that somehow, somewhere, there were more people like me; that I could fit in, thrive, work, and more than anything else, have a fabulous time. 

It seemed like it was a party wherever Bruce showed up. “Donny & Marie,” “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour,” “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special” and “The Star Wars Holiday Special.” 

Was it as much fun as it seemed? Vilanch sighs. “Even sex sometimes isn’t as fabulous on the inside as it seems from the outside!”

He regularly uses his gifts to benefit causes close to his heart. He’s been a tireless advocate for gay rights, raised countless dollars for the fight against AIDS and regularly participates in Pride events – you name it and Bruce has done it. When I ask what drives him, he says, “Renting my body was not an option.”

I remember being part of the invited audience for the dress rehearsal before he hit the road in “Hairspray,” slipping into Edna’s slippers. The first person in his dressing room afterwards was his beloved mother, Henne – who was immortalized in the 1999 documentary about Vilanch, “Get Bruce!” Bruce was still in full makeup (see photo).  Henne gushed, “You were WONDERFUL.”  She turned to me and said, “Isn’t my son wonderful?”  He certainly is!

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?   

I’ve never been in. Before Stonewall, the concept of being publicly out didn’t exist. And I’ve been around since before Stonewall. Shocking, I know. In addition, I was always fooling around with girls, until I realized that any woman I wanted to make a life with deserved more than a guy who would be trolling around looking for other guys. I chose to live an authentic life. When they say homosexuality is a choice, that’s the choice they’re talking about.

Who’s your LGBT hero? 

If I have to pick just one out of the herd, I guess it would be Noël Coward. He lived the life he wanted to live and nobody seemed to make a bother about it. Plus he was funny as shit.

What’s Los Angeles’ best nightspot, past or present? 

I am of the Studio One/Rose Tattoo era. I was too late for the Coconut Grove in its prime and now I don’t last as late, so I can’t enjoy Reflex in its prime, which is about 5 a.m.

Describe your dream wedding. 

It’s a thrupple. I’m not sure who the other two guys are, but one of them dresses left and the other dresses right and I’m the centrist.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about? 

I’m a tribal Jew, so I’m concerned about my tribe. Working on AIDS-related causes for so many decades has made me more interested in other minority health issues, and being on the board of the LA LGBT Center has certainly gotten me involved in that. Of course, I am dogged about the arts and censorship and preservation and restoration.  And I worry — Tiffany Haddish — she really ready?

What historical outcome would you change? 

I try not to indulge in magical thinking. Magical drinking is enough.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? 

Probably Woodstock, but that’s just because I am a boomer. I wasn’t really a hippie, I wasn’t really a rocker, I wasn’t really a stoner, but the idea of half a million people hiking into the woods to hear music and to tell the previous generation that there was a new world hatching is still pretty memorable. 

On what do you insist? 

Pleasure. And free WiFi.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet? 

Probably a postcard eulogy of a friend.  They’re thick on the ground now…again.  But this is not because of a plague. This is Mother Nature and Father Time, who are both non-binary.

If your life were a book, what would the title be? 

There was a documentary about me called “Get Bruce!” Maybe the book will be “Had Bruce!”  With a much larger cast.

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do? 

By that time, I will be married to a Martian.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world? 

An ethical dimension. 

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders? 

Xanax. Just when we thought we had climbed the mountain, they moved the mountain. I don’t blame them for being depressed and a bit shell-shocked. Still, our enemies eat a lot of sugar and have boundless energy, and we have to shut down divisive politics amongst ourselves and confront the common orange evil. 

What would you walk across hot coals for? 

A swimming pool, and in a big hurry.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most? 

Anyone who tells you if you disagree with them, you are worse than Hitler. And that’s an awful lot of gay people. We’re woefully intolerant of each other and rather than finding common ground, we carpet bomb. This isn’t new, but it is especially annoying in the era that began on November 9, 2016.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie? 

“Get Bruce!” of course, OK, that wasn’t even nominated for a GLAAD Award, even though part of the movie was my acceptance speech when I personally won a GLAAD Award. Aside from that, I am very partial to an indie drama called “Parting Glances,” which was the first AIDS movie that I can recall. If you don’t think you can handle it, know that the young Steve Buscemi is one of the leads and that alone should get you to Netflix and chill.

What’s the most overrated social custom? 

“How are you,”  “Thoughts and prayers,”  “Sorry for your loss,” referring to rich kids as “children of privilege.”

What trophy or prize do you most covet? 

The World’s Largest Penis, which is not the same as the World’s Largest Dick, which I have already been called.

What do you wish you’d known at 18? 

That pizza wouldn’t make me happy for more than a minute.

Why Los Angeles? 

I’m deeply shallow.

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SHOWINGS

EVENT DETAILS

The post COMEDIAN BRUCE VILANCH PRESENTED BY BLACK BOX PRODUCTIONS, OCT 5, 2018, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center Aventura, FL, On Sale ON SALE 07.17.18 12:00 PM first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Price: $75 – $125

Phone: (305) 812-4703

Age Suitability: None Specified

Shawn Nightingale Productions and Provincetown Cares, proudly present An Evening of Stand Up Comedy with Whoopi Goldberg and Bruce Vilanch. Spend the evening listen to the stand up comedy of each performer; as well as, a joint session where Whoopi and Bruce ask each other the tough questions of life! All of this is followed by an audience Q \& A.

Performers at this Event

Whoopi Goldberg
She doesn’t mince words. She crosses race, gender, and demographic boundaries as if they didn’t even exist; seems to do and say whatever is on her mind; and looks like she’s having fun while doing it….

Bruce Vilanch
One of the most sought-after jokesmiths in the entertainment industry, Bruce Vilanch has become a recognizable face in his own right, thanks to the feature-length documentary “Get Bruce!…Buy Tickets 

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