Stereotypical gay theatre post

I have practiced my "I just won a Tony" face over and over, but I couldn't have done it better than Kelly O'Hara last night. 

For that matter, I could not have done a better I just lost a Tony to Kelly O'Hara face than did Kristen Chenoweth.  KC was delightful and sincere and pleased as all get out that Kelly had won, and it could have been either one of them that walked away with the award.

Yes, I am that guy. I am a gay Mormon man and I am really into theater. In my past life I was an actor and I loved every minute of it.  

In fact, the executive secretary for my bishop called me for an appointment yesterday evening. I asked him if he realized that it was Tony night. There was silence. I explained to him that Tony night was like the Superbowl for gay people.  He rescheduled the appointment for next week.

So, this is a rather stereotypical post from a sort of stereotypical man all about the big Tony night.

Fun Home won several important Tony's, including best new musical and best actor and score and book. The most moving performance of the night was given by it's young star in a song called Ring of Keys. What was it about? you ask. A young girl realizing that she is a different sort a gal as she articulates her attraction to a strong woman with lace up boots and a big key ring. Genuinely toughing. 

There were thank you speeches that gave support to teachers, gay rights, being different, and recycling.  Kelly actually danced off the stage in a fun and charming moment -- and it was her moment. This was the sixth time she has been nominated and her first win. Did I mention charming?  And gracious.

I was troubles -- slightly -- that the show clips were more quick snippets, like movie clips instead of full numbers from the shows.  Fun home was an exception, and it took us someplace that the others didn't.

On The 20th Century, for example, gave us scraps of three different scenes with brief new transitions.  I would have rather seen  "Babbette" with Kristen in all her Magdalene-ian glory as she chooses which script to run with.

And The king and I would have done better to show us the scene leading up to shall we dance. Instead, we got the best of, and little emotion or subtlety.

Hated Gigi, but then I have always hated Gigi. Not with a hate like I hate Cats, but a show about a girl being groomed to be a escort is not a good show for me, and the score is very mediocre. Vanessa Hudgins looked like she had just sucked on helium before the lights went up.  At least American in Paris gave us enough real dance to make us want to hitch hike to NYC.  

An unexpected real moment? Tony Yazbeck singing!  In a show all about dance and love for the big apple, the producers let a sailor sing for half the number.  What a lovely tribute to On the Towns leading man - integral to the musicals appeal. 

The snippet from Finding Neverland was interesting, but didn't really sing for me, even with Matthew Morison doing the honor. The LED background scrim was more interesting than the melody, and the rigging seemed to upstage the Glee alum - not a good sign.  Kelsey Grammer started it off right but the scene never took sail -- even with some cool looking sails.

The one minute Tommy Tune Tribute? Even a wonderfully bizarre hug could not make up for snippets of My One and Only, Grand Hotel and the Will Rodgers follies that were pathetically not enough. 

The Musical number from Something rotten worked as an opener.  It was literally called the Musical.  It was good to see Brian D'Arcy not in a fat green rubber suit. 

Shows I would love to see: 

King and I,

On The 20th

Curious indecent

It's Only a Play

Fun Home

Hand to God

American in Paris

On the Town

You Can't Take It With You (closed)

The Visit (closing soon)

Something Rotten

It Shoulda' Been You

Skylight 

Hamilton

INCLUDED VIDEO IS OF ALMOST REAL FROM BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY TWO YEARS AGO.  YOU TELL ME SHE DOESN'T DESERVE A TONY ANY GIVEN YEAR.

  

Today's Mormon/gay made-up news is brought to you by...

CNN reported yesterday that the Mormon church is in a battle and that it wants to call a partial truce.  "In exchange" they say, "the Mormon church wants gay rights advocates -- and the government -- to back off."

Well, ain't that a great lead to a story. Unfortunately, the truth doesn't read that way at all.

What actually happened was that the leaders of the LDS church pledged continued support for anti-discrimination laws for the GLBT community -- and then compared these laws to those that protect the rights of religious groups.

The "new campaign" as per CNN, repeats language from a website the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched in 2012 encouraging members and non members alike to be "more accepting and compassionate toward gays".

The church made clear on that site and in a public announcement in 2009, that it opposes gay marriage and insists on its right to set its own boundaries within church-affiliated charities, schools, properties and businesses;  Read, continued stances on no gay marriage and attendance requirements for its world wide temples.

What was new-ish to many was the LDS churches stance on religious freedoms. Elder Dallin Oaks, a member of the church's Quorum of Twelve Apostles stated:

"When religious people are publicly intimidated, retaliated against, forced from employment or made to suffer personal loss because they have raised their voice in the public square, donated to a cause or participated in an election, our democracy is the loser."

