Paul Lieber
Off Broadway
Mike the director blames
Gilbert, and Leo will never
work with Gerald again, while
Gerald fixes his wig for an hour
and sighs about everything
but particularly complains
that Jack hits him too hard
in their kidding around
fight scene. Leo used to blame
Clarence, thought he would sink
the ship while Clarence
mocks Gerald, and both
he and Leo bet which inanity
Gerald will say when he returns
to the dressing room after
Act one. Steven thinks Clarence
is a horrible actor though Leo
argues he is improving.
Jack is homophobic
so detests Gilbert who sings
show tunes backstage though
the play we are performing
is serious and everyone
watches out for Tanya who
is capable of ripping your balls
off on stage but is well behaved
but secretly complains to Dorothy,
the producer, about Mike.
Mike asks me to stand by him
when the shit flies, while
Stuart, the other producer
wants to fire Tanya, but Dorothy
believes in her. Stuart
loves me and gives me free tickets
but I can’t tell Gilbert, Leo
Tanya, Gerald, Steven or Clarence.
The Times hates the play but
likes me, Steven and Leo
so the show closes even though
Joanne Woodward loves it
and everyone except for Gerald.
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Paul Lieber produces and hosts “Why Poetry,” a radio show on Pacifica Radio in LA, KPFK. The intention of the show is to de-mystify poetry and then perhaps to mystify it again. Philip Levine, Lynn Emmanuel, B.H. Fairchild, Tom Sleigh, Sandra Alcossar, Amy Gerstler, Chris Abani among many others, known, lesser known and locals have been on the show.
Lieber's poems have been published in Solo, Beyond the Valley of the Contemporary Poets, New York Quarterly, Santa Barbara Review, Spillway among other journals and anthologies. He has worked as the facilitator for the poetry workshop at Beyond Baroque, the oldest literary institute in Los Angeles. Reading venues have included Borders, Midnight Special Beyond Baroque and UCLA among others. He received his MFA in poetry from Antioch University, Los Angeles. He works as an actor and lives with his wife and son in Venice California. Visit him on the web at paullieber.com.