EVENINGS OUT

Ghost story rekindles a belief in true love

Heaven's a Drag

Directed by Peter MacKenzie Litten Cleveland Cinematheque

Reviewed by Nancy Marcus

Once in a while, heterosexual Hollywood releases a romantic drama so effective that even the coldest cynic of love is tempted to rush straight from the movie theater to the

vocative depth of its serious theme is well-

balanced by the clever humor in its dialogue ("I might as well be dead for all you care." “You are dead!” “Trust you to nitpick”) and in its plot (a studly TV repairman is haunted by the ghost of his late drag-queen lover, who simply will not let something as annoying as death separate him from his "darling,” nor will he allow his darling to pursue new romances, especially over his dead body).

JANUARY 12, 1996

GAY PEOPLE's ChroniCLE

UNDERWRITTEN BY

THE LIEBERT CORPORATION

Salome

JANUARY 25.26.27 PALACE THEATRE

Magnificent Obsession Leads to the Ultimate Head Game!

Based on Oscar Wilde's play of magnificent obsession, this operatic tour-de-force presents a dynamic combination of sensuality and depravity. Witness the erotic explosion of a willful princess whose burgeoning sexuality erupts into the passionate dance of the seven veils, which wins and destroys the very object of her desire, John the Baptist. Don't miss this thrilling production of Salome!

SUNG IN GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES Accompanied by The Columbus Symphony Orchestra

THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION

610 WTVN

—

USAir CLASSICAL 827

USA on you

Ohio Auto Com:3

WARNER CABLE

lan Williams and Thomas Arklie

nearest pay phone to call an estranged lover and proclaim their renewed belief in true love.

For once, a gay movie with gay characters has been produced which will undoubtedly evoke that effect in the romantic in us all, queer, straight, cynical or sappy alike. This pearl of a movie, Heaven's A Drag, will be showing this weekend only at the Cleveland Cinematheque, and should not be missed by gay and bisexual movie lovers.

Although the name of the movie might imply yet another lighthearted portrayal of drag queens along the lines of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert or Too Wong Foo, this film is more in the genre of Torch Song Trilogy, an extremely well-made drama that will bring laughter and tears to any audience through its delightfully diverse case of characters, only one of which is a drag queen. This poignant ghost story and love story.is especially a must see for those who have ever lost a loved one, and for those who have ever built up self-protective walls around their hearts to block out the pain they associate with the emotional vulnerability love can require.

Heavens A Drag is a love story whose main characters are literally drama queens, one of them a victim of AIDS: But the pro-

Unlike mainstream Hollywood movies which merely flirt with the surface of gay issues and often avoid gay kisses, this film dives right into a realistic, meaty portrayal of gay life, filled with passionate kisses, snappy, intelligent dialogue, attractive characters, and a soundtrack worth tracking down in your nearest music store. A comprehensive depiction of gay life and love in the 1990s, the film explores many issues familiar to most gays— coping with AIDS, gaybashing, coming out to parents, homophobic co-workers, and clueless but well-meaning supportive straight friends-while richly weaving these various themes together like panels sewn onto the AIDS quilt, which is a recurring image of significance throughout the film.

Heaven's A Drag forces the audience to confront difficult issues, the central one being the difficulty of opening oneself up emotionally to both the sorrow and joy that accompany love, but the movie itself is far from difficult to sit through, being as fantastically funny as it is deep. To miss this movie truly would be a drag.

Heavens a Drag, directed by Peter MacKenzie Litten and starring Ian Williams and Thomas Arklie, is showing at the Cleveland Cinematheque on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 9:30 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

COLUMBUS

FOR TICKETS CALL:

461-0022

OR TICKETMASTER 431-3600

IT'S IN THE CARDS, MARY...

COVENTRY CATS

Cleveland's first full-service

cat boutique

a specialty shop for cats, and those who love them.

That's John Lauro from Realty One: do it now!

M-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.

1 p.m.-4 p.m.

1810 Coventry Rd.

Cleveland Hts., Ohio 44118

216-321-3033

Realty One

Office 991-8400

Voice Tel. 975-2056