Man, woman, or beast?
Well, we all know that Harvey Fierstein has a big fat mouth, a raspy Queenie kind-of-one.
But, some allege that in recent days, the "Hairspray" star put his foot in it.
The out-Gay performer angered some Vegas locals in the entertainment business when he lampooned edited shows (the propensity of producers to streamline stage musicals for Sin City audiences short on attention-span and pining to get back to the gambling tables), yardstick-sized exotic cocktails, and theatre environs that smack of a tomb-like ambiance.
Fierstein's poke at the desert oasis opened up the floodgates.
"Harvey should never be allowed to step foot inside this town again," one lamented.
A couple of fans sprang to Fierstein's defense, though.
One put it rather succinctly.
"There's a distinct difference between a New York audience and a Vegas one. Not that one is better (whew that was close!). The New York audience is stuffier, more informed, and more theatrically inclined.
That's a "right on" assessment, I noted to myself, as I read on.
"You have a variety of shows to appeal to many aesthetics. Here the emphasis is purely on the entertainment. The "think" factor is pretty much nonexistent."
The astute oberserver who just closed in "Mamma Mia" finished up by noting that there was less reverence for theatre in Vegas.
"You have customers coming in Bermuda shorts (God forbid!), T-shirts (promoting the musical, I trust), flip-flops, and tank tops (okey-dokey, if they've got great pecs or tasty melons to show off).
A New York producer was allegedly livid when the controversy about the length of musicals on the strip became a bone of contention.
"This story made me sick to my stomach. It doesn't surprise me that one of these Broadway prima donnas would do something like this."
Gosh, the "suit" made it sound like Fierstein was involved in some sinister plot.
"We will be coming to Vegas in the fall," the impersario gushed enthusiastically.
"Our show is ninety to ninety-five minutes and we welcome people to have a drink or two and have a good time. Las Vegas does not need Harvey Fierstein."
Will they be allowed a slot break?
Some noted that cutting parts of a musical actually works.
"It works in Phantom, which I have seen numerous times on Broadway, and it is better here," the actor/singer noted with smug satisfaction.
Not all the criticisms were harsh.
"Bravo Harvey for telling it like it is," one supporter quipped.
As to Los Angeles?
Don't get me started!
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