Briefs

by James F. Mills

525,600 MINUTES OF LOVE

It may not have been 525,600 minutes since Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal first sang “Seasons of Love,” but nonetheless, they’re reprising their roles in the musical that made them stars. Rent comes to the Orange County Performing Arts Center for a week-long engagement, Oct. 20-25, with Rapp and Pascal back in the lead. The eighth-longest running show in Broadway history, Rent played 5,124 performances on Broadway, finally closing in Sept. 2008. It was honored with every major musical award including a Tony Award and also won a Pulitzer Prize for drama. While the 2005 movie adaptation may have fallen flat, the stage version still holds up well.

DEFINITELY NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE

For the past two years, the Friends of Dorothy’s Haunted Halloween has been the talk of Newport Beach. It’s back for a third year, sure to leave tongues wagging once again. “This year promises to be more haunted, more mischievous and more fun than ever before,” says Friends of Dorothy founder Barbara Venezia. “Having fun and raising the vitally important dollars to support the work of AIDS Services Foundation OC is, and always will be, our goal with all our fun-raisers. But Halloween has certainly become our signature one.” A full-course meal, silent auction, prizes and outrageous costumes are all part of the fun, along with Red Slipper Awards. The Haunted Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 24 from 6-10 p.m. at the Village Crean in Newport Beach.

HOMO HORRORS

MPower OC serves up everything ghoulish at its second annual Homo House of Horrors on Monday, Oct. 26. They’re converting their Costa Mesa warehouse offices into a haunted house and putting on a fabulous show. “We’re taking more of a show approach this year. We’ll be paying homage to gay-themed Halloween movies like Rocky Horror Picture Show, Little Shop of Horrors and Hocus Pocus,” explains MPower Outreach Coordinator Anthony Malek. A costume contest is planned and drag queen extraordinaire Dolly Levi will be on hand to perform both as Elvira and Bette Midler. A free catered dinner will be provided. Homo House of Horrors, like all MPower events, is targeted at gay and bisexual men, ages 18 to 29.

CALLING ALL HOMOS!

Gay life in Southern Orange County has been badly neglected since the closing of the Boom Boom Room and Woodys, but promoter Rick Snider of Hallomar Productions intends to change that. In September, he launched his monthly “Private Party OC” event that includes drinks, a full-course meal, attentive staff offering top service, hot go-go boys, fabulous décor and a top DJ. “We’re getting a good response. This is an event for the entire gay community. It’s an event where men can meet men,” says Snider, adding that everyone involved is gay, including the waiters, bartenders and go-go dancers. To celebrate Halloween, he’s pulling out all the stops with a heavily decorated venue and a costume contest offering $1,000 in cash prizes. The Private Halloween Party is Friday, Oct. 30 in San Juan Capistrano. Dinner starts at 7 p.m.

the details

Friends of Dorothy
Haunted Halloween
Sat., Oct. 24, 6-10 p.m.
thefriendsofdorothy.org

MPower Homo House
of Horrors
Mon., Oct. 26, 7-11 p.m.
mpoweroc.org

Private Party OC
Halloween event
Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
info@privatepartyoc.com

Rent
Oct. 20-25
ocpac.org