Arts

TraniWreck, touted as "Boston's best tranny, trashy, drag, and (high) femme talent," is an entertaining and provocative show, but you have to be willing to accept the bad along with the good and the gifted, magnetic performers along with the merely bizarre.

Two landmark, though wildly different, screen depictions of lesbians share a common denominator: Rose Troche. She wrote, directed, edited and produced Go Fish, the low- budget indie film that put contemporary lesbians on the big screen in 1994 and is now credited with ushering in a new era of queer film.

Edward Albee has always been kind of a rogue playwright. Kathleen Turner, with her sexy purr and sultry persona, takes on yet another larger-than-life role. And physical comedian Bill Irwin pushes the envelope with his portrayal of professorial George. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, the landmark show that first arrived onstage 1961, is currently in its third incarnation at the Wilbur Theatre for a three-week pre-Broadway run.

Human beings love to read about others' mistakes and failures, and the Cockettes' disastrous voyage to the Big Apple is the calamitous highlight of Midnight at the Palace.

At only 81 pages, Harold's End (Last Gasp) delivers a gripping illustrated novella on loss, personal hell and survival. Compared with other books set amidst child prostitution, LeRoy has written a poignant human story that solidifies the author's stature as one of our most talented contemporary writers.

I have yet to see a production by this company, which focuses on new Irish drama, that I've really liked; and the kicker is I'm Irish.

"I was taken to a virgin carnival by born again Christians. That is so cheating. In Islam, you get only one chance, and that's it."