APRIL 3, 1998 GAY PEOPLE's Chronicle

21

EVENINGS OUT

Actor says that being out has helped his career

by Kaizaad Kotwal Columbus-Musical theater, more than most other theatrical genres, forces the viewer to willingly suspend disbelief to a great extent. Les Miserables, which continues to rack

Glenn San Marco

up records year after year, may be one of the best examples of this improbable juxtaposition of song and dance with pretty grotesque circumstances.

Based on the Victor Hugo novel, the stage musical version of Les Miserables, is currently in its 13th year in London and its 11th year on Broadway. Since winning the 1987 Tony for best musical, Les Mis has gone on to receive over 50 international awards and has been seen by more than 40 million people worldwide and has grossed $1.6 billion at the

(62

global box office. It is soon to be a motion picture, starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Claire Danes and Uma Thurman.

The newly revamped $4.2 million tour coming through Columbus will certainly set more records. But behind these stunning figures is a truly stunning production, a deeply poignant story and some incredibly talented and committed artists-among them, openly gay actor Glenn San Marco.

Originally from Wilmington, North Carolina, San Marco plays a couple of roles in this large ensemble. At 34, he is one of the lucky few who has had no problem working consistently since he left Eastern Carolina University during his sophomore year. His career as a singer and dancer started at the Carowinds theme park in Charlotte, N.C., and took him onto cruise ships finally landing him in Opryland in 1987, where he met his partner of eight years, choreographer Todd Crank.

San Marco, who has always enjoyed support from his parents about his career choices, decided to come out to them about a year ago. "I had wanted to for a while, but kept waiting for the right time," he said.

That right time was in Hawaii, when San Marco's parents joined him there with the tour.

"It was one of the best experiences I have had," San Marco recalled, "We laughed a lot."

In fact, his father's biggest concern was that it took him so long to come out to them, and his mother simply wanted to know if it was okay if she told family and friends.

"I told them. 'If you are so well adjusted about this already, it's okay to let others in"," he said.

As amazing as Les Mis' long run is, even more spectacular is an eight-year relationship in the world of entertainment, where

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many relationships last less than Titanic's running time. San Marco attributes the success of his relationship with Crank to “open and honest communication."

"That is the main ingredient,” he said, "and from that springs trust and love."

San Marco's mantra that "honesty is the best policy" has also been the mainstay of his

career.

"I have always been out in the business, I never hid who I was," he said. He acknowledges that being openly gay in the theater business has worked to his advantage in certain aspects.

"If I am working with a gay director, or other gay performers, it helps the art because we share trust from our common bond of openness," he said.

When traveling, what San Marco and Crank miss the most is their old historic home in Nashville, Tenn. which they are refurbishing.

Instead of flying from one tour stop to the

next, the couple prefers to drive as much as possible, which allows them to see more of the country, and they both agree, sample much of the nation's talk radio.

Some of San Marco's grace and charm is distinctly Southern. While he believes that he has been hampered by his southern accent, San Marco is “very proud of that heritage."

While San Marco's talent and personality are sure to open many more doors to him in the future, for now he's happy to stay with the tour of Les Mis particularly through its six month run in Toronto which begins in July of this year.

Les Miserables will run at the Ohio Theater in Columbus for eight performances, April 14-19, at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ticket prices range from $16-$56. For tickets, call 614-431-3600 or any Ticketmaster location.

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