Weekend Appetizer

Weekend Appetizer

Phil Geoffrey Bond once again gathers strong songster rosters at Duplex

His latest series, “Friday Night Stories” is a kind of readers theater in which a short story is presented with musical interludes from leading cabaret personalities. This fairly staid and formal description cannot effectively convey the entertainment value of the evenings.

Most recently, on June 25, Bond and his group The Storefront, presented “My Queer Youth.” Its a sensitive and familiar story of growing up gay, punctuated by Mr. Bonds quirky and ironic sense of humor, that clearly mirrored the spirit if not the letter of many of our experiences trying to find ourselves in a world that wanted us to be sports buffs when all we wanted to do was listen to Barbra.

Bond read his own story, and performances by Ric Ryder, Scott Coulter, Bobby Belfry, Brand Cuttrell, Tom Andersen, and Lisa Asher, who also played small roles in the tale, created a remarkable, intimate and heartfelt evening.

Like Mr. Bond’s “New Mondays” series, one hopes that “Friday Night Stories” will become a must-appear stop and attract new audiences to this engaging entertainment.

Bond and company next appear at The Duplex, in Sheridan Square, on Friday, August 27 at 9:30 p.m. There will an $8 cover ($5 for MAC and Cabaret Hotline members), with a two-drink minimum. For reservations or information about “Friday Night Stories” performances later in the year, visit theduplex.com or call 212 255 5438.

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