What can I say.

Margaret Cho is a diva fantastico and has proven it again. The Zipper Theatre will never be the same.

I was lucky enough to catch closing night of her latest project, a burlesque/comedy/variety show. She performs, along with a roster of guests and burlesque stars, including the famous Joe Boobs and another who is a little person. Throughout there’s comedy, dancing, music, opera, props, audience interaction…you name it. I almost vomited I was laughing so hard. Several times.

From a feminist perspective, I thought the piece was gorgeous. A celebration of sensuality, power, and beauty, no matter what you look like or what gender you most closely associate with. And who doesn’t like watching an old bald straight guy get face-humped by an androgynous, leopard-print spandex clad dancer with big ’80s hair and oversized sunglasses? No one, I tell you. No one. That guy also had another excellent character - an old timey Times Square tranny hooker. Who then de-constructs herself and lip synch’s to Tom Jones’s dramatic “I Who Have Nothing.”

And I had heard Margaret had gotten too skinny. Glad to say this is not the case. She looked healthy and great to me. And she really did take it all off, as I had heard she did. Guess she’s gotten over those body insecurity issues, good for her! Rock on my sister. Her grand finale was indescribable. As was most of the rest of the show. Definitely hard to describe. You’d have to see it to believe it.

I heart Marg-a-ret.

Finally got out to the Bushwick Starr to see something. Fellow Skidmore grads have been operating this blackbox theatre out in Bushwick for a while now, and I hadn’t seen the space before this show. Sorry, y’all, I promise to visit more often.

This was a workshop production of what could potentially be a very cute, endearing, and clever little play. The acting was decent, (especially Ryan, Hollah!) but the play itself needs to undergo a lot of cuts. It’s extremely unnecessarily wordy. Also unnecessary is the sexual tension between “Wiki” and his sidekick, “Girl Detective,” aka “SK.” Their relationship should have stuck to the innocence of solving mysteries, in my opinion.

It has a little bit of everything going on in this mystery. Love, lesbians, scientists, weed, communes, coffee shops, reporters, skateboarding, an old Jewish lady, Rube Goldberg devices….you name it, it appears in this show. With no set pieces, even - only props. The poor actors all had to play multiple characters, mostly handling it pretty well. But all in all, it’s really a story about rich people buying out NYC and turning good neighborhoods into crappy luxury condos. With magic water-grow technology like the squishy things you put in water and they grow. But with buildings. Anyway it certainly feels appropriate to be staging it in Bushwick. Feels like a play about Williamsburg 10 years ago, and Bushwick 5 years from now, and so on and so on.

At times, the show takes itself a bit too seriously, and wished the camp factor was pushed a bit harder in places (to match the extremely campy spots a bit better). But overall it’s cute and definitely has potential. But about an hour could be cut. Seriously. It was 2.5 hours. That’s just a little too much mystery for one Sunday afternoon.

Ok, so there’s a Broadway strike going on. I support it fully but it still sucks that most shows are closed. This one, being under a different contract, remains open. Hopefully, audiences who would otherwise see Mamma Mia might settle for Mauritius instead, and enjoy quite a good play.

Who knew a play about stamp collecting could be so interesting? When the mother of two sisters dies, she leaves an invaluable stamp collection behind. But who’s is it? Who gets the money? Who’s going to betray whom? Are the stamps fakes or legit? And why is the mafia involved?

Much more suspenseful and funny than you’d ever think. A play about stamp collecting, who knew. Full of surprises.

The script, by Theresa Rebeck, is full of witty banter and fully fleshed characters. The cast is top notch. One of my favorite character actors ever, Dylan Baker, stands out as the snooty philatelist. Allison Pill is a very convincing angst-filled young woman with street smarts and regrets. Katie Finneran, who I recently saw in Pig Farm, plays the self-righteous, self-absorbed older sister, yet manages to make her somewhat of a sympathetic and realistic character. Bobby Cannavale, in his Broadway debut, is great as the smarmy, manipulative stamp enthusiast that entangles himself in the mess. And F. Murray Abraham as the scary mob guy/stamp buyer is a dangerous charmer.

The excellent cast takes what is decently good writing, and makes it into edge-of-your-seat entertainment.

And the fully rotating set, designed by John Lee Beatty, is pretty much a masterpiece of architectural stage design. I think it’s 4 or 5 fully fleshed out locations on a fully rotating platform, pieces enclosing other pieces, multiple levels; it’s crazy good.

Stamp collecting. Who knew. So hopefully the strike will have a positive effect on this show, which deserves to be seen.

On a side note, they were collecting for Equity Fights Aids after the show, and I gave money, and in doing so, mentioned to Dylan Baker how much I enjoyed him in the movie Fido. He was nice. I was starstruck. He gave me a red ribbon.