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GAY PEOPLE's ChronICLE OCTOBER 9, 1998

EVENINGS OUT

A familiar tale of people who 'undermine normal society'

by Richard Berrong Cleveland Opera opens its 1998-99 season with Bizet's popular Carmen. Along with its tuneful, well-known music, it offers a story that speaks to today's gay audiences, because Carmen is about giving voice to non-mainstream individuals whom society stereotypes in ways that make them feared and shunned.

Carmen is a gypsy. For Bizet's audience that meant that she was not Spanish like the other characters, but rather a member of an altogether different race. This race was regularly stereotyped as oversexed, immoral, dishonest, and inherently inferior-sound familiar?

In Prosper Merimee's novella, the origin of the story, this is exactly how Carmen had been presented. Viewed through the values of two Western European men, the narrator and Don José, she inevitably appeared as a dangerous person who threatened to undermine "normal" men and society.

Bizet's Carmen is different, however. It does not present her from the viewpoint of mainstream Western society, but rather allows Carmen to express her own position in her own words. This forces audiences to reexamine the stereotypes, to see that she is motivated not by an abnormal, uncontrolled sex drive or a