Bruce Vilanch<\/strong><\/a>, the former headwriter of \u201cHollywood Squares\u201d (and countless awards shows and variety specials) to develop MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/group2-640x380.jpg\")
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SYNOPSIS:\u00a0 \u201cTaped in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles, this retro 3-camera special parody was written by Emmy-winner, comedian and gay icon Brice Vilanch and brings new life to the quintessentially campy TV Christmas specials from the 60s, 70s and 80s.\u00a0 Filled with Liberace piano numbers, sexual innuendo, endlessly flowing libations, and enough dirty Christmas song remakes to make your grandmother sweat, this fabulous special is sure to bring the Christmas QUEER! \u2026 An outrageously funny variety special, the musical romp takes your favorite queer legends of today and yesterday on a tour de force of festive performance.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n
Directed by Scott Rockett, MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY: A VERY SPECIAL PAUL LYNDE CHRISTMAS stars Michael Airington as Paul Lynde, Spencer Day as Tab Hunter, David Hernandez as Sal Mineo, David Maiocco as Liberace, Jack Plotnick as Evie Harris, and Seth Rudetsky, Jackie Beat and Lady Bunny as themselves.\u00a0 Original music and lyrics were provided by 14-time Emmy-winning composer and arranger, Dominic Messinger.\u00a0 If you loved those variety shows and specials of the 60s and 70s, not to mention the laugh-out-loud double-entendre-laden comedy of Paul Lynde (much written by Bruce Vilanch), then this is the show for you!<\/p>\n
Speaking with Airington, his exuberance, energy, and passion for not only this project but performing in general, is infectious.\u00a0 His dedication to his craft is immeasurable. You hear the joy and effervescence in his voice as he discusses not only his stage work but this 3-camera, live audience experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shot with no rehearsals, I literally went in and was on the set for 13 hours.\u00a0 The only time I left the set was to eat and once during a camera break, I got to walk my dog who was with me.\u00a0 I was in every single scene.\u00a0 It was crazy.\u00a0 And [we were] rewriting stuff.\u00a0 Everything was on the teleprompter and they only had one teleprompter.\u00a0 I\u2019m learning this, literally, when we were doing the show.\u00a0 Everything changed up to the last day.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while Airington had the essence of Paul Lynde down pat thanks to his years of doing his own stage show, scripted dialogue with multiple characters as in a true variety show of days gone by is something else.<\/p>\n
As has long been the mantra be it in television or film, it all starts with the words on the page.\u00a0 MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY: A VERY SPECIAL PAUL LYNDE CHRISTMAS is no different.\u00a0 For Airington, working with Bruce Vilanch was a gift.\u00a0 \u201cGrowing up doing comedy and knowing who Bruce was, to me it was like working with a comedy writing legend. It was just incredible. On one of the days they wrote the opening monologue, and I was trying to get the timing of Bruce’s writing and I said, \u2018Can we go to lunch?\u2019. And this is before we shot, so Bruce and I went to lunch, and we sat there and we went over the opening monologue so I would be able to hit it. I wanted to do his words right. I wanted him to be proud of what I did.\u00a0 It was it was the hardest day I’ve ever had as Paul Lynde…And doing it doing it for the live audience, we only had one take for the opening with the package where I pop out.\u201d<\/p>\n
On watching MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY, all of Airington\u2019s hard work clearly paid off as he truly captured Vilanch\u2019s witty, sharp, and rapier writing style and found the right delivery within the character of Paul Lynde that conveyed the purpose and point to every line.\u00a0 Airington found the tone, the cadence, and the emotion within the character that then set the tone of the entire show.<\/p>\n
Shot on a very simple white-on-white set with a white door frame, white piano, and a bar, the show allows for the talent to shine.\u00a0 And shine they do.\u00a0 However, a set like this is also very unforgiving as it\u2019s like being up on stage in Vegas where it’s often just the single talent on stage and the audience and there\u2019s nowhere for talent to hide.\u00a0 Given his extensive stage experience, that was not a problem for Airington.\u00a0 \u201cI went off to the side.\u00a0 I let everybody that came on who were the \u2018guests\u2019 come into my living room and at the bar drinking [take center stage] and I’m walking from the side.\u00a0 It was so easy to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also easy to work with was the amazing talent who popped in to visit.\u00a0 \u201cEvie Harris (aka Jack Plotnick) is brilliant.\u00a0 Just brilliant.\u00a0 David K. Maiocco as Liberace.\u00a0 Oh my God!\u00a0 He\u2019s just absolutely amazing.\u00a0 And we\u2019re doing variety that wasn’t in the script. Let’s do some fun there, and so and so on and Bruce [Vilanch] said \u2018cool\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a cast of characters that included, in addition to Airington as Paul Lynde, Spencer Day as Tab Hunter, David Hernandez as Sal Mineo, David Maiocco as Liberace, Jack Plotnick as Evie Harris, and Seth Rudetsky, Jackie Beat and Lady Bunny as themselves, and the \u201cdrop-in\u201d style of the show, one has to wonder about cohesiveness with no real rehearsals.<\/p>\n
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According to Airington, \u201cWe did a run-through of everything in the day, but we never really had rehearsals because everything got changed… It was basically, we shot it as it happened. I did have rehearsals for the opening number.\u00a0 We didn’t do the choreography but with the tape day because it was so crazy.\u00a0 We were supposed to have gone into the soundstage the day before, and we didn’t.\u00a0 So they weren’t able to dress the set until the morning of the shoot; set it up. I was crazy. The lighting did everything.\u00a0 We were there at eight in the morning. And we didn’t shoot until six in the evening at six or seven and then we did a few good run-throughs.\u00a0 But it’s getting rewritten all the time. That’s why all the pros were able to get along to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, for Airington, \u201cMy job was to not only be in the special, but my job was to keep everybody’s energy up.\u00a0 Somebody had said it was a shame they didn’t have the cameras running in-between because I was basically keeping the audience warmed up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY: A VERY SPECIAL PAUL LYNDE CHRISTMAS is available to watch on multiple streaming platforms to keep the joy all year long, and with the smaller Vegas venues \u201cgone\u201d, one has to wonder what Michael Airington\u2019s got cooking now.\u00a0 The answer – a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve got a big documentary project that was shot in Vegas. And it stars Ester Goldberg and is called \u2018Chaos\u2019. I don’t know if that’s gonna be the title, but I know that it was just picked up by Miramax. So we’re waiting to find out about that.\u00a0 It’s going to be big. And it’s about what happened in Vegas when the Palms Hotel and Casino went out of business.\u00a0 They were open for Halloween and 2019 and then two days later they had locked the doors and the entire casino closed down… They did a documentary on it.\u00a0 But [with \u2018Chaos\u2019] Ester is the first person you see.\u00a0 America\u2019s gonna fall in love with this.\u00a0 I love Ester because she’s not abstract when she’s a character.\u00a0 I’ve always had this weird thing with the LGBTQ community because they might \u2018drag claim\u2019.\u00a0 I’m gonna say no. I’m a character.\u00a0 It’s a form of drag like the incredible performers Charles Pierce and Jim Bailey.\u201d<\/p>\n
And there\u2019s a big secret project that Airington is working on that will be revealed in due time.<\/p>\n
With one final reflection on MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY: A VERY SPECIAL PAUL LYNDE CHRISTMAS, Airington notes two important things.\u00a0 The first is camaraderie. \u201cWe were all together and it was hilarious.\u00a0 Everybody was laughing and having the best time and the cute little dancers were fabulous and it was just so much fun.\u00a0 I became friends with David Maiocco [who played Liberace], David Hernandez who played Sal Mineo. The brilliant Jeff Plotnick.\u00a0 I got along with every single person in the show. We had so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
And as for the second?\u00a0 \u201cI wish that I had one more camera for more close-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 12\/19\/2023<\/p>\n
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Enjoy a little Christmas cheer all year!\u00a0 MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY: A VERY SPECIAL PAUL LYNDE CHRISTMAS is available on Prime Video.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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