'Valhalla' Delights in Outrageousness

Associated Press, February 5, 2004
'Valhalla' Delights in Outrageousness
By Michael Kuchwara
NEW YORK (AP) - Not many playwrights would attempt to link Ludwig, the mad monarch of 19th century Bavaria, with a precocious young man in pre-World War II Texas.
But Paul Rudnick, author of "Jeffrey" and the screenplays for "In & Out" and the upcoming remake of "The Stepford Wives," delights in chronicling cultural as well as sexual outrageousness.
Ludwig and a small-town Texan named James Avery are soul mates in "Valhalla," Rudnick's playfully overstuffed new comedy now on view at off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop.