February 3, 2015
Julie Goldman Takes A Walk on the Softer Side at LA Center
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 4 MIN.
On Saturday, February 7, The Los Angeles LGBT Center's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center has announced the one-night-only return of Julie Goldman in her new comedy extravaganza "Take A Walk on the Softer Side" at the Renberg Theatre.
"I LOVE this theater. It's the perfect size. Last year Lily Tomlin herself came to see me so from now on the space holds a magical element for me," Goldman told EDGE. "In addition, I love that a proceed of the ticket sales go to LGBTQ homeless youth and I am so thrilled to be able to support the center in anyway I can."
Irreverent. Outrageous. Hilarious. Charming. Soft? That's not a word usually associated with Goldman, one of the hottest young comedians working today. A star of "The Big Gay Sketch Show" on LOGO, The Provincetown Banner called Goldman, "a master of irreverent cultural criticism that will have you laughing so hard you reach the edge of tears and beyond." The Banner concluded, "She is a must see."
"Well, the word 'soft' is kind of a joke for the show and I delve into why that is IN the show, sooooo, you'll have to come experience that delight," said Goldman. "But if I were to answer that for real... Imagine a Lady Gentleman at home with her children (two dogs and a cat) wearing plush slippers and planning what she will cook for that week, while trying not to shed a tear when the commercial for the endangered tiger and planning for your parents Alzheimer's commercials come on TV."
Goldman describes herself as "the worst lesbian in the world" and is renowned for her brash mix of humor, observation and music (she plays guitar at a third grade level, specializing in lesbian folk-rock realness).
She has three TV comedy specials under her belt, which have been seen on LOGO, Showtime, and Comedy Central, and she has appeared on "Bones," "RuPaul's Drag U," "Happy Endings," "The Mindy Project" and MTV's "Faking It," among others. Goldman performs her comedy standup all over the country, but she built her reputation in New York City, singing parody songs like "Gay for Baseball."
"Ha! 'Gay for Baseball'! Wow. No one cares about that song. That's funny," Goldman reminisces. "I will be singing 'Pro Choice.' The show contains new and previously done material. Till my shit is on TV, you can expect to see things again."
And since she relocated to Los Angeles, that shouldn't be too long. Goldman admits, "I. LOVE. LA. Love love love. I like being here with my East Coast sensibility of not giving a fuck, and being opinionated and loud and stomping around this place that is so rooted in fa�ade and glamour and hot people, and trying to act as not gay as possible."
Opening for Goldman will be comedy star Teddy Margas, a founding member of "The Queers of Comedy" and a cast member in the hit stage show "Streeptease." Margas has toured the country for the past 10 years and now lives in West Hollywood where he co-hosts a weekly comedy show at Fubar with Mikey Scott.
Net proceeds from ticket sales will support the full range of free and low-cost programs and services offered by the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
"Take A Walk on the Softer Side" will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 7, The Los Angeles LGBT Center's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center's Renberg Theatre, 1125 North McCadden Place, Los Angeles. Tickets are $20.
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.