LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!
NUDITY! --
A Synopsis By DAVID MIELKE
The Greeks created live theatre as a place to go and wrestle with the challenges of being human.
It was not meant to be a diversion or escape from the complexities of life; it was meant, rather, to plunge people directly into them through the characters – encouraging audiences to think and feel and face those challenges head on.
As gay men in a world that’s still struggling with our right 'To Be,' we have some extra challenges thrown into the mix. So when a play comes along that helps us examine those challenges in a heartfelt, witty, and profound way -- making us both laugh and cry in recognition of our own experiences – it’s important to get to the theatre and raise our Wellness Quotient.
One such show is the Vancouver Island Players Society production of Terrence McNally’s award-winning ‘Love! Valour! Compassion!’, strongly and sensitively directed by John Fox and playing at Lady Smith's Little Theatre, May 14th to 24th.
In ‘Love! Valour! Compassion!’ eight gay friends get together for three long weekends at a house in the country. The story of what happens over the summer is told by the cast -- bit by bit they reveal not only the events of each weekend, but also their worries, hopes and loves.
Gregory (Earle Gibson) is a brilliant choreographer in his early forties struggling with an aging body.
Bobby (Scott Mercer) is Gregory's blind lover, who is adamant about not being treated like someone with a disability.
Arthur (Vincent Wells) and Perry (Stewart Seaward) are an accountant and lawyer who have been a couple for more than a decade. "We're role models," Perry proclaims."It's very stressful."
John (Bruce Mason) is an angry, bitter, British music composer whose arrival almost everyone is dreading; and James (also played by Bruce Mason) is John's identical twin who is his exact image physically but his complete opposite in every other way.
Ramon, (David Jowesy) is a hot, young dancer with a perfect body he flaunts in trouble-making ways.
Buzz (Rick Myers) lives for show biz trivia and old Broadway showtunes and uses campy humour to mask his deep vulnerability.
Over three Acts we see these eight friends fall in love and fall from grace, hurt and forgive one another, form couples and break apart, celebrate strengths and give in to weaknesses, play jokes on each other and give a shoulder for each other to cry on. None of them emerge from their weekends at the house the same. They each learn that to love others, they must first learn to love themselves. Ultimately they bond together, like a family, to create a theatrical event to perform at Carnegie Hall as an AIDS fundraiser.
Last night I attended the first full run-through of the play with the actors off script. As I watched these seven gay men from central Vancouver Island gathered together in a rural house, rehearsing what is, for some of them, their first experience with this kind of performing, it struck me how much real life was mirroring the play. This is challenging material they are working with, and the anxieties that come from facing fears were apparent.
Creating art isn’t easy. Digging deep and exposing yourself emotionally and physically on stage is not for pussywillows. These are courageous men who are donating their free time, stepping out of their comfort zones, and challenging themselves on many levels so that we as the audience can be challenged on many levels. They are giving us all a great gift. They are doing it as a benefit for AIDS Vancouver Island. They are doing it to build a sense of Gay Community. And like the characters in the play, they are doing it with Love, Valour, and Compassion! And did I mention there’s nudity to boot? What more could you ask for?
Make a pilgrimage to Ladysmith and do your heart, mind, and spirit some good.
Love! Valour! Compassion!
May 14th to 24th, 2008
Lady Smith's Little Theatre
4985 Christie Road, Ladysmith, BC
www.ladysmithlittletheatre.com/LVC.html
For tickets and info call 250-618-5543
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