Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, March 21, 2008 Page: 82 of 128
one hundred twenty eight pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
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□ entertainment «
2008
READERS VOICE AWARDS
DRAMATIC
INTERPRETATION:
Paul J. Williams,
left, and Coy
Covington react to
sharing their
Readers Voice win
for best actor.
It probably says something significant about the
gay community than when voting for their favorite
male actor, readers split their choices between
two men best known for donning dresses. Although
Paul J. Williams, left, and Coy Covington ply their
stagecraft sparingly — each appears in a handful of
productions every year — virtually every time one
trods the boards he leaves a red mark on the funny
bone. How could you not vote for them?
But aside from their cross-dressing comic chops,
their styles distinguish each of them. First there's
the fact one (Covington) is blond, the other
(Williams) brunet: the Chrissy and Janet of Dallas
theater.
Covington's forte is dry ironic melodrama. He's
stolen the show in several Charles Busch plays,
such as "Red Scare on Sunset" and last year's "Die
Mommie, Die!" at Uptown Players (which Busch
himself saw, and for which he gushed about
Covington's interpretation). Covington effortlessly
howls in exaggerated pain and boundless joy, but
never without finding his key-light. And when he
pulls on a pair of trousers and tailored jacket over
his slender frame for a "straight" performance, it's
as if Fred Astaire has been inhabited by the soul of
Robert Benchley: Funny and elegant
If Covington is uptown, Williams is downtown
Williams' humor is organic and quick-witted.
Although well-known as a stand-up comedian, he's
really more an actor with a comedy routine. When
DANIEL A. KUSNER/Dallas Voice
he performs his signature character, the frumpy
Right Wing bible-thumper Sister Helen Holy, it's a
form of guerrilla theater. He grills audiences about
their religious background, shooting off hilarious
barbs with machine-gun speed, improvising as
expertly as another funny Williams (Robin). But he
can act, too, as he proved early this year when per-
forming "Revolutionary Costume for Today" from
"Grey Gardens" at Uptown Players' "Broadway Our
Way."
Say what you want about the heft of Broadway or
the fleshy realism of Chicago theater. If it's wrong
for Dallas to love two comic cross-dressing actors,
we don't want to be right.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
BEST LOCAL ACTOR — TIE
Coy Covington
Often performs with Uptown Players,
In 2007, starred in "Die Mommie,
Die!" (Apr. 13-May 6) at the KD Studio
Theatre, 2600 N, Stemmons Freeway
Suite 180
upto wn players, org
ovies are all the same wherever you screen
them, so all movie theaters must be the
same, right?
Not a chance.
Sure, there's the obvious: Newer theaters have
fresher facilities and state-of-the-art sound and pro-
jection equipment. (Nowadays, stadium seating is
the rule, not the exception.)
But we rely on so much more when picking a
favorite moviehouse. Ineffable qualities make the
difference: What kind of audience does it attract?
How's the concessions selection? Is the staff knowl-
edgeable (better: enthusiastic) about their product?
And how well does management book films you
want to see?
And by those criteria, the Magnolia in the West
Village easily won us over.
First is the location in the heart of Uptown, which
serves as a focal point for entertainment and dining
convenient to the urban filmgoer. Then there are the
extras, like the Magnolia Bar (you can bring mixed
drinks into the theater with you) and the digital pro-
jectors (some of the few in North America.)
But it's the art house aesthetic that sells it. This
is where "Brokeback Mountain" played for months
to lines wrapping around the block, and where the
OUT TAKES Dallas gay film test takes place every
fall. In other words, the Magnolia shows films the
gay community wants to see — and it's why we
keep coming back.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
82 I dallasvoice.com I 03.21.08
BI S MOVIE THEATER
Landmark Magnolia Theatre
3699 McKinney Ave. Suite 100. West Village
214-764-9106
landmarktheatres. com
Paul J. Williams
In 2007, Williams wrote and starred in
"From Fifth Grade to Fabulous" at
WaterTower Theatre's Out of the Loop
festival, March 9 at the Addison Theatre
Center, 15650 Addison Road.
The show was also presented by
Uptown Players at KD Studio Theatre,
2600 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite
180
pauljwilliams.com
20081READERS VOICE AWARDS
BRYAN AMANN/Dallas Voice
BEST LOCAL THEATER COMPANY
Uptown Players
The 2007 season included productions of
"Hair, " "Tick, Tick Boom," "Twilight of the
Golds," and "Die Mommie Die!"
Productions held at KD Studio Theatre, 2600
N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 180.
214-219-2718
uptownplayers, org
BEST LOCAL ACTRESS
Liz Mikel
Recently starred in the title role in Theatre
Three's "Caroline, or Change"June 4 -June
30 2007), at Theatre Three, 2800 Routh St.
MikeI also plays Corrina Williams on "Friday
Night Lights," which airs Fridays at 8 p.m.
on NBC.
LizMikel.com
BEST LOCAL FILM DIRECTOR
Robert L. Camina
Wrote-directed "Hunter4Love," which screened
June 1, 2007 at QCinema, Fort Worth's Gay
and Lesbian Film Festival, and screened Oct,
1, 2007 at Out Takes Dallas.
Wrote-directed"DripTease, " which screened
Aug. 15, 2007 at Station 4 and Sept. 10,
2007 at JR's Bar and Grill.
CaminaEntertainment.com
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, March 21, 2008, newspaper, March 21, 2008; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth239004/m1/82/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.