FEBRUARY 7, 1997 GAY PEOPle's ChronICLE 21

EVENINGS OUT

Multi-media show tells story of crossdressing saint

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Columbus-Joan of Arc, the cross-dressing French peasant who later came to be revered as a Catholic saint and martyr, has been a constant source of intrigue and artistic inspiration since she was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431, at the age of nineteen.

She has caught the private and public eye of many disparate people, from feminist lesbians to right-wing fanatics, priests and witches to learned old men and young girls. It is this very ambiguity and transgressing of categories that excited composer Richard Einhorn to create Voices of Light, an evening of multi-dimensional musical theatre that is playing at the Palace Theater in Columbus on February 15.

While heresy may be what has historically been taught as the charge brought against Joan of Arc, her refusal to stop dressing in garb traditionally worn by men also brought the inquisitors' wrath. This, and that sheand her clothing-were considered sacred by her peasant followers, led to her death

sentence.

It was during a time of powerful political upheaval in France that Joan of Arc, then seventeen years of age, presented herself dressed in men's clothing to Prince Charles, the heir to the French throne. The prince placed her at the head of a 10,000-strong peasant army.

When Joan was captured in 1430 by the Burgundians, French allies of the English feudal lords, they referred to her as hommasse, a slur meaning "man-woman," or masculine

woman.

The Burgundians sold Joan of Arc to the English, who eventually turned her over to the Inquisition of the Catholic Church. In her book Transgender Warriors: Making His-

French actress Renee Falconetti in the 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc, part of the multi-media event Voices of

tory from Joan of Arc to RuPaul, author and transgender activist Leslie Feinberg wrote, "Joan's testimony in her own defense revealed how deeply her cross-dressing was rooted in her identity. 'For nothing in the world,' she declared, 'will I swear not to arm myself and put on a man's dress'."

After Joan was burned alive at the stake, her executioners demonstrated the depth of their hatred of her transgender expression when they extinguished the flames and raked back the coals, exposing her body so onlook-

Light.

ers could see that she was a "real" woman.

Voices of Light is not your traditional evening of musical theatre, but one that promises to break boundaries while celebrating female heroism and spirituality through the story of St. Joan. This performance is unique in many respects-it brings together groups of performers from diverse media, and it resurrects a classic silent film, Carl Dreyer's 1928 The Passion of Joan of Arc.

The film was denounced as heretic by the Catholic church and simultaneously declared

a masterpiece by audiences and critics alike. In a weird twist of life imitating the subject of its art, the negative and virtually all prints of the film were destroyed in a warehouse fire. Dreyer reconstructed the film only to have the second incarnation be burned to ashes as well.

In 1981, several film cans were discovered in a Norwegian mental institution, and in them was an almost perfect copy of Dreyer's classic.

"Imagine walking down an ordinary street in an ordinary city on an ordinary day," Einhorn says of his first contact with the film. "You turn the corner and suddenly, without warning, you find yourself staring at the Taj Mahal. It was with that same sense of utter amazement and wonder that I watched Carl Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc for the first time."

Voices of Light will bring together this film with a truly eclectic touring ensemble of 150 musicians featuring Anonymous 4, a popular medieval vocal quartet, the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, conducted by Lucinda Carver; and the I Canntori chorus.

David Patrick Stearns of USA Today say that this "is the most successful melding yet of classic cinema and live music ... full of deft touches." Einhorn believes that this tribute to of one of the greatest women in history will touch people from many backgrounds because St. Joan "embodies the romantic myth of the misunderstood...true to [their] inner voice until death."

Voices of Light will descend in Columbus at the Palace Theatre on February 15 at 8 p.m. For tickets call 614-469-0939 or 614-431-3600 or any Ticketmaster location. Tickets are $33, $26, $23 and $19. Half-price tickets are available to students with a valid ID.

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THEATRE

1846 Coventry Road Cleveland Heights

The Cleveland Premiere of

MY NIGHT WITH REG

by Kevin Elyot

directed by Sue Ott Rowlands January 17 February 9, 1997 ★FINAL WEEKEND★

"Exquisite production and a marvelous cast!"

-Fran Heller, Cleveland Jewish News

"A gorgeously nuanced meditation on how we damage our chances for happiness with blind lust, emotional timidity and moral myopia."

--Keith A. Joseph, Scene Magazine

Call 932-6838

For Reservations!

Admission:

Friday & Saturday $14 Thursday & Sunday ~ $11 Senior & Student Discount $2 Off

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RIQUE WINSTON

Performance Schedule: Thursday, Friday, Saturday ~ 8 PM Sunday January 19 & 26 7:30 PM Sunday February 2 & 9-2:30 PM

The Professional Alliance of Cleveland Theaters With the support of

The Ohio Arts Council The Cleveland Foundation The George Gund Foundation

GRAPHIC: WARREN SMITH