"Such tactics are every bit as wrong as denying access to employment, housing or public services because of race or gender." Elder Oaks cited several examples on Tuesday, which included:

1) The mayor of Houston subpoenaing sermon notes last year from pastors who opposed an equal rights ordination. The subpoena was later dropped.

2) Public pressure placed on a LDS gymnast to step down as an Olympic liaison in 2011 because he had supported California's Proposition 8.

3) Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich was forced to resign because he had donated money to support the passage of Prop 8.

"It is one of today's great ironies that some people who have fought so hard for LGBT rights now try to deny the rights of others to disagree with their public policy proposals," said Elder Oaks.

To be clear, Tuesday's announcement doesn't change any church doctrine -- including its opposition to gay marriage. It was simply a reiteration of policy it had established in 2009. The timing seems deliberate to coincide with the start of a new Congress and new legislative sessions nationwide, which is a smart move.

Others are speaking up as well. Southern Baptists and Catholic bishops have recently joined the international conversation to support national laws that aim to protect religious freedom.

"We are suggesting a way forward in which those with different views on these complex issues can together seek solutions that will be fair to everyone," said Elder D. Todd Christofferson, a member of the LDS churches Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

Sen. Jim Dabakis, of the Utah State senate is openly gay. I only mention this because this of course directly affects him as a law maker and a member of the LGTB community.  He sighed "Amen," to the church's -- shall we say "historic" announcement.?  Let's do. Historic.

"I am proud that the LDS Church has seen fit to lead the way in non-discrimination," he said. "Now, let's roll up our sleeves, get to work and pass a statewide nondiscrimination bill."

A good thing?  Yes. It's the right thing to do, and I believe with all of my heart that the members and the leadership of the LDS church aches to do the right thing. It (again) acknowledges the GLBTs as people worthy of respect and love.

Out of the blue? Unexpected?  The church is "backing off?" No. But we -- like CNN -- appreciate a little drama.

Hazing at the Laramie Project?

In two days, it will mark 15 years since officer Reggie Fluty found Matthew Shepard tortured, bleeding, hung on a fence in the middle of nowhere and left to die. Tuesday evening, after and during a sensitive performance based on that event and Shepard's own story, a group of Old Miss's athletes decided to yell out "fag" and heckle the actors on the stage.

After being dealt with by the administration, these athletes apologized, but didn't seem to have a clue why they were being called on to apologize in the first place. 

According to the play’s director Rory Ledbetter, audience members used slurs like "fag" and heckled both cast members and characters they were portraying for their body types and sexual orientations. Ledbetter  later stated that the audience’s reactions included "borderline hate speech."

From USA Today: University of Mississippi officials apologized Thursday for the behavior of a group of athletes among an audience of the play, The Laramie Project.  These freshmen used gay slurs and other disparaging comments to verbally harass performers during the production.

Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones and Athletics Director Ross Bjork issued a joint statement pledging and investigation of the incident, and plans to work with the response team to address the matter.

"It is clear that some students badly misrepresented the culture of this university," they said in their statement.

The play is based on the murder of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who was killed in 1998 due to his homosexual orientation.

In a statement Friday, the response team said, "The task of identifying specific individuals who were purported to have disrupted the performance is difficult because of the dark theatre, and initial reports vary in regard to the frequency, volume and source of the comments or disruption.

Garrison Gibbons, a 20-year-old acting major who was in the play, told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday that the atmosphere at Tuesday's performance was "radically different" from other performances and that actors had heard gay slurs from the audience and laughter at moments in the play that weren't intended to be funny, including a funeral scene.

"They were laughing at lines that spoke in negative ways about gay people," Gibbons said.

Gibbons added that he felt "an incredible amount of judgment and laughter" while delivering a monologue in the play in which his character comes out as gay, including audience members taking pictures of him with their iPhones, which he said "appalled" him. He said the cast was later told after the play's second act that the football players and other athletes in the audience were going to apologize after the show.

Gibbons said he did not want athletes to be suspended for games but rather to learn lessons and help create a better atmosphere for gay students on campus.

Michael Barnett, assistant chair of theater arts at the school and also chair of the Ole Miss faculty senate, told USA Today that a house manager identified the group as athletes:

 "The football players were asked by the athletics department to apologize to the cast,” Ole Miss Theatre Department Chair Rene Pulliam said. “However, I’m not sure the players truly understood what they were apologizing for."

The football players’ apology was given by one undisclosed football player on behalf of the entire group.

The whole thing is massively depressing when you take the context of what these kids were yelling out and what The Laramie Project is.  Incidents like this one make us question Shepard's legacy and whether we have done enough to make sure that no one forgets what this young man went through before and as he died.