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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2005)
----------------------- — —_________________________________________________________ june 3.2QQ5 ' JUSt O«lt{47 THEATER ............. ▼.............. ictorian lesbians bickered in David Sherry Okamura’s Pure Gold Baby, a play about Mamet’s Boston Marriage over at CoHo. female strippers that showed all the requisite A gay anarchist resisted 1930s Berlin in T &. A—not to mention more “see you next Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day Tuesday” in one night than I’ve ever seen in Queer-themed theater lit up many Portland stages at Vertigo. Stark Raving’s Kiss It! and Cold my life. Yet, the only thing “gratuitous” about this past season, but will it take home any Drammys? it was being able to tuck a buck. PGB2OO5 is Comedy Concoction featured a whole range of sexual minorities. scheduled for a summer revival, so don’t miss it by T imothy K rause In fact, so many Portland stages got so this time, OK? much queer booty this past season that we all Speaking of missed opportunities, here’s should probably be enjoying a cigarette right one: Tape. Former Portland State University about now. their wives, girlfriends and children, just in case manages to tell universal stories, usually with students stuck together this pocket production With the annual Drammy Awards for out we should think that they really are ‘that way.’ ” characters that happen to he gay. You gotta of Stephen Belber’s one-act framing a potential standing theater waiting in the wings to Silvis’ departure may be welcome news for give McNally props for his gay modern-day case of date rape. The incident wasn’t specifi reunite us with all of our one-night stands, here Profile Theatre Project, which endured the Jesus in Profile’s staged reading of Corpus cally gay, but Briar) Adrian-Koch’s performance are a few crib notes to help remember what gay writer’s recent claims that Terrence McNally’s Christi. And it was hard to resist the bravado of as the accused aggressor seemed so (uninten ol’ times we had. It’s Only a Play should be rechristened It’s Only Tracy Hinkson’s virtuoso deliverance of a bi tionally) closeted that it could have added Except, of course, for the loss of Dennis a Wretched Play. Be that as it may, Profile orchestra leader’s X-rated mind-wanderings in unusual depth to his character. Talk about sub Bigelow, who died March 29 at age 52. He was carves an unequaled niche, digging deeper into The Stendhal Syndrome (especially knowing he text: Imagine a conflicted teen-ager trying to the first pnxlucer and a frequent director at Port the theatrical psyche by spending an entire sea was a last-minute replacement who had to force himself on his girlfriend because he’s in land Center Stage (back when it was an offshoot son focusing on multiple works by a particular memorize a virtual monologue precisely timed denial of his sexuality. of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and later playwright. McNally was this year’s choice, and *to realistic conducting of an orchestra). And a A few prixluctions found opportunities to artistic director of Portland Rep. More recently, whether you love his work or, like Silvis, find it special shout-out to rhe whole cast of The deal with gender roles. Insight Out’s On the Bigelow helmed Triangle Prixluctions’ wild “funny as cancer,” the multiple Tony winner Lisbon Traviata for bringing out the best in Verge explored terra incognita by crossing Drammy-winning Hedwig and the McNally’s less-than-perfect exploration of a McCollum with a corset—not for laughs but in Angry Inch and planned to direct struggling same-sex relationship. Of course, an attempt to push the boundary-breaking Take Me Out for Artists Repertory character of this intrepid female voy Theatre as well as The Rocky Horror ager. Sowelu took another tack when Show, featuring queer celeb Wade it presented the one-act Keep Tightly McCollum in an encore production Closed in a Cool Dry Place with an all from Triangle. female cast back to back the same For after 15 years, Portland’s gay night with an all-male cast. Just as stage is over, or at least its regular interesting was the role-tumed-trans subscription season is. Critical voic of Inez in Imago’s remount of an eter es from both gay and play circles say nal No Exit. Triangle Prixluctions won’t be Miracle Theatre’s Lorca in missed. But no matter how many a Green Dress, on the other hand, eyebrows were raised by lowbrow could never have lasted long enough. prixluctions, founder/prixlucer/ It was, in a word, ravishing. Gay play Neal Starbird brought Spain’s most celebrated poet back to director Don Hom deserves credit life in Lorca in a Green Dress. wright Nilo Cruz (who also wrote for two important contributions: Pulitzer Prize winner Anna in the First, Triangle was always a place where any let Tropics, presented this season by Port ter of the sexual minority alphabet could feel land Center Stage) led us on a surreal welcome. Second, he gave numerous local journey through the tragic death and artists opportunities they just wouldn’t other passionate life of outspoken gay Span wise have had. So, forgive and forget this sea ish poet Federico García Lorca. From left, Julianna Jaffe, Wade McCollum and Lindsay son’s two tritely gay offerings of Pageant and From brutal interrogations to exquis Lucas took a serendipitous safari across space and time Sordid Lives; instead, honor the memory of ite remembrances, director Olga in On the Verge. Falsettos, Bent and Jeffrey, all of which enjoyed Sanchez assembled artists that truly popular and critical acclaim. bringing out studly Spencer Conway buck created a sum greater than its parts, a highly Which didn’t always come easy from naked didn’t hurt, either. theatrical event that was altogether transfixing. Willamette Week gay theater reviewer Steffen In fact, 360-degree nudity popped up in Lorca was not only this year’s best queer the Silvis, a man we loved to hate so long as his several prixluctions. While it wasn’t surprising ater, but best of everything. JF1 barbed wit wasn’t pricking us. Thin-skinned to see skin in Triangle’s 10 Naked Men, I cer critics-of-critics sometimes characterized his tainly didn’t expect a script that was equally The 26th annual D rammy A wards will be insights as less than constructive, but his un fleshed out. Conversely, more than prejudice held 7 p.m. June 13 at Crystal Ballroom, was stripped away in ART’s sensitive prixJuc- wavering demand for excellence cannot be 1332 W. Bumside St., preceded by a social tion of the Tony-winning locker room drama questioned. Now, after seven years of fingering hour and followed by an after--party. Free and Take Me Out, in which a professional ballplayer open to the public; no reservations his thesaurus for new ways to congratulate or suddenly discloses publicly that he’s gay. Ogle condemn, changes at WW have prompted necessary. For details visit www.drammy.info. fest, yes, but every shower scene was integral to Silvis to move on and shower his pith on his the show’s (ahem) dramatic arc. The only ones award-winning playwriting career—in another By day, T imothy K rause is communications to strike Out may have been extreme hets— coordinator for City Club of Portland; by night, city. When asked what he’ll remember about us, and those straight guys can rarely think about he serves on the Drammy committee, for which he said, “Only in Portland do straight male Ilana Hamilton played a lesbian college student sex and baseball at the same time, anyway. For he has attended more than 120 performances actors playing gay characters feel compelled to who knits and studies backstage in between lap them (and my lesbian friends), there was during the past 12 months. lard their program bios with loving thanks to dances in Pure Gold Baby. V Making a scene adr:: 2230 ne alberta I ph :: 503.460.0760 ws :: www.pedxshoes.com monday - today I lam * 6pm Saturday * Sunday I lam - 5pm ♦ I
