Bigger Parts For Male Extras

An article in the New York Observer last month examined the lessening of the taboo of full frontal male nudity on film, video, and stage. Being the Observer, the article veered from the prurient reasons for it, to a polemic about how in the age of Hillary the male member is being objectified to rob it of its power. I haven't exposed mine publicly, so something else must have robbed it of its power. I've waved it every which way shouting "Petrificus Humongous!" all to no avail.

In the past I felt cheated by the abundance of cooch on the screen compared to the absence of man pole. Later, as the flashes of actors' ordinary looking appendages started to appear I felt only disappointment. The reason is clear. While breasts and the v thing look like they are supposed to even when they are being filmed on a big sound stage, the major root just looks sad and aesthetically unpleasing when it being upstaged. To look its best, it needs be center stage, fully alert and in action. It's not meant to play second banana to its owner's overacting above it.

I'm particularly tired of seeing male nudity on stage. The novelty of it has worn off. If I really want to see dick I would watch videos at home like The Ass Menagerie or the adults only version of The Iceman Cometh. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't turn down a ticket to see Daniel Radcliffe share the stage with his little buddy (now that he's 18).

Or Adam Brody. Or Bret Harrison. Or Jake Gyllenhaal. Or the cast of Heroes...

I think I'm losing my point here. Excuse me while I go dig out my copy of the original cast video of Oklahomo!

Straight As A Rainbow

As previously mentioned, there were several gay or gay relevant shows at the recent fringe theater festival in Indianapolis (IndyFringe). I saw five of them. One was Greg Haskins' Almost Walking A Straight Line, a one person comedic story telling session about the gay performer's religious upbringing. It was good but not great. The funniest bit to me was the segment on attempting to speak in tongues. Greg tells of the great effort he put into trying to do this while working on it with his religious leaders. He is finally considered "successful" when he knowingly spouts some gibberish. When he is told that that is all there is to it, he says if he had known that earlier he would have just exclaimed "Chang chang, chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop" from Grease at the start of it (with the proper hand motions).

The part that troubled me was when he mimicked a stereotypical, effeminate gay friend of his. He used the caricature for comedy but also to show how he learned from it to act more "straight". I'm uncomfortable being in a theater with a lot of straight people watching stereotypes of gay behavior being reinforced. Worse, I find it unsettling to see a macho man mincing and prancing and Greg is definitely a manly man. The incongruity of it is like watching Rosie O'Donnell french kissing Donald Trump.

Two other shows were Thanks For The Scabies, Jerkface and Somewhere In Between. Scabies was pretty much a monologue about several real-life events that happened to the gay performer. This show really inspired me. It inspired me to realize that even I could write and perform crap as bad as that. Somewhere In Between on the other hand was a powerful performance by a troupe from Israel that focused on asking what makes a man a man and a woman a woman. The actors off stage were kind of weird but I really enjoyed the performance and I loved the Israeli accent. I am reminded that on my to-do list is to capture an IDF soldier for a night of debauchery before his Day of Atonement. I want me a big Hebrew National.

Speaking of over the top performances, I have watched the following clip so many times and I'm still finding additional hysterical parts in it.

I have done the same routine many times when entering a movie theater but I have always had to do it solo.

Let's Put On A Show

Overdose on theater and performance arts in Indianapolis during the 10 day binge of IndyFringe starting August 24th. There will be an unbelievable 216 performances of over 40 different productions to choose from. The shows are all a maximum of 60 minutes each and have a $10 admission charge ($7 for students). The whole thing takes place in four theaters (6 stages) in a three block area of the Mass Avenue Arts District. You can easily see several shows in one evening and include dinner and a nightcap all within a short stroll. Please go to the IndyFringe site and check out the details, the schedules, the other entertainment, and everything else you need to know about the festival. I plan to be there for at least six of the days so maybe I will see you there.

The place to go for drinks in this area is the Metro Nightclub (707 Massachusetts Avenue). It is a two story bar where gay men go to meet friends or make new ones, or just hang out. Downstairs is the kind of place you could easily bring your mother to if you have a mind to do such a thing. Actually, I did bring my mom there once. Upstairs is a nice little store where you can satify your gay paraphernalia needs. See the review at The Guide magazine for a fair description of the place, although the photos are not representative of the clientele at all in my opinion. I've been to Metro hundreds of times so I think I'm qualified to say that.

Concerning Indianapolis men, I was once told by someone in another city that they thought Indianapolis guys had way more attitude than might be justified. I think this is misperception. It's not a case of people acting like their superior; it's an expression of "I'm just as good as you." It's an egalitarian society. I think a person who has been treated like an A-Lister in some other city would be unhappy here because no one would treat them as being better than anyone else. Now, of course, an extremely handsome man would still be eyeballed and fawned over. That's universal.

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P.S. From what I can tell, these shows have gay or gay relevant material:

• Open 24 Hours (a set of short plays that includes the 10 minute play A Gay Thing: A gay man tries to talk his straight buddy out of going gay.)
• Almost Walking a Straight Line
• Somewhere in Between
• Thanks for the Scabies, Jerkface
  
• TransActions
• Gallery
  

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"Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" from Lili

Southern Baptist Sissies

I recently saw a performance of “Southern Baptist Sissies” at Theater on the Square in Indianapolis. It was a return run for the theater but it was the first time I had seen the show (and actually the first time I have been to this theater). I knew from the preview that the show was going to be critical of religion, but I found it to be surprisingly evenhanded. There was the display of the flaws in humans' practice of Christianity, such as the misinterpretation of the Bible and the picking and choosing which admonitions to adhere to. There was also a display of the real power of faith and Andrew's attainment of the reward for his belief (although by way of a very troubled and imperfect path).

While Brother Reilly and the mothers provide a framework, T.J. and Mark a story line, and Benny a comedic reprieve, it is Odette and Peanut (besides obviously Andrew) that provide the emotional punches to the play. Odette and Peanut appear as mostly barfly caricatures in a subplot, but that stealth positioning makes the revelation of their internal struggles more wrenching for the audience when they unmask the hidden burden on their souls.

The standout performances for me were Juli Inskeep as Odette, Ron Spencer as Peanut, Dan Flahive as Brother Reilly, and Dannon Lee Crews as Andrew. Actually I was amazed at the performance by Dannon Crews. I have never seen him act before and I was really stunned by the life and believability he infused into the portrayal of the character. The expressions, the delivery, the tonal quality were mesmerizing whenever he spoke. The big shock was that he was something between a total stranger and a distant acquaintance a long time ago (is there a term for that?) and I had no idea he had this kind of talent. The revelation made me feel like Jane must have, when she said to Blanche "You mean, all this time, we could have been friends?"

The motion picture based on this play is in the works, featuring Delta Burke and Leslie Jordan.