GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

OCTOBER 13, 1995

Evenings Out

The gay world of Victor/Victoria

This new musical is more honest than the 1982 film

by William Randall Beard Julie Andrews in drag, in the 1982 film Victor/Victoria, is one of the quintessential gay images of the 1980s. Now, 13 years later, she's back, in a stage version of the story which had its world premiere in Minneapolis on June 18 on its way to a Broadway opening on Wednesday, October 25 at the Marquis Theatre. What's old is suddenly new again—

Butch Julie Andrews

and decidedly more queer. The musical is much more gay positive than the film.

In the familiar story, Andrews plays Victoria Grant, an unemployed opera singer in 1935 Paris.* Under the tutelage of a gay cabaret performer, Toddy (Tony Roberts), she begins pretending to be a man in order to create a sensation as a female impersonator. She falls in love with a Chicago gangster, King Marchan (Michael Nouri), who is in

Paris with his moll,

Norma (Rachel York), and bodyguard, Squash (Gregory Jbara).

Aficionados of the film will recognize much of the play's dialogue, but there is also a much more frank discussion of homosexuality. This becomes clear right from the start as Toddy cruises his way through his opening number.

More significant is the relationship of Victor and King. In the film, King hides in Victor's bathroom and spies on him/her. When he kisses her, he already knows that she's a woman. In the play, he's unable to make that dis-

covery and in his big song, "King's Dilemma," he struggles with the possibility of loving a man, musing on taking his "boyfriend" back to

Chicago. When he Femme Julie Andrews ultimately kisses

Victor, he chooses

on the basis of love rather than gender.

The relationship between Toddy and Squash was only hinted at in 1982. They now have several scenes, including a celebration of Squash's coming out. At one point, Toddy blows him a kiss which Squash reaches out to catch in a gesture that is a sweet and tender affirmation of their love.

Even Victor's ballad, “Crazy World,” takes on an added resonance in the stage version. In the film, it's simply a song that Victor sings onstage at the nightclub. In the play, it's her reaction to catching sight of herself in a mirror, for the first time in a tuxedo. The song becomes a more immediate, and poignant, reflection on her gender escapades.

Producer Tony Adams pointed out that much of this gay content would have been impossible in 1982. “But thank God we're all comfortable making those decisions today!" he exclaimed.

The show was incredibly popular in its Minneapolis preview, earning more than $3 million in ticket sales during its brief run. It clearly appeals to a broad section of the theatre-going public, not only gay men, but also older audiences, who come to see Andrews, and lesbians.

Julie Andrews has been a lesbian icon for decades. "So many women realized that they were dykes after The Sound of Music," one audience member explained. Women came to Victor/Victoria, sometimes in groups of twenty, to indulge their crushes.

*The story was set in Berlin's pre-Nazi gay cabaret society in the original 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria.

And they were not disappointed. In another scene not in the film, Norma asks King to dance, but he declines, encouraging Victor to oblige. What follows is a tango between Andrews and York that is sensuously erotic. It is also screamingly funny, as Victor continually forgets that he/she's supposed to lead.

The irony that this quintessentially gay musical was created by a bunch of straight men is not lost on producer Adams. He claimed that those involved felt a greater responsibility, being straight, to be authentic to the gay experience. And they've created a show that maintains a nice balance, allowing gay people to feel honored by it, while inviting in heterosexual people as well.

Typical of the men in the production is Jbara, who in addition to playing Squash, also appears in the film Jeffrey as a preoperative transsexual. Though straight, he has dealt with these issues in his family. He has two siblings, a brother and a sister, who are both gay. "It's not really my mission," he said, "but I feel no compunction about doing these roles because of the way I grew up."

This production of Victor/Victoria is modeling a world where gay and straight artists alike can comfortably create work without regard to orientation. That would be a queer world indeed!

Victor/Victoria opens in New York October 25 at the Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway at 46th Street. Tickets are available at 212-307-4100.

•