MARCH 20, 1998 GAY PEOPLE's ChroNICLE

19

EVENINGS OUT

Spring is greeted with a wide variety of shows

by Doreen Cudnik

and Dawn Leach

Entertainment options abound throughout Ohio during the remainder of March and on into April.

From an evening with one of the hottest lesbian comics, to award-winning dramas, to one of the best-loved musicals in American theater history-there's plenty to make you think, cry, and laugh out loud. Reserve space on your calendar now, and plan to support one of the many venues that supports gay and lesbian art and culture.

Chorus presents 'Naked Man'

Columbus-The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus is presenting the Grammy-nominated work Naked Man. According to the chorus, the show promises to be "insightful, poignant, and amusing."

Promotional material says that the chorus will "sing of the diversity of our lives as gay men... our loves and families, our failures and successes, and our unique view oflife ... you'll never forget the experience of Naked Man."

This chorus piece is based around the experiences of being gay with the point of view that gay men need to be able to exist in society openly, honestly and without shame, stripped of all their trappings and masks and multiple roles and identities.

There will be two performances of Naked Man at Ohio State University's Weigel Hall (by the Wexner Center.) The shows will be performed on March 21 at 8:00 p.m. and March 22 and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10-$20 in advance and $14 to $24 at the door ($8 with a valid student ID). Advance tickets are available at 800-494-8497, or An Open Book, 761 N. High Street, 800-519-2665.

The men with the pink triangle

Cleveland-The Beck Center for the Arts will be presenting Martin Sherman's controversial play Bent, March 20 through April 11. This unsettling yet powerful drama depicts the horrors of the persecution of gay men in Nazi Germany, a group that the Nazis ranked even lower on a human scale than Jews. Many gays were re-arrested after the concentration camps were liberated by the Allies, and forced to serve the remainder of their sentences.

Deciding to do Bent in their smaller, studio theater was a gutsy move for the Beck Center's play selection committee, since the story, which revolves around Max and his lover Rudy, contains graphic scenes of throats being slit by Nazi storm troopers, men being beaten to death, and the everyday forsaking of identity, dignity and lovers that prisoners had to endure in order to survive.

In a scene that denotes the cruel horror of the Nazi regime, Max is forced to abuse the corpse of a 13-year-old girl in order to prove his heterosexuality. Despite-or perhaps because of this continual degradation, Max comes to realize his need for truth and declares his homosexuality in a final, irreversible act of bravery.

Openly gay veteran Cleveland director Rob Gibb said doing research for the play was especially problematic because of “the lack of historical documentation about homosexuals in Nazi Germany." Fortunately, he came across Richard Plant's book The Pink Triangle, which has become his primary source of information.

Gibb said his approach to directing this complex play is to make the characters "as human as possible," and to treat Max as an "everyman."

"It happens that he is being persecuted because he is homosexual," Gibb said. "Others, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, the mentally and physically disabled, the Jews-they were persecuted too. I would love the audience, whether they're are gay, straight or whatever, to put themselves in Max's place. There is a great universal quality to this story; it's really about human relationships. The Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood. Call 216-521-2540 for show times and ticket information.

Lesbian comic at Wall Street

Columbus-Watch out, Suzanne Westenhoefer is hitting Wall Street! Wall Street night club, that is.

Be prepared for a great time: This lesbian

JUDY DLUGACZ MANAGEMENT

Suzanne Westenhoefer

funny-woman has had both gay and straight audiences howling across the country. Westenhoefer has the distinction of being the first openly lesbian comedian with her own HBO special.

From the main stages at the 1993 March on Washington and the Gay Games in New York to Comedy Central and Politically Incorrect, Westenhoefer's stand up is a hot item. Get your tickets early, or you'll be left standing in the cold.

Victorian gender-bending

Cleveland-Cloud 9, a gender-bending, farcical comedy by Caryl Churchill will take the stage at the Eldred Theater at Case Western Reserve University March 27-29 and April 2-5.

The play garnered Churchill an Obie Award in 1982 as the best off-Broadway play of that year. Set in 1880 British Africa and then London one hundred years later, Cloud 9 spoofs the Victorian empire and its rigid attitudes, especially toward sex. Men in the cast are played by women, while women are played by men. The play is an outrageous round-robin of sexual liaisons, and outrageous in its approach to relationships and politics.

Tanya Belov, who graduated from the College of Circus and Performing Arts in Moscow and has an international reputation in the discipline of physical comedy, will direct the show.

Answering questions about what type of audience the play will appeal to, Eldred publicity coordinator Scarlett Grala said, “Well, someone who's a religious Baptist would hate it and probably walk out!"

That's all the recommendation we need. Eldred Theater is located at 2070 Adelbert Rd., behind Millis Science Center on the CWRU campus. Call 216-368-6262 for show times and ticket information.

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Camping on a Pacific island

Akron-Can you hear it? The enchantment of "Bali Hai" is calling you to the Carousel Dinner Theater to experience the wonder and romance of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. Forget about the return of winter to northeast Ohio as you escape to the warm tropical air, powder-fine sand, and the serenity of a blue-green

ocean.

It's also hard to resist the campy fun of a stage full of World War II Navy boys as well as singing "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" along with Nellie Forbush. Who among us hasn't sung that song, at least once in our lives?

The two-time Pulitzer Prize winning musical is now playing at Carousel. located at 1275 E. Waterloo Rd., through May 10. Call 330-724-9855 for show times and reservations or toll-free 800362-4100.

Tap Dogs stompin' across Ohio

The cast of South Pacific

Tap Dogs, those hunky blokes from Down Under, are stompin' their way through the state of Ohio. They're at the Palace Theater in Cleveland from March 17 through March 22. They'll then head south to the state capital in April to play the Palace Theater April 21 April 26.

Called "the hottest show on legs" by British critics, the 90-minute show highlights the work of award-winning choreographer Dein Perry, designer-director Nigel Triffit and composer Andrew Wilkie. Wearing wellworn Levis, T-shirts, and Blundstone boots, the dogs tap their way around a set that looks like a rock-and-roll construction site with ropes, girders, ladders, scaffolding, dramatic lighting, and live music. For the Cleveland shows, call 216-241-6000 for show times and ticket information. In Columbus, visit the CAPA Ticket Office at the Ohio or Palace Theater, Riffe Center or any Ticketmaster location. To charge by phone, call 614431-3600; or 614-469-0939.

A more spiritual journey

Columbus If you're in a mood for a more spiritual kind of evening, check out the Ohio premiere of God's Heart at Reality Theater.

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DAVID SHOENFELT

On her way from Maine to New York to receive an award for gay rights activism, an African American lesbian finds herself on another kind of journey. She and her lover, who is dying of cancer, make an unexpected spiritual connection with a young boy on the street and a doctor's wife.

A group of seven people from all walks of life end up thrown together to find that their differences aren't as great as they might think.

"In actual fact everyone is working towards the same thing," said artistic director Dee Shepherd, "which is to be complete and be happy, and to find out where is your place in this universe."

An ensemble cast and multi-media images bring the audience into the story, which takes a long hard look at homophobia, gender bias, sexism, racism, and the nature of God.

Written by Prelude to a Kiss and Longtime Companion author Craig Lucas, God's Heart was originally produced at the New York Lincoln Center. This is the play's first performance outside of New York.

God's Heart will run from April 1 through 25 at Reality Theater. For ticket information call 614-294-7541.

Kaizaad Kotwal also contributed to this

story.

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