Ben Rimalower Brings PATTI ISSUES to the Duplex, Beg. 8/30

Ben Rimalower: PATTI ISSUES plays Thursdays at 9:30 PM at The Duplex, August 30th, September 6th, September 13th, September 27th and October 4th.

When Ben Rimalower was eight years old, his father came out of the closet and embarked on a drug-fueled tear that left his family in tatters. Amid the chaos of his young life, Ben found comfort—like so many gay boys before him and after—in musical theater, and specifically in the transportive voice of Broadway star Patti LuPone.

Patti Issues marks Rimalower's debut as a playwright and performer, after serving as the director of numerous Off-Broadway plays, concerts and all-star benefits (and blogging for the Huffington Post). With a mix of comic irreverence, stark candor and show-biz bravado, Patti Issues poignantly explores the challenges facing LGBT parents and children while shining unique light on gay men’s time-old obsessions with divas.

Ben Rimalower: Patti Issues, directed by Aaron Mark (Random Unrelated Projects, Commentary), premieres at The Duplex (61 Christopher Street, at Seventh Avenue) on Thursdays at 9:30 PM, August 30th, September 6th, September 13th, September 27th and October 4th.

Ben Rimalower directed and produced the Off-Broadway plays Joy (Actors Playhouse, Out Magazine: "Top Ten Theatre") and The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero (Daryl Roth/DR2 Theatre). He also directed Justin Sayre Is Alive And Well… Writing (Ars Nova), Project Lohan (La Mama E.T.C.), Snoopy! starring Sutton Foster(Symphony Space), And/or (Hot Festival), Sodom the Musical (Kraine Theatre) and the all-star Night Of A Thousand Judys (Playwrights Horizons) as well as staged readings for Second Stage, The York, Dixon Place and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He conceived and directed Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches (Time Out New York Award) and subsequently produced Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records’ long-awaited recording, Patti LuPone at Les Mouches (Billboard “Heatseekers” Chart), digitally restored from archival tapes of LuPone’s legendary 1980 performances. In venues such as Joe’s Pub, San Francisco’s Plush Room and Los Angeles’ Upright Cabaret, Ben has earned the title the “Midas of Cabaret” (The Advocate) helming a slew of solo shows for artists including Alec Mapa, Cole Escola, Our Lady J, Natalie Joy Johnson, Lindsey Alley, Molly Pope, Wendy Ho, John Hill, Scott Nevins, Kate Pazakis and Lance Horne in addition to producing and hosting the Laurie Beechman Theatre's recurring variety show, Saturday Night Underground. Ben writes a blog for The Huffington Post and “The New Old Gay” for akawilliam.com. Assistant Director credits include Lonny Price’s productions of A Class Act (Manhattan Theatre Club, Broadway and Tokyo) and A Little Night Music (starring Patti LuPone, George Hearn and Zoe Caldwell) as well as the Emmy-winning Sweeney Todd. Ben studied Theatre Arts at U.C. Berkeley where he was the founding Artistic Director of BareStage (now celebrating its 16th anniversary). Follow @benrimalower on Twitter.

Aaron Mark is the writer/director of three independent feature films, Random Unrelated Projects (Best Experimental Feature, NYIFF), Zbornik Developing, and most recently, Commentary. His play Failed Suicide Attempts was presented by The Blank Theatre in Hollywood as part of their Living Room Series and seven of his other plays have received readings in New York in the last four years. He directed Hedwig and the Angry Inch twice at New World Stages for BC/EFA, Space Oddity/Ziggy Stardust at the Producer's Club, and will soon premiere a series of his new plays at Barboncino in Crown Heights. He is twenty-five years old and does not have aaronmark.com because it belongs to a German gay porn star with the same name. For more information, visit aaronmark.net.

TICKETS: $20 plus two-drink minimum, per person. TABLE RESERVATIONS: 212-255-5438 or www.theduplex.com.

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