October 1 .2QQ4 * J U S t O U t
out
L o r c a in a G r e e n D r e s s
Miracle Theatre
“In Spain, a dead man is more alive as a dead
man than anywhere else in the world," wrote
Lorca, who today continues to live, speak, love—
and be loved— in A Green Dre:s.
“Ay, la vida!”
1 1 1 t would’ve been so much easier in the world
I if I could’ve loved a woman.”
Such is one reflection from the heart of
— Timothy Krause
Spain’s most celebrated poet, Federico Garcia
Lorca, whose fascination with death and scuffled
Kiss I t !
passions in life are poignantly examined in larrea
I Stark Raving Theatre
in a Green Dress, onstage at Miracle Theatre
through Oct. 16.
o unto others as you would have them do
Often writing against oppression, Lorca was tar
unto you, and love yourself as you are. T he
geted an intellectual threat to the rising Spanish
golden mle of the Bible and the golden rule
regime. The song of this outspoken gay bard was
o f the queer community kx:k lips in the new play
quelled when in 1936 he was killed at age 38 by
Kiss It! by Seattle lesbian Amy Wheeler, onstage
Nationalists at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
at Stark Raving Theatre through O ct. 16.
In Lorca, Pulitzer-winning gay playwright Nilo Cruz
Set in Portland, this modem comedy concerns
turns that assassination into a somber and surreal
two G en Yers: June, a freethinking sex worker
“seduction of reality” that is altogether transfixing.
who dreams of exploring her masculine side, and
T he play begins upon Lorca’s murder, when
her cross-dressing twin, Henry, who struggles to
the bkxxlied poet awakes to various incarnations
suppress his homosexuality through Christianity.
of himself. A young Lorca with Bicycle Pants cat
But when June crosses paths with trans woman
alogs his childhcxxl dreams. Lorca as a Woman
Vivien, and Henry is flatly challenged by clown-
represents his muse. Lorca in a W hite Suit, Lorca i ish old-fag Dominic, the siblings are spurred to re
in a Green Dress and a flamenco dancer.. .each
examine the definitions they hold of themselves
interprets portions of his life, revisiting dark super
and others, including a pansexual, kiss-hawking
stitions. Together, the six are jailed in purgatorial
street idealist named Orlando.
quarantine ruled by two guards bent on carrying
Om nipresent is an observant W ild W oman
the poet through death and onward.
who, in a third-act twist, leads the queer quin-
From sultry gypsy flamenco to lurid Dali land ! tet— and the play— in a very different direction
scapes, Cruz culls memories for the fertile vernac
for a quick existential lesson on how actions
ular of Lorca’s writing, his mind, his kxly and
speak louder than words.
what it means to be alive, artistic, gay, thoughtful.
Stark Raving artistic director Matthew B.
D
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larrea in a Q reen D ress brings Spain’s most celebrated poet back to life
And then, as director Olga Sanchez observes, to
be deprived of “the freedom to live, to speak, to
love and be loved,’’ whether in life or by death.
In this rich, rewarding production, Sanchez
grasps this essence. She has skillfully composed
oastage the romantic cadence of Lorcas story in
which dialogue is music, action is dance, rhythm
is life. O ne man’s story becomes bigger than the
tiny Miracle stage, embracing Kith a wide land
scape of ideas and minute details o f presence.
In the pivotal Lorca role, Neal Starbird’s
trademark intensity plays well against Meg
Savlov’s evocative flamenco, while Darius Pierces
actor who sheds the role of Lorca in a Green
Dress blends as subtle counterpoint. But what’s
more impressive is how this tightly woven ensem
ble as a whole projects harmony in dissonance by
balancing grand theatricality with simple honesty.
T he same tune is carried by set designer José
E. Gonzalez, lighting designer Peter West and
composer/sound designer Rodolfo Ortega, togeth
er creating a wonderfully strange, chilling, cata
comb-like netherworld.
Zrehski makes a noble pass at navigating a pre
cariously disjointed landscape that is as ambi
tious as it is altruistic. But this three-hour Kiss
collapses into more o f a dry, self-conscious,
closed-lip swipe than a passionate, revealing, full-
on spit swap. It’s sort o f a contrived “after-school
special” for the queer set in which W heeler only
gets to first base on issues o f gender identity, sex
uality, spirituality, incest and same-sex marriage.
Any depth o f character is unfortunately dis
placed by a defensive angst, one often harshly
spotlighted in hackneyed songs that leave gaping
holes o f disinterest rather than insightful nuance.
Still, the ensemble tries to pucker up to the
material. Jam ie Lee Currier, for example, opens
wide to share a visible sense o f June’s own self-
discovery upon learning o f Vivien’s past as a
man. And Gabriel Forrest licks an intense rev
elation in his portrayal o f Henry’s surrender to
sexuality. But when all is said and done, there
just isn’t enough chemistry in W heeler and
Zrebski’s Kiss to want to stay the night.
— T f C jH
.
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