march 5.2004
THEATER
.............. V ..............
F
ans of gay history know Edward II (1307-
1327) as the guy who got a hot poker in
the ass— and we’re not talking in a gcxxl
way. No, tragic Edward, who’s poppied up
in movies like Mel Gihson’s homophobic
Braveheart and Derek Jarman’s homophilic
Edward II and now in a revival of Christopher
Marlowe’s play hy triangle productions!, was
killed in an unusually brutal way at the ripe
young age of 20 by political rivals.
Marlowe, a contemporary of William Shake
speare (and, to a few conspiracy theorists, the
real author of at least some of the Bard’s plays),
met his end in a way not terribly unlike pxxir
Edward: He was stabbed to death in a bar at 29.
Also like Edward, Marlowe is generally
acknowledged as at least hi and more probably
gay, but Marlowe’s “perversion” was not the
most probable reason for his demise. Rather, he
was a freethinker and a likely atheist— worse
crimes than queemess in 16th century England.
As fascinating as all this history is, it’s not
really necessary to know to enjoy director Andy
Alcala’s mostly excellent version of Marlowe’s
play through March 20 at Theater! Theatre!
Alcala, who’s gay himself, has effectively col
lapsed the original’s dozens of characters into a
mere nine, with many of the actors doing dou
ble, triple and quadruple duty. Uniformly strong
acting keeps this ekxjuent, emotional tale of
deadly intrigue and, ahem, gaiety among the
royals moving with dramatic panache.
In the play’s opening, Edward is seen at his
most vulnerable, crawling out of a hole in
which he’s been imprisoned with barely a stitch
of clothes. How he got there we learn as the
play prcxreeds through Edward and Gaveston’s
obsessive love, and wife Isabella’s humiliation
and subsequent scheming with Duke Mortimer.
Subject
to
Edward
Sure he was a bad king, but he makes for great theater
by
G ary M orris
It seems Edward has little time to worry
about the war raging in Scotland or the chaos
in France— he’s too busy diddling his boy toy
and denouncing anyone who might criticize
(many of whom seem to covet his position).
As usual, the church is also a problem. The
bishop says, “God himself is up in arms!" at
this affair, but, as Edward snappily retorts,
“Why should a king be subject to a priest F
Edward and Gaveston’s scenes, whether
together or apart, are the most poignant in the
pnxluction and form its emotional core. C on
sidering Edward II was written in the 1590s,
this relationship, unapologetically queer, is
downright astonishing.
Yet, despite its antiquity, the work contains a
perceptible post-Stonewall sensibility. Mtxlem,
t(X), is its scathing portrait of the church’s med
dling in affairs of state— and of the heart— that
it has no business in. Sound familiar?
riangle’s starkly minimal, monochromatic set
forms a suitably spare backdrop to the roiling
emotions of the characters, particularly dur
ing Edward’s frequent, anguished speeches. And
the witty updates, not uncommon in selling
Hell hath no fury like a young queen scorned
classic theater to modem audiences, keep things in Edward II
lively. Gaveston, for example, wears tinted
shades and slinks around like a Eurotrash homme
“My idea of adding the [props] was simple,”
fatale, while flashlights and tuxedoes figure
explains Alcala. “I was interested in creating a
prominently as props and couture.
timeless place for the world of the play. It puts
t
□
3
the focus on the text and story so that you are
not worried about a certain phrase fitting or
not fitting in a certain time and place.”
One of the toughest aspects when produc
ing Elizabethan theater is not letting the for
mal dialogue alienate or bore audiences. “I
have to make sure that the actors all under
stand what they are saying. The story should
come from within the text first. If the actors
understand...and we can find the levels, the
musicality, beats and all the tools in telling a
gcxxl story, the relevance of the story can be
timeless.”
Alcala’s actors move briskly through their
paces, with occasionally an almost slapstick feel
to the proceedings as they race through one
plot intrigue after another. Happily, they also
avoid the too-common Phony British Accent
Syndrome while giving the majesty of the lan
guage its due.
Gay actor Michael Mendelson, who recent
ly appeared in Profile Theater Project’s Klonsky
and Schwartz in the same building, nicely nails
Edward’s combination of vulnerability, anguish
and suicidal pursuit of love. Kelsey Tyler effec
tively sketches the working-class interloper
whose attentions help trigger Edward’s demise.
Stephanie Gaslin beautifully incarnates Isabel
la, while Neal Starbird, although sometimes a
bit too stentorian in the role, makes a service
able Mortimer.
in
triangle productions! presents EDWARD II through
March 20 at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 S .E .
Belmont St. Tickets are $I7-$23 from
503-239-59/9 or TicketsWest.
Despite being an out gay free-lance uriter, G ary
M orris has never once been hot-pokered or stabbed.
ED
M a c R o r y Tip t o C lip
B
A P lace fo r E verything and E ve ryth in g in Its P lace ...
Life is e a s ie r w ith a little o rg a n iz a tio n , w h e th e r in y o u r k itc h e n o r
on y o u r hard drive. You w o u ld n ’t leave all y o u r g ro c e rie s out, w o u ld
y o u ? T h e n d o n ’t do it w ith c o m p u te r files. Your M a c in to s h w ill be
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c o m p u te r’s files), A p p lic a tio n s (p ro g ra m s you use) and D o c u m e n ts
(the w o rk y o u ’ve do ne ), cre a tin g log ica l s u b fo ld e rs w ith in th o s e ...
M a c R o ry @ m a c ro ry .c o m
V d L S3L
* = b
L- z -L ^
"/ optim ise
(3 6 0 ) 6 9 5 ' 6 9 2 9
M acs & teach p e o p le to use them. ”
■W
MEN
...take responsibility for their own erotic education.
learn about waking up and sustaining erotic energy,
giving and receiving pleasure, aud expressing
your desires.
C e le b r a t in g t h e
B o d y E r o tic
Portland • April 24-25
Call Al, 503-493-9421
r,
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Electric
School
www.bodyelectric.org