Hugh Nini & Neal Treadwell ("Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s to 1950s"): The Embrace Heard Around the World
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Release Date: 12/07/2020
Special Happy & Gay Crossover Episode: "Where There's 'I Will,' There's a Way"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis shares the latest installment of his Patreon/Substack spin-off podcast Dennis Hensley's Happy & Gay. He talks about adjusting to life after finishing his 8-month contract at Disney, wants to change the world but first he has to go through the pile of papers on his desk and clean his garage, decides he wants to smell like Jonathan Bailey, writes postcards for the mid-term elections and goes to a live taping of Dancing with the Stars. He catches three documentaries; Musk, You Can See Everything and HBO's My Mom Jayne, as well as the new gay indie Club Kid. In the...
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Actors Kasey Mahaffy & Nathan Mohebbi ("Come From Away"): "It's Nice To Be In A Hit"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined via Zoom by actors Kasey Mahaffy & and Nathan Mohebbi who play gay couple Kevin and Kevin, as well as other roles, in A Noise Within's production of the Tony-winning musical Come From Away. The show is set on 9-11 and the days following in a small Canadian town called Gander where scores of airplanes had to be diverted in the wake of the attack. Kasey and Nathan talk about creating a lived-in relationship when the fast-moving script doesn't give them a lot of dialogue, rolling around on numbered chairs they throughout the show and the way the show hits...
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Director-Choreographer Jeremy Lucas (Club 27): "We Really Are Just A Wild Group Of Theater Kids"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by Jaxx Theatricals co-founder Jeremy Lucas to talk about the company's new musical Club 27, which Jeremy conceived, co-wrote, choreographed and directed. The show is inspired by the mythic "27 Club," which consists of iconic musicians like Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janice Joplin and others who all died when they were 27. Jeremy talks about where he got the idea from, the themes of addiction and recovery and how they resonate in his own life and the reactions he's gotten from people so far. He also talks about how Jaxx is able to mount such...
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Actors Heather Wake, Nicole Pacent, and Dulce Valencia ("Boston Marriage"): Maybe Say It Like A Real Person Just One Time
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined by Heather Wake, Nicole Pacent and Dulce Valencia to talk about the unique and delightful play they're currently starring in, David Mamet's Victoria Era sex farce Boston Marriage. The trio talk about how they first came across the play, why they chose to perform it in private home--the Victorian-style "European House" in Studio City--as opposed to a traditional theater, and why one of the plays most memorable lines, "The point, my dear, is not to believe but to decide," resonates with all of them. Heather and Nicole talk about their decision to produce the play themselves, the...
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Playwright Janine Nabers & Director Michelle Bossy (The Peterson Show): "Theater Gives Me Myself"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by playwright Janine Nabers and director Michelle Bossy to talk about their world premier play The Peterson Show, which is about five adult actors who played siblings on a Cosby-like TV show back in the day and what happens in their lives when a Cosby-like sexual abuse scandal gets exposed. Janine talks about why she wanted to write the play, the scandal-tarnished sitcoms besides Cosby that she took inspiration from like Martin, Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Belair, and why it was important for the matriarch in the play's sitcom family to be...
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Playwright & Director Howard Skora (Texas Sodomy): "I Had To Get A Roulette Table In Tustin"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by his friend playwright and director Howard Skora to talk about his new play Texas Sodomy, which tells the incredible true story of the landmark Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas. Howard talks about his extensive research process, including interviews with real people involved in the case like Lane Lewis, Mitch Katin, and Paul Smith, and how he worked to stay faithful to the facts while creating compelling drama. He also explains the historical significance of the 1999 case, which challenged Texas's law criminalizing gay sex and ultimately led to the...
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Writer-Filmmaker Darren Stein & Performer AJ Paramo (Jawbreaker: The Musical): "Judy Greer Is Coming Tonight!"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by filmmaker Darren Stein & performer AJ Paramo to talk about Jawbreaker: The Musical, which is running at the Hudson Theater in Hollywood through September 27. Darren wrote and directed the 1999 cult classic film that the musical is based on and he also wrote the book for the musical. AJ stars as Fern Mayo / Vylette, the role originally played by Judy Greer in the film. But in the musical, unlike the movie, Fern is trans. Darren talks about the long development of the musical and how coming up with the idea of making Fern trans gave the story new urgency....
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Writer-Performer Christopher Moncayo-Torres (Before It's Too Late): "I Want Everyone To Cry All The Time"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined by his friend and playwriting classmate Christopher Moncayo-Torres to talk about his unique and wonderful show Before It's Too Late, which is an autobiographical storytelling show about his family...that features his actual family in major roles. He somehow got his two elderly parents, who are long divorced, and his two sisters to appear (two on stage and two via Zoom) for an entire 3-week run! Christopher talks about growing up a lonely latchkey kid in Queens and how that loneliness led to create this show. He also talks about how paying his dad to do the show, what it's like...
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Author Eliot Glazer (The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay): "All Roads Lead Back to Bea Arthur"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by comedian, writer and author Eliot Glazer to talk about his book The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay, which documents all the various ways Eliot has been doing the gay thing wrong virtually all his life. Eliot talks about his inspiration for writing the book, the decision to be so candid about his sex life, and the positive reception he's gotten from readers so far. He also talks about his high school drama teacher from hell, gays and body image, his complicated relationship with social media, and bachelorette parties in gay bars. Other topics...
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Excerpts from Dennis Hensley's THE MISMATCH GAME: Totally 80's Edition
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
This episode features excerpts from the live comedy game show Dennis Hensley's MISMATCH GAME: Totally 80's Edition, which took place on Friday, August 28, 2026 in Hollywood. On the panel were Jackie Beat as Bea Arthur, Julie Brown as Bjork, Danny Casillas as Reba Areba, Rebecca Kochan as Jennifer Coolidge, Dante as Christopher Lloyd and Melissa Peterman as Rena Z. The questions cover such 80's icons as Michael Jackson and Bubbles the Chimp, Cyndi Lauper vs. Madonna, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Dolly Parton, The Brat Pack, The Golden Girls, Cats the Musical, Back to the Future, Charles and Diana,...
info_outlineDennis is joined via Zoom by Hugh Nini & Neal Treadwell, the real-life couple behind the remarkable new book Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s to 1950s, a gorgeous collection of vintage photos they've collected of male couples in love. Hugh and Neal talk about the day they discovered their first photo, the rush of discovery that comes with every new find, the way their collection quietly grew without anyone else really knowing about it, and what went into choosing the cover photo and the title Loving. The couple also talk about their "50/50" test, which determines whether a photo will be considered for the collection or not, and the one couple featured in the book whose story they actually know something about--it involves a ring and a shoebox and you might cry. Neal talks about the job in cosmetics that allowed him to hunt for photos in different cities and Hugh talks about how the people in these photos didn't face what he calls "the homophobic industrial complex" that emerged in more recent decades. Other topics include: umbrellas as a signifier, the first selfie, how Hugh and Neal first met, their own photo moment at the March in Washington in the 90's and the incredible responses they've gotten from all around the world.