Curtain call insulting to gays
It wasn’t until the curtain call that I got angry at Las Vegas Academy latest production. Director John Morris’ take on John Cariani’s romantic roundelay "Almost, Maine" — a series of vignettes involving couples in various stages of love that closed last weekend at the Lowden Theatre — was funny, magical and rich in good will.
In the end, each of the couples took their bows and kissed one another. Nice touch. Except for one. There was this gay couple. As they took their bows, they approached for this kiss, and then turned away in mock-horror. It got a big laugh. It left me fuming.
If you’re going to have stories about love, and a curtain call where each of the couples kiss, what does it say when a director denies the kiss to the only gay couple? — and has them lunge away from each other, as if to say, "Two men kissing is not just wrong, it’s gross."
Some may argue this was too light a moment to take seriously, but light moments can sting with as much venom as heavy ones. What does Morris’ action imply to the gay students at the academy? That they can’t expect to share the same expressions of affection as straights do?
I’m not suggesting that any high school should be promoting homosexuality. That’s a whole different issue that would take more energy than I have at the present moment. But a high school shouldn’t be humiliating gays, or excluding them. And as comedic as it may have been, that curtain call was cruel. If the school was worried about the backlash that might result from two men kissing, then Morris easily could have omitted all the peckings between all the students. Why deny only homosexual characters the possibility of physical affection? …
Signature Productions recently held a talk-back between cast and crew of "The King and I" — which ends its monthlong run tomorrow at Summerlin Performing Arts Center — and a group of elementary students. It’s always an eye-opener to see a show through young people’s eyes. "What does an actor do if he makes a mistake?" one child asked. The group answer: "Sometimes you can use the mistake as part of your performance. Sometimes you can just ignore it, and chances are few people will notice. But the important thing is that you have to move on from the mistake. You can’t let one bad moment drag the rest of your performance down." …
I wish theaters that double-cast roles would announce to the audience which performer is playing what particular shows. The audience deserves the knowledge, and the actor deserves the credit.
Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas NV 89125.