GAY PEOPle's ChroNICLE JULY 4, 1997

i & Dry In

FOOD

Live Jazz on Fridays & Saturdays

Full Menu, Beer, Wine, Liquors

2207 W. 11th Street Tremont⚫ 216/621-6166

Antone F. Feo, Ph.D. & Associates, Inc.

Antone F. Feo, Ph.D.

Lydia A. Gadd, LPCC

Gay/Bisexual/Lesbian Issues

Sexual Relationship/Concerns

Depression/Anxiety

No Wait Policy

JIM ANDERSON'S

CITY SITES

Karen A. Kazsmer, LPCC Juyne V. Triplett, LISW

...

Abusive Relationships Transgendered HIV/AIDS/Chronic Illness

24500 Center Ridge Road, Bldg. 4 Suite 100 Westlake, Ohio 44145 216/899-1300

Edgewater Park, Lake, Marina & City Views: 2 yr. old townhouse in Belvedere condo. This 2500 sqft., 31⁄2 story home features abundant windows, 3 decks, yards of marble, custom millwork and other upgrades, plus 8 years of tax abatement and absolutely stunning views! $199,900

Elegant Cedar Glen Condo: Rambling 2 bedroom, 2 bath

suite in the grand 20s-era landmark building. Features include

hardwoods throughout, a dazzling kitchen w/granite counters, formal dining, updated vintage baths, generous storage and 9 years tax abatement. $169,900

Panoramic Downtown View: Contemporary double-flat condo with a smashing unobstructed city vista. Two bedrooms, 11⁄2 baths, kitchen open to living area, 2 balconies and more. $114,900

Sutton Court Condo: 2 bedroom suite. Convenient, affordable living featuring sliding doors to a private patio, all appliances, insuite laundry, neutral decor, secured Rparking and additional storage. $62,500

Smythe, Cramer Co., Realtors

521-9300

999-1555

EVENINGS OUT

Fairy tales let energetic soprano live her dream

by Richard Berrong

Cleveland One of the questions I regularly ask gay opera performers when interviewing them for the Chronicle is whether they would like to integrate their sexual identity into their career. They all answer yes, and some have very specific ideas on the subject, but it has always been a matter of what they would like to do some day.

Susan Russell

That is, until I had the great pleasure of meeting Susan Russell, the energetic soprano who will sing the lead in Lyric Opera Cleveland's upcoming production of Conrad Susa's Transformations.

The work is based on the very personalized retellings of fairy tales by contemporary American poet Anne Sexton, a woman who, as Russell put it, was not afraid of any polarity of sexuality.

Russell was given Sexton's book by her brother on her nineteenth birthday, and has dreamed for years of appearing in this opera based on it. Now, for three performances, she will have the chance to live her dream and bring it to Cleveland's gay and bisexual community. Her excitement at the opportunity made her a real joy to interview.

First, a little about the work itself. Russell described it as "a roller coaster ride of untold delight." (She has a remarkable gift of language.) Transformations breaks people's preconceived notions of opera, sampling different musical styles with each of the thirteen fairy tales retold.

The work is set in the sanitarium where Sexton was confined. There, she gets her fellow inmates to act out her interpretations of the tales, through which she tries to discover who she is. The result, Russell said, is a constant awakening. Did she have a relationship with her great aunt? What could that tell her about herself?

If Transformations is a milestone in Russell's career, it is certainly not the first

step off a conventional path. In the past she did drag in Atlanta where, she assured me, she was hailed as that city's most convincing drag queen. (No, I don't understand that myself, but then I don't know Atlanta.) Did she sing opera in those drag shows? Ofcourse! And what else but "Glitter and Be Gay" from gay composer Leonard Bernstein's Candide. (It's a fiendishly difficult number, an orchestral version of which Dick Cavett used as his theme song years ago.)

Since then, among many other roles, she has appeared as the high-spirited Musetta in Puccini's La Boheme, which would have been typecasting, and in Kismet, which she relished as her first opportunity to belt. Crossover does not bother Russell at all. As she assured me, she loves to break down barriers.

While she has already had a remarkable career, there are still goals that Russell would like to attain. She would love to do Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Violetta in La Traviata, Tosca in Puccini's opera of the same name, and Manon in Massenet's similarly-titled work. Above all, she would like to continue to break barriers of perception, to take audiences to the unfamiliar, to help them challenge themselves to move forward.

She hopes that, in her work, she can give audiences a reflection of who they can be, or someone with whom they can empathize, by showing a commonality that links so many of us.

For this reason, accessibility is primary for Russell. An audience needs to have immediate access to a work, she feels, and that means that works need to be performed in the audience's language. (All Lyric Opera Cleveland productions are in English.) Language is not, for her, the only means of communication, however. She believes in being a total performer, working not only with language, but also with body gesture, form, and move-

ment.

The audience, she maintains, needs to make some effort as well when they go to the theater; they need to be willing to risk transformation. The rewards, however, as she pointed out, can be exhilarating. In particular for gays, it is a way of remaining free to make choices, to know oneself, and to be outside general society's negative views of them.

Spending an hour with Susan Russell was, for me, a remarkable experience. Cleveland's gay community will have a chance to experience this wonderful exhilaration when she brings to life Anne Sexton's poetry in Transformations, July 16, 17, and 19, at 7:00 p.m., at the Cleveland Institute of Music, in University Circle. For information and tickets call 216-231-2910

Richard Berrong is a Chronicle contributing writer living in Ravenna.

SUSAN M. WEAVER

ATTORNEY AT LAW

NEW LOCATION

is pleased to announce the opening of a satellite office in LAKEWOOD, OHIO (free parking, less hassle)

Now two locations to better serve you. THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, DOWNTOWN

LAKEWOOD NEAR MCKINLEY OFF 1-90

For an appointment at either location call

(216) 621-7200

Visa & MasterCard Accepted

Rinaldi Jewelry

Where "Lil” Things Mean A Lot

TV's own "Lil John" would like to aquaint you with his fine jewelry store.

Rinaldi Jewelry is the downtown store with a touch of old-fashioned service and quality that caters to your needs. Come see us for your commitment rings.

Our Personal Services Of:

Appraisal⚫ Free Ring Cleaning Phone 216/566-0603

•

Repairs Free Inspection

•

2028 East 9th Street Between Euclid & Prospect

Hours: Monday Friday 10:00a.m. to 5:30p.m.• Saturday 10:00a.m. to3:00 p.m. Mention this ad for 20% Off Your Purchase!