By Wayman Wong
05 Apr 2005
A STELLAR STORYTELLER WHO’S A STAND-UP GUY
Because of his good looks and appealing personality, John Fugelsang literally has been offered a host of opportunities on TV: From 1997-2000, he and Daisy Fuentes hosted "America’s Funniest Home Videos." He has hosted VH1’s live "Town Hall" meetings with Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks, and recently co-hosted CNBC’s "McEnroe" talk show. He’s also guested on Bill Maher’s "Politically Incorrect" 25 times, using his rapier wit to cross swords with the Rev. Jerry Falwell and David Duke.
But this month, the brilliant actor-writer-comic returns to the legendary Duplex, where he got his big break. In 1993, Fugelsang did his hip and hilarious one-man show, "Junk Male," which earned him rave reviews, a MAC Award and a deal with William Morris. This 6-foot-1 NYU grad, who hails from Long Island ("I was so white, I got beat up by albinos"), had audiences roaring with his riotous rants about rap and Michael Bolton music videos; ironically, this landed him a job as a veejay at VH1.
On April 15 and 22 at 9:30 PM, Fugelsang, 35, does a new show that’s "a combination of standup and true stories. It’s the best writing I’ve ever done." Wonderfully told with an actor’s expertise and eye for detail and drama, his stories run the gamut: from the time he offered "hot, gay sex" to a Nazi klansman on TV, to the time he tried to smuggle pot past airport security. "It’s great being at the Duplex again, really having started in cabaret. There’s more talent in the audience for the MAC Awards than in all of Hollywood. I hate comedy clubs. Cabaret is ideal; I want to do something more personal."
Though Fugelsang still gets offers to host dating and reality shows, he sneers at being a "Tele-Prompter monkey": "When I did ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos,’ I was so embarrassed. I was introducing clips of cats falling off buildings, old people slipping on ice and children getting whacked in the crotch with whiffle bats. It’s not exactly the Ibsen festival of my dreams. But the paycheck was astounding."
Supporting him all the way has been his "incredible" wife, Charmien LaFramenta, a lovely fashion designer and writer. They live with three cats ("They’re constantly fighting; we live in cat Bosnia"). Most recently, this political junkie did a pilot for ABC News, but he’d love to do more acting and write a book. Fugelsang also hopes his Duplex show becomes a monthly gig. "Spalding Gray is a hero of mine, and if I can do anything like the type of one man theatre he did, that would be a career dream."
For more information, visit www.theduplex.com.
‘THE PRODUCERS’ MOVIE: EXTRA, EXTRA!
When I heard Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan’s amazing musical about Max Bialystock was gonna be made into a movie, I thought: "I wanna be in Producers" — and thanks to FoodChange, a charity that feeds hundreds of hungry New Yorkers, I was. For a contribution of $500 and more, about 200 civilians got to be extras (alongside SAG members), playing theatregoers at the Broadway opening of Springtime for Hitler. (I was comped as press.) So on March 14, I spent the day at the St. James Theatre as they filmed audience reaction shots of horror and hilarity as we listened to a recording of John Barrowman singing "Springtime for Hitler."
Brooks happily addressed the extras, who were gussied up in gowns and tuxedos: "The women look gorgeous. And the men . . . you look like waiters." Susan Stroman, the movie’s director, also thanked the extras and coached us on our standing ovation. She quipped, "That was too instantaneous. If I could only get those in real life." And her assistant director, Sam Hoffman, was a riot who kept everything light and bright. Though I spent 12 long hours at the St. James, I had a blast. Sadly, I doubt I was ever close enough to the camera to be seen. I was ready for my closeup, but no one else was. Still, I’m thrilled to be part of movie history, and I can’t wait to see it on the silver screen in December. Just think: "I’m gonna be in Producers. Sound the horn and beat the drum. I’m gonna be in Producers. Look out, Oscars, here I come!"
WE’VE GOT MALE: ‘THE LEADING MEN’ CONCERT
We’re proud to announce the first "The Leading Men" benefit concert, which will feature a dozen of the great guys of Broadway and cabaret that we’ve profiled, and it will be held Monday, May 30, at 7 PM at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (212-539-8778). John Tartaglia, the Tony-nominated star of Avenue Q, will emcee and Seth Rudetsky, the Bistro Award-winning host of Seth’s Broadway Chatterbox, will be the musical director. So far, the illustrious lineup includes Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter, Tim Di Pasqua, Tom D’Angora, Brian and Ted Farley, Barrett Foa, Danny Gurwin, Cheyenne Jackson, Matthew Morrison, Jai Rodriguez and Christopher Sieber — with a couple of surprises. Alan Muraoka, who helmed Tartaglia’s terrific cabaret act, will direct. Playbill.com asked us to start "The Leading Men" column in January 2003, and we figure that by June, we’ll have featured 100 guys, so why not celebrate and raise more money for a great cause like Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS? Tickets are $40. Hope to see you there. It should be hunks of fun!
Got comments or questions? E-mail me at waymanwong@hotmail.com.
Until next month, let’s hear it for the "boys"!
Wayman Wong edits entertainment for The New York Daily News. He has been a movie and theater critic for The San Francisco Examiner, a writer for The Sondheim Review and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright.
 |
 |
| Matthew Morrison (left) and John Fugelsang
|
|
| photo by Ben Strothmann |
| View article on single page | Previous Page 1 | 2 Next Page |
