Review

Jane Olivor's comeback pleases

by Maria Walsh

If Jane Olivor felt apprehensive about her comeback performance at the Agora in Cleveland on June 23, she needn't have. An Olivor fan myself, even I was surprised at the expressive and enthusiastic response she received from the audience, especially after waiting through a less-than-funny comedian and a twenty minute intermission.

Native Akronite Eric Kirkland seemingly had no idea who his audience was, and his jokes about picking up women in bars (in hopes of "scoring" with them) and his hetero-divorce woes did not even seem to be appreciated by the handful of straight-looking couples present. He seemed like a nice guy who was trying real hard, but as he said himself “Hey, I'm not supposed to be having more fun than you guys are! In his defense, I must say that the sound system was quite poor, and I had great difficulty understanding a lot of what he said.

When Jane Olivor finally emerged from the back of the dimly lit stage, she seemed almost shy sporting her new very blond, and very short hairdo. (Actually, she had a foot-long "tail" that she seemed particularly proud of!) She started off with "Let's Make Some Memories" (appropriate, as she has not toured for eight years) and "Vagabond," two relatively upbeat songs from her albums Let's Make Some Memories and Stay the Night. Despite the poor sound system and mediocre lighting, Jane

delivered a strong performance, accompanied by two outstanding keyboard players-one on acoustic piano, the other on a double keyboard synthesizer. Highlights of the show included the songs, "Take My Hand," where she shook hands with about twenty-five or thirty audience members, "No More Tears," where she gave her keyboard players solo riff opportunities, and her second encore insisted upon by the audience and honoring their request that she sing "Stay the Night."

For those of you who are not familiar with Jane Olivor, I will try to describe her appeal. Hmmm . . . a rich voice of velvet... usually gentle, sometimes gutsy, and always intensely emotional. Often singing of heartache, yet rebounding always to hope and strength. (Sounds hokey perhaps, but I think it's her appeal.) She's in touch with her pain. Her style is allusive, ranging from whisper-soft love songs to haunting French songs in minor keys and three-quarter time. She also sang familiar classics such as Dan Fogelberg's “Run For The Roses," John Denver's "Annie's Song," and Rogers and Hammerstein's "Some Enchanted Evening."

I loved her and was pleased to see that I was not alone in my pleasure. Next time, Jane and friends, I'd like to see you all in a classy establishment, with printed programs, souvenirs, better lighting, and a sound system, that does a voice such as Ms. Olivor's, better justice. She deserves it— and so do we! ▼

Men's Chorus concert marks third anniversary well

by Kevin Beaney

The North Coast Men's Chorus performed its semi-annual concert on May 19 at CSU's main auditorium. The theme was "Hooray for Hollywood," featuring music written for the silver screen, and marked the third anniversary of performances by the Chorus.

An audience of several hundred enjoyed music from such classic films as Wizard of Oz, Days of Wine and Roses, and Around the World in 80 Days. A medley of Disney movie music brought back the familiar

songs of Mary Poppins, Snow White, Cinderella, and the television shows Davy Crockett and the Mickey Mouse Club.

The 22 men sang clearly and strongly throughout the evening, working well as a unit under the direction of Robert Bellisario, and accompanied by pianist James Wallace. Solo sections within a few songs showed off the talents of several individuals. During the second half of the program, stepped forward to lend a warmth and the eight-member Chamber Chorus intimacy to arrangements of music from The King and I, South Pacific, and Carousel.

July, 1991 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Page 7

Abusive relationship is overit took courage, and a little help

by Zach Sayre

The only thing in life I wanted was to be loved, to know that I was special to someone, to feel like I was worth something in life. I found that love—or so I thought. My relationship was what I had always dreamed it would be, a perfect storybook romance.

Then one day, I realized my “ideal” romance had slowly turned into a living nightmare. My lover had become first verbally then physically abusive towards me. It's hard to pinpoint when or why it started. I know now there were times when he loved me-then it would turn bad. I might be laying on the couch or in bed, then suddenly fear would wash over me. I'd sense he is going to hurt me again. Once again, I would lie there and take the abuse. I began to fear that I would end up dead. I even thought that I might even kill him to stop the abuse. I just couldn't do that though for I loved him too much.

My lover became very controlling. It became so bad that I had to go to the hospital to be treated for my injuries after an attack. Once, while fighting, he claimed he was having someone follow me 24 hours a day. To me, that really hurt more than the actual physical abuse. From then on I was very cautious about going anywhere.

I finally realized I couldn't take this anymore. I got up the nerve to leave him. It was a difficult decision to leave my lover of three years. I loved him dearly, but I couldn't go on with the abuse.

I contacted the Maryann Finegan Project, which helped me out by finding a safe

As he has since the Chorus' inception, Doug Braun provided sign language interpretation for most of the concert. This special touch delighted the audience as American Sign Language occasionally gave way to mime when describing certain words and phrases.

Of course, a certain amount of humor came with some of the musical pieces. Having a chorus of men singing "When I was just a little girl..." in "Que Sera Sera" produced the desired appreciation and laughter from the audience. The selection of tunes spanned the decades from 1937's Snow White to "Somewhere in My Memory" from the 1990 film Home Alone. After the printed program was con-

space (a hotel room) so I would be out of the house and away from the abuse. Then I took him to court to secure a restraining order and to get a few of my possessions out of the house.

During this time we went to a mediation hearing to see if our problems could be worked out. While we were waiting to see the mediator, my ex-lover was obnoxious. He was verbally abusive and pulled the chair out from under my victim advocate. There was no positive outcome from the mediation hearing.

The Maryann Finegan Project went with me to show the court system the gay community was watching the proceedings. I was able to get a restraining order against him so he couldn't harass me anymore. In getting the protection order, my ex-lover had to come out of the closet and tell the court system and his lawyer that he was gay, something that he hated doing.

From what I understand, we were the first gay couple that the Cleveland court system recognized as "living as spouses." The court acknowledged I deserved the same treatment in an abusive situation as an opposite-sex partner. Therefore, I got the first protection order in the city of Cleveland against a gay spouse as well as a property settlement.

Just remember that no matter how much you love someone, nothing's worth putting up with any extreme abuse. I still love him, and probably always will. But not to the point of going back to him for more abuse.

Don't stay in any relationship when it gets abusive. Get out now-before it is too late. ▼

cluded, the Chorus returned for an encore of "The Body Electric" from Fame. A reception followed the 90-minute concert where audience got to socialize with the Chorus members.

Now a member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, the North Coast Men's Chorus and its smaller Chamber group have been touring and appearing at many events. They are also planning an Invitational Concert as part of the 1991-92 season where choruses from other cities will perform in Cleveland.

This concert showed how well the group can perform and what an asset they are to the Cleveland gay community.

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