This was a year of big changes. I started 2012 just a young sapling, and now I have flowered into a... Well, maybe it's not all that poetic. But I'm glad to have had Monkey Business on Crazytown for the constant documenting of my journey. Here's a look back on some of the best moments from 2012! MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist, Producing Artistic Director of The FOGG Theatre Company in San Francisco) I started off the year announcing my plans to move back to San Francisco, and much of Monkey Business this past year was dedicated to the... Continue reading

Hey musical theatre writers! Wanna tell unique stories that have meaning? Wanna innovate with the form? Wanna get PAID?! Try opera! MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) It was a hassle getting out there–huge post-Sandy nor'easter and all–but on November 8th, I arrived in New York City in time to attend Opera America's New Works Forum. I ended up on a red-eye on United despite the fact that I had a ticket booked for 16 hours earlier on American. I guess they all tag team when flights start getting cancelled. I arrived in Newark at 7:00am, and had just enough... Continue reading

San Francisco couldn’t be more different from New York, so why are we consistently being force-fed New York’s version of musical theatre? How are Broadway musicals relevant to our lives here? And if they aren’t, where are the alternatives that ARE? You know what, SF—I got your alternative right here! (Continued from Part I.) MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist, and now Producing Artistic Director of the FOGG Theatre Company) In San Francisco, musical theatre is not thought of with much reverence. Most Bay Area theatre companies either shy away from them entirely, or only do them rarely. Others trot... Continue reading

Hey San Francisco, are you ready for some new musical theatre? Musical theatre that is going to be relevant to you and your life here the SF Bay? Have I got just what you've been looking for. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist, and now Producing Artistic Director of the FOGG Theatre Company) So here it is, monkeys: the big reveal. Through my blog posts, you followed me across the country—watching me depart from the world of New York musical theatre. I’ve written about my reasons for leaving. Posts like SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND and THE NEW YORK LIE... Continue reading

The Monkey needs a break. Weekly posts have become a bit too taxing. But don't worry, Monkeys–I'm not abandoning you altogether Summer term is over, and now, I'll be relegating my posts to once a month. But take a look at what I'll be up to this fall. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) It has been such a pleasure writing my weekly Monkey Business blog here on Crazytown, but I'll be honest: I'm finding it difficult to keep it interesting. It's tougher than you might think to think of a weekly topic. And I have created a format which... Continue reading

I’ve got a new friend. He’s very thorough in his friendship. A little too needy, though. He’s a bit like that cat you feed once that keeps coming back. He’s the president of the united states. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist/Liberal) Two times in my life, I have given to the Obama campaign. I first donated for the election in 2008. I also donated during his Obamacare push. Now mind you, when I say “donate” I don’t mean that I attended a fundraising dinner, $35,000/plate. No. I would never spend that much on a meal. My first donation was... Continue reading

Two and a half months have passed since the monkey relocated to San Francisco. The search for employment continues. The intention was to change my means of employment—to stop relying on theatre for my income. It seems the universe has other ideas. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) Ask anyone looking for work right now: it’s rough. If you have a job, I suggest you keep it. I had a job. Actually, I had many. All at once. In New York, I was a freelance artist and arts educator. I cobbled together a decent living from teaching kids voice lessons,... Continue reading

Musical theatre hasn't been relevant in popular music for about as long as I've been alive. And as a devotee of musical theatre music, that means I haven't been relevant either. So what does a monkey do when he finds himself teaching a revue full of pop music? ANALYZE! MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) After last week's lefty political tirade which followed on the heels of my disturbing medical post, I figured this week's Monkey Business should be lighter fare. So this week, we're going to talk about infectious pop music. The past 2 weeks I worked at GLEE... Continue reading

Facebook is allowing the existence of a group aimed at spreading homophobia through thinly-veiled hate speech. All attempts at getting Facebook to remove this group has failed. Activist monkey attempts a crusade against the tyrant. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (composer/librettist/facebook user) It's always so shocking to me when people refuse to use Facebook. In today's world, being anti-social networking amounts to being anti-social. However, something is going on right now on Facebook that makes me question how much longer I will be a member. I'm hoping it doesn't come to it, but I may have to take <DUN DUN... Continue reading

