Sentimental photo journey

I shared some old photos of Buffalo theater folk on Facebook, where they have attracted a lot of interest. Realizing that not everyone is on Facebook -- and that I shouldn't be encouraging a monopoly anyway, here are those photos, plus some extras for my loyal Theater Talk audience. I think these photos, which document who was about in Buffalo theater at a particular time, become more precious with time and because they were not shot on a mobile phone; these are photographs, taken with 35mm film, on a camera. Now, of course, everybody has a "camera" on hand at all times, but twenty years ago, this was not so. There did not used to be mobs at stage doors. Still, I do note, when it counts, people are reluctant to take photos, but that later, everybody wants them. Here is a sampling of scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind....

"Lend Me a Tenor" at Kaleidoscope

Christmas 2000. The BUA cast party for Paul Rudnick's "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told."

Sometimes, the easiest place for two Buffalonians to run into each other is Times Square in New York City. Maggle Zindle and Javier Bustillos

Curtain Up! past. Jeanne Cairns, Ann Gayley, and Sheila McCarthy

Gay Icon "Tangara" attends the BUA production of "Party," in which the cast ends up naked. She enthusiastically declared the show, "A smorgasbord!" Here is the Great Tangara with cast members Joe Demerly, Matthew Hurley, and Dave Haefner

Lisa Ludwig and Chris Kelly

Matching hats. That's Hugh Davis.

Debbie Pappas now Sham, Brett Runyon, and Kathy Weese now Upchurch

Rodney Appleby, Jermain Cooper, and Donald Capers

Actor Paul Todaro and some people.

We could date this photo from Tim Finnegan's frosted tips.

Nan Clarkson, who died late in 2020 with Dava Jones and David Granville

Jim Mack and the Kellys

Robert "Ernie" Insana and some people.

The cast of "Lend Me a Tenor" at Kaleidoscope

Joyce Stilson, Sheila McCarthy, and playwright Gray

Mary Moebius, Guy Tomasi, and Doug Weyand

Darwin McPherson and Patricia Armstrong

Kate Olena and some guys

Joey Marcella and Miss Understood

Janet and Chet Mais (and I think that's Janet's brother in the center).

Josephine Hogan with Jesse and Bess Brown Kregel.

Vincent O'Neill, Nan Doherty, and Richard Wesp -- the opening of "Lady Windermere"

Chris Kelly's First Communion Party

Ernest, John, and Michael at opening night of Larry Gray's "Mother Ginger" which starred Lisa Vitrano at Alleyway in November 2002.

The late great Vicky Vogue, whose spectacular wardrobe lives on in costume stocks and drag wardrobes across Erie County, raises money for charity, one buck at at time at The Underground. Do you remember gay bars?

Opening night of Streetcar at Studio Arena with Stan Klimecko, Lauren Bone, and Ted Koch

"Kissing the Witch" by Emma Donaghue by HAG Theatre, performing at the Tri-Main Center in February 2001. Jessica Rasp, Cyd Cox, and director Margaret Smith

Opening night of "Mississippi and the Face of Emmett Till. Harold Luther White (left) who died in May, played "Spearman."

The cast of BUA's "A ... My Name is Alice" shortly before they got thrown out of Flynn's. "Alice" co-creator Joan Micklin Silver died on the last day of 2020.

Jeff, Sean, Ann Nicole, Kathy, Kathy, Ann Nicole, Sean, and Jeff

Cydney Kramer who starred in the BUA production of "The Bad Seed" with her co-star, whazzisname? Oh right. Jimmy Janowski.

Opening night of Athol Fugard's "The Island" in November 2002.

Playwright Catherine Filloux, whose early plays, "Venus in the Birdbath" and "The Price of Madness" were presented by Alleyway in the early 1990s.

A very recent photo of Loraine, Barbara, and Brian.

Terrence McNally and the Buffalo cast of his play, "It's Only a Play."

Hidden among the familiar Buffalo theater faces, Mary Loftus, who died last year.