GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

MAY 3, 1996

Evenings Out

MICHAEL HOUGHTON /STUDIOHIO

An epic adventure

to India

RIQUE WINSTON

Dobama Theatre's A Perfect Ganesh with Tedd Burr and Lenny Pinna.

CATCO's A Perfect Ganesh with (from front to back) Kaizaad Navroze Kotwal, Kerry Shanklin, Lynne Roth, and Jess Hanks.

by Dawn Leach

Terrence McNally is considered one of today's most admired and respected gay playwrights in contemporary American theater. His latest work, A Perfect Ganesh, is considered one of his best plays. It is currently being featured at the Dobama Theatre in Cleveland, and will open in mid-May at CATCO, the Contemporary American Theatre Company, in Columbus.

While A Perfect Ganesh is not as steeped in gay culture as some of McNally's previous works, like The Lisbon Traviata and Love! Valour! Compassion!, it does take an honest look at

some of the issues faced by gays and their families.

"It's not so much a gay play, but it certainly touches on those themes," said CATCO's Amanda Brockett. "The whole play is about acceptance and healing and being comfortable with who you are."

A Perfect Ganesh revolves around two feisty suburban Connecticut women, Katharine Brynne and Margaret Civil, middle-aged friends who are leaving their husbands behind to take a tour of India. Throughout their trip, they encounter the Indian god Ganesha, the Indian "queller of obstacles," who participates in their journey in the forms of various people they encounter.

Ganesha is a delightful character, a benevolent and serene Hindu god who has the head of an elephant and the body of a man. Ganesha narrates the story, and dur-

ing his frequent encounters with the two women, he watches, comforts and encourages them as they struggle with the painful secrets they harbor.

One of the secrets Margaret harbors is the newly-discovered lump in her breast, while Katharine struggles to suppress her guilt about not being able to accept that her deceased son Walter was gay.

The ghost of her dead son appears at times throughout the play, and he cannot forgive his mother for not accepting his homosexuality until after he was beaten to death in a brutal gay-bashing incident.

The two women also befriend a gay male couple staying in the room next to them, and become involved in their quest for spiritual renewal in their battle with AIDS.

“It's a beautiful script,” said Brockett. She added that the Columbus production is greatly enhanced by the participation of Kaizaad Navroze Kotwal, a native of Bombay, India, who is playing the role of the Hindu god Ganesha.

In the Cleveland premiere at Dobama Theatre, Ganesha is played by Tedd Burr, who brings vibrant energy to the role, as well as about 50 years of onstage experience, including his 1993 performance as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata.

Performances of A Perfect Ganesh at Dobama Theatre will continue through May 12, Thursday through Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday April 21 at 7:30 pm and Sunday April 28, May 5 and 12 at 2:30 pm. The May 12 performance will be signed and audio described. The theatre is at 1846 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights. For more information call 216-932-6838.

A Perfect Ganesh opens on May 16 and runs through June 15 at CATCO, at 512 North Park Street, Columbus. For show times and ticket information, call the box office at 614-461-0010.