Mariella Mosthof plays Becky in More Than a Four Letter Word's upcoming mainstage What "Flood" Means in Football. She was approached by RAL Productions to, in honor of Becky, who's an English MFA student, write a blog related to the festival's themes, and playwright Alex Rubin's works. Hopefully, she doesn't get fired. MONKEY BUSINESS: Guest Post by Mariella Mosthof (Writer/Editor) So, love in your 20s. It's tricky, yeah? Oftentimes, at this point, it's easier to recognize love by how much it hurts rather than by how good it makes you feel. And that trickiness is largely dismissed because it doesn't... Continue reading

When Obamacare was declared constitutional by the Supreme Court, many of us without health insurance were ecstatic. No, it's not exactly the comprehensive national health care we'd hoped for, but it's a start. The projected date of implementation of the program is just months away in 2014! (So why shit gotta go wrong NOW?!) MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) In late december of 1993, when I was just about to turn 17, my doctor decided it was time to remove the large raised mole I had on my right buttock. The mole was dark brown and kidney bean-shaped. It... Continue reading

Taking a cooking class was one of the most fun things I've ever done. It made me feel like an adult. It enabled me to tap into my Italian roots. Most importantly, I got to eat delicious risotto. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist/Amateur Sous Chef) For our Christmas gifts last year, Nico and I bought each other gifts centering around food. I got him/us a KitchenAid standing mixer–I got an AMAZING deal on Bestbuy.com–and he got me a gift certificate for a cooking school class in San Francisco at Chef Joe's Culinary Salon. At the time, I was still... Continue reading

Physically in San Francisco, but mentally still in New York City, the monkey is finding himself in a schism of lifestyle. Settling into the San Francisco vibe has proven tricky, and having New York Times bloggers barking in my face isn't helping. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) If you were on the internet at all last week, you undoubtedly saw the New York Times Opinionator Op. Ed. by Tim Kreider, "The 'Busy' Trap. You undoubtedly also saw many "busy" people posting it to facebook triumphantly, and you may have even seen some eloquent rebuttles. I particularly liked this one:... Continue reading

Not long ago, a movement in this country coined the term "The One Percent". Because of the recent media attention 1%ers have gotten, when the select few who wear this label, who also usually wear the label Ralph Lauren, their actions are often public now. The rest of us, the 99%, just chuckle...as we calmly clean our rifles. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Currently Unemployed San Franciscan) I live in San Francisco now. Me and the other compost-bin owning pinkos at the yoga studio love to pretend that San Francisco is its own nation–so, so far from that Fox News-watching,... Continue reading

It's PRIDE! And I'm not the only one celebrating!!! Let's follow everyone's favorite Conservative Christian Ex-gay Minister husband as he gets ready for the yearly festival! MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist) LITTLE MARCUS BACHMANN GOES TO THE GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL A picture book, by Tony Asaro Marcus is excited for Pride! Marcus has a special outfit planned for the festival! Marcus is planning to dance his ass off! Marcus has a different outfit planned for the after party! Marcus is so excited to see his friends! Marcus won a vintage Colt DVD at one of the fair's many adult-themed... Continue reading

I generally try to write about my own personal experiences, or my own expertise. This week, my blog is about neither. As a thoroughbred gay, I've never experienced, nor do I have any expertise with, a woman's genitals. Still, there's something going on down there, and I think we should all take a closer look. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist/Gold Star Gay) I’ve been thinking a lot about women’s bodies lately. That’s a sentence I haven’t uttered many times in my life. But with transvaginal ultrasounds, Rush Limbaugh/Sandra Fluke, and seeing the results of Renee and Big Ang’s plastic... Continue reading

From June 1st through June 8th, my boyfriend (Nico Rico) and I drove from New York City to San Francisco. We took a southern, and certainly not a direct route. What follows is a joint blog–pictures from the trip. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist), Photographs by Nico Rico (Boyfriend/Photographer) Our trip across country looked something like this: It was a long drive, but a drive I've been wanting to do for a long time. On June 1st, Nico and I left New York at 5:00am. I can tell you, do not attempt to do a drive like this without... Continue reading

I leave for San Francisco on Thursday. I've been spending my final two weeks in NYC packing and trying to unload furniture, but also saying goodbye to the people and the things that I love. MONKEY BUSINESS by Tony Asaro (Composer/Librettist and Soon-To-Be SF Resident) I tried to cram as much as I could into my minal few weeks in NYC. I made a New York Bucket list, and on it were things I've never done but have always wanted to do, and things I've loved but want to do one last time. • See as much NYC theatre (mostly... Continue reading