Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 28, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, September 9, 2011 Page: 29 of 48
forty eight pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
From Page 26
turns out traditional Provencal cuisine, or fash-
ionable Cafe Marianne. The interior village of
Saint-Paul de Yonce is one of the country's finest
small towns for dining — it's home to a handful
of Michelin-star restaurants.
Gay nightlife in the region is relaxed and very
friendly. In Nice, consider Bar Le Fard, a snug
spot on Promenade des Anglais — it's a good
place to start the night. Other good bets include
centrally located Le 6 Bar, which draws a stylish
mix for cocktails, conversation and dancing; and
Le Glam club, a small but lively spot for dancing
to pop tunes. Fairly near the harbor is the Eagle,-
a typical leather-oriented and cruise bar, and the
fetish/sex club called Le Block.
Nice also has a few very popular gay saunas,
including the small but quite clean and attractive
Les Bains Douches, and the large and always-
crowded Sauna du Chateau.
Nice has the best variety of lodging options,
which include reasonably priced gay B&Bs like
Blue Angels and Thyfeff Guesthouse, both of
which are close to the train station — the owners
of the latter also run a cheerful gay cafe nearby,
Le Thyjeff. Also consider the upscale four-room
guest house, Mas des Oliviers, a gay-owned re-
treat set amid quiet gardens in the foothills above
Nice — amenities include a pool, fitness room
and two terraces with lovely views.
Among larger properties, the chic and artfully
designed HI Hotel — with its bold color
schemes, rooftop pool and stellar sushi restau-
rant — is a favorite of trendy and discerning gay
travelers. The hotel also operates the previously
mentioned HI beach club and restaurant. Other
Nice favorites include the opulent Hotel Palais le:
la Mediterranee, a grand dame with a magnifi-
cent Art Deco facade overlooking the sea, and
the elegant and smartly updated L'Hotel Beau
Rivage, an 1860s beauty overlooking Promenade
des Anglais — it's been a favorite accommoda-
tion of such arts and literary figures as Matisse
and Chekhov. ■
—Andrew Collins
k h
Sitcomy and shrill, 'Cheaters' revives the '80s with failed farce
As someone over 40 myself, my suspicions are raised when a 22-year-old writes a play that purports to
parse the mindsets and pecadilloes of middle-aged couples. But Michael Jacobs — who has since cre-
ated such execrable sitcom dreck as My Two Dads and Charles in Charge — couldn't even rent a car
when his play Cheaters had a justifiably brief run on Broadway in 1978. It's about two sets of bickering,
faithless 50-somethings and a young couple (Danielle Pickard and Andrews Cope, above) who are trying
to decide whether to marry. The plot probably says more about Jacobs' issues with commitment than it
does the titular marrieds.
For its current production, Contemporary Theatre of Dallas has updated the timeline to the mid-'80s —
the height of miserable sitcomania and intrusive laugh-tracks — as if to justify how shrill and unpleasant all
the characters are: It's the Reagan Era, after all, you can't expect people to behave civilly. Aside from that,
all this change means is that we have to endure stylized scene changes where chambermaids re-set the
hotel room while listening to Love Connection and The Facts of Life drone on the TV. It was impossible to
stomach that detritus on its first run; who wants to endure it as a captive?
There are more coincidences — and non-coincidences — than even the most forgiving of audiences
will likely accede to willingly. Each cheating pair is the parent to one of the young lovers; even though they
have lived together for two years, none of their folks have ever met before the awkward family dinner
where all secret infidelities are revealed. It's meant to be a French farce, though it replaces nuance and
wordplay with mugging and shouting: Call it La Cage aux Fail.
It might be tolerable if anyone onstage were remotely likable; alas, the women are all shrill, the men
controlling and angry. And they are all clad in ugly costumes, the worst of which is Marcia Carroll saddled
with wearing a flight suit that makes her look like something that would get you booted off Project Runway.
Ted Wold at least has his signature snarky attitude, which allows him to spit out the contrived dialogue with
an inherent sense of humor, though that's just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
Greenville Center for the Arts, 5601 Sears St. Through Sept. 24. ContemporaryTheatreofDallas .com
09.09.11
dallasvoice 29
1
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 28, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, September 9, 2011, newspaper, September 9, 2011; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth239184/m1/29/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.