ON CLOUD NINE. I'm really curious about the New York Musical Theatre Festival--dozens and dozens of events at $15 per ticket. I just have one big problem: I don't know which events to attend! But if you would like a $15 theater recommendation, I've got one for you: the Gallery Players production of Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine.

Encouraged by a friend serving as assistant stage manager, I went to see the production in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It turned out to be one of the best theater experiences I've had in months. The gender-bending play is sophisticated and sexy, the cast uniformly excellent.

Here's a brief synopsis of the play courtesy of...Camryn Manheim's website!

Hurry up if you want to see the play for yourself--this production closes on September 26. And if you do go, wear layers. It can get hot in the theater.

As for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, I'm not sure if I'll see more than, say, Alternative Torch (which was last Sunday) and Monday afternoon's discussion Movie Musicals: The Renaissance, even though (sob) I won't be on the panel.