‘Duty Free’
The Studio, Theatre Rhino
April 30 – May 31
Duty Free turned the spotlight on our sensationalized media-based culture flashing between dueling narratives: first, an ordinary woman suing the tobacco companies after her dog Fluffy dies of second-hand tobacco smoke; secondly, in which Mills recounts his own experience trying to build a relationship and performance career in San Francisco’s homo-fascist-cult-of-the-body-boy-circuit-queen-gay-culture. “Duty Free” was part CNN and part lounge act, with equal portions of irony and vitriol.
Starring David Mills
Written and performed by David Mills
Directed by Danny Scheie
Produced by ‘Make It So’ Productions
Video by Please Louise Productions
Set/lighting design by Jon Lowe
Music by David Buuck
Stage manager Tom Ontiveros
David Mills (writer/actor)
David has performed his previous solo shows in Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. His show “The Wedding Banned”, was developed at the Jon Sims Center and was performed at Josie’s Cabaret before moving on to the Solo Mio Festival in 1997. Mills performed regularly at the Cafe Du Nord, The CoCo Club, and along with Bridget Schwartz, hosted “Late Night Live”, a late-night comedy talk show at Josie’s Cabaret. David currently resides in New York City.
Danny Scheie (director)
Danny has directed Doug Holsclaw’s “The Last Hairdresser” (Bay Area Critics winner for Best Actor, nominated for Best Director), “Desk Set” (Cable Car Award nomination), “The Stand-In”, “Twelfth Night”, “Up Jumped Springtime”; Shakespeare Santa Cruz productions of: “The Tempest”, “Midsummer’s Night Dream”, “Merchant of Venice”, “Taming of the Shrew”, and “Comedy of Errors”. He has also directed James Patrick Kennedy’s “Harvey Milk”, Holsclaw’s “Pete in Paradise” at Josie’s, and “Picnic” at the Marin Theatre Company.
Reviews
“A gifted and bravura performer…. Ruthlessly cynical, like Margo Channing on steroids-a cathartic, exhilarating ride.”
–Bay Guardian
“Media satire with bite..a wild romp through tabloid television, gay theatre, and gay media images, Mills delivers hilarious black eyes all around. Mills has a bite that is all the more hilarious for its dead-on accuracy.”
–Bay Area Reporter
“Machine-gun fire delivery..no one is left unscathed”.
–SF Weekly
