Monday, February 24, 2014

Happy Opening Night!

I'm in the midst of a workshop for my latest full-length play, and so I don't have time to say much other than Happy Opening to the cast and crew of "Kung Fu," the best shirtlessness Off Broadway.  I'm posting this smiling picture of its star, Cole Horibe, because I think it captures both his great shirtlessness and his excellent accessory to shirtlessness, kindness.  In most of the publicity shots, he looks like he is going to kill someone (he is playing Bruce Lee after all), but here you get a glimmer of his personal gentleness.  I think it's a great metaphor for the show itself which has a lot of dynamic movement and some flashy effects at the end, both wrapping a heart of gold that exposes the difficulties of minority actors in the business.  I don't think I could offer a better cheer to the whole cast than Kick Butt!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Monday, February 17, 2014

Kung Fu; No Shirts

Last week, I had the chance to see a preview performance of David Henry Hwang's new play at the Signature Theater, "Kung Fu."  One of the publicity shots from the show is featured above, and so all of you can tell that I was very excited about the show.  Guaranteed shirtlessness!  Also, a multi-racial cast dramatizing the life story of one of the first Asian stars in America, Bruce Lee.  This show was clearly up my alley!  I'm sorry to say that I did not know a lot about Mr. Lee, although through the play, I now realize that I owe a lot to him for my career in the theater.  Mr. Lee broke through many  barriers to allow Asian-Americans to have a presence in the American cultural mainstream.  Now some, including me, would say that many of these barriers still exist, but they are not as strong as they once were, thanks to Mr. Lee's brave kicks to the system.  I came away from the show educated and inspired.

But of course, you, gentle readers, want to know about the shirtlessness, and I will say that it does not disappoint.  I won't say when Cole Horibe, who plays Mr. Lee, takes off his shirt, but I will share that when he does, it is good.  Very, very good.  And his shirtlessness exists to make a point about one of the barriers that Mr. Lee was fighting, the de-sexualization of Asian men.  Even on this blog, I have bemoaned the lack of Asian-American shirtlessness in the media and theater.  So thank you to Mr. Horibe and Mr. Hwang and the director, Leigh Silverman, for creating an opportunity in the New York theater for an Asian man to be sexy and to flaunt and use his sexuality in ways that men of other races do not even think twice about.

And for the record, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Horibe after the show and found that he possesses one of my favorite accessories to shirtlessness, kindness.  Honestly, it would be hard to find a nicer guy.  He sweetly posed for pictures with strangers after the show, talked to the friends of all of his castmates (myself included), and generally carried himself with self-effacing grace.  I am a fan of his and of "Kung Fu" and hope you all run out to see it!  Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Monday, February 10, 2014

Ask and You Shall Receive!

So I've been bemoaning the lack of live shirtlessness in my life on this blog recently.  I'm not too proud to admit that my activism has, for the most part, benefited others much more than myself.  No man has taken off his shirt in my presence in quite some time.  BUT, the Universe works in wondrous ways, and today I had a glorious chance to witness some good male shirtlessness firsthand.

I went to an afternoon yoga class today to mix up my schedule after an audition was cancelled.  As I walked in, I noticed a man setting up his mat at the back of the room, wearing sweats and a hat.  When he took off his hat, I thought that he looked very much like Colin Farrell.  But of course, it couldn't be Colin Farrell because what would a movie star be doing in my yoga class on a Monday afternoon in a pretty boring neighborhood of New York?  So I laid my mat down and began the class.  And somewhere along the way, this man who looked like Colin Farrell took his shirt off.  It was like the heavens released some angels to put a fit shirtless, good-looking man in my yoga class right behind me so that every time I was in downward dog, I could gaze upon his very nice shirtless back.  It made me so happy!  Now I can't say whether it was or it wasn't Colin Farrell since I was very busy being a cool New Yorker who does not get excited by celebrity sightings or alternatively a woman who is not a stalker staring down some poor guy in her yoga class, but I can say definitively that the shirtlessness was real and it was good.  So in honor of my new yoga buddy, I give you Mr. Farrell shirtless, making his first appearance on my blog.  Thanks for making my day and possibly my year brighter with your live shirtlessness.

I wonder if this blog has magical properties that allow the things I write about to manifest in reality?  What should I write about next?  How I'm really bummed that George Clooney hasn't paid me a visit?  So much to consider!  Until then, I remain...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Monday, February 3, 2014

Superbowl Shirtlessness

While I did not actually watch the SuperBowl last night (Instead I went to a show with a sold out run that had a few cancellations), I did check out the Halftime Show after I got home and was delighted to see the combination of showmanship and shirtlessness showcased this year.  I understand the actual game was terribly boring, but the Halftime show was anything but!  Now I have been accused of being age-ist with my shirtlessness, but the truth is that most men stop taking off their shirts after a certain age.  Apparently not the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Anthony Kiedis is 51 years old and still rocking a six-pack.  And sweet young Bruno Mars wowed us with his dancing while fully dressed.  I liked it!

I also went to see "The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra" this weekend at Ma-Yi Theater and had a fantastic time.  You should go!  When I wrote to the writer and director to congratulate them on a job well done, I mentioned that I was unable to promote the show on the blog because there wasn't any shirtlessness.  (Mind you, I was not complaining since it is a children's show that has lots of great jokes for parents.)  The director wrote back to point out that one of the space monsters was shirtless, and that the original design had included a shirt but that he had requested it to be taken off after reflecting upon my aesthetic.  I can't say that it is good shirtlessness, exactly, since it is on a space monster, but I have to feel pleased that I am spreading shirtlessness intergalactically at this point.

It's this kind of comment that gives me a small bit of hope even as I continue to have difficulty posting in the face of a shirtful existence.  It's hard to keep encouraging good male shirtlessness for others when there is so little for me.  But then I find out that my message is having an impact, and who am I to deny shirtlessness to others?  So gentle readers, I will continue to advocate for good male shirtlessness in hopes that someday maybe some might even come my way.  Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS