I really need to find other gay blogs to read than Towleroad (though it is the best one out there). And there are lots of them out there: Pink Is the New Blog; D-Listed; Just a Jeep Guy; Are You There Blog, Its Me, Stephen? and... of course... Well, the rest all seem to have content that's NSFW (Not Safe For Work). Maybe that's why I don't link to them so often.
Anyway, thanks to Towleroad, I am linking this item about the Gay Men's Choir of D.C. and their all-gay production of Grease. I imagine the character of "Sandy" (played Olivia Newton-John in the film version) becomes "Andy" in the GMCDC production. And the singer of 'Beauty School Dropout' becomes "Teen Gayngel." The rest of the characters' names are asexual enough to be left alone, I suppose: Rizzo; Kinickie; Doody; Sonny; Putzie (now that's a name); Jan and Frenchie (need I elaborate on that one?) could be applied to either sex.
While I have no personal objection to making traditionally straight characters gay (I once played Jaques in As You Like It as gay, as supported by the text - look it up), I don't think I always agree with such radical interpretations. The tagline for this show is "The musical you know and love. Only gayer." Really? Now I know other shows have taken a similar tact. Evil Dead: The Musical had a similar campaign:
Anyway, thanks to Towleroad, I am linking this item about the Gay Men's Choir of D.C. and their all-gay production of Grease. I imagine the character of "Sandy" (played Olivia Newton-John in the film version) becomes "Andy" in the GMCDC production. And the singer of 'Beauty School Dropout' becomes "Teen Gayngel." The rest of the characters' names are asexual enough to be left alone, I suppose: Rizzo; Kinickie; Doody; Sonny; Putzie (now that's a name); Jan and Frenchie (need I elaborate on that one?) could be applied to either sex.
While I have no personal objection to making traditionally straight characters gay (I once played Jaques in As You Like It as gay, as supported by the text - look it up), I don't think I always agree with such radical interpretations. The tagline for this show is "The musical you know and love. Only gayer." Really? Now I know other shows have taken a similar tact. Evil Dead: The Musical had a similar campaign:
Still... Do we really need to make everything gay? Let straight people have their straight shows and let us gay folk have our own shows:
And no, I am not saying they are exclusive. What I am saying is we don't need to make straight things gay, just because we can or because we need to prove something. Just because the LGBT community wants to (and should) be part of the larger world community, doesn't mean we have to co-opt everything. Let's be honest here, some things are straight and some things are gay and never the twain should meet, as it were. And as it should be. It's called 'diversity' for a reason, folks. Let's celebrate the differences that make us all the same, is what I guess I'm saying.
But I digress...
In somewhat of the same vein (and also via), comes this new version of the video for Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me," a song and original video I love, and apply to my own life all the time. Made by students at the University of Rochester in New York, it expresses how I've felt on more than one occasion...
But I digress...
In somewhat of the same vein (and also via), comes this new version of the video for Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me," a song and original video I love, and apply to my own life all the time. Made by students at the University of Rochester in New York, it expresses how I've felt on more than one occasion...
And in case you're wondering, here's the original:
Here's to the day when "gay" and "straight" have lost their meaning altogether and "love" means the same thing to everyone.
More, anon.
Prospero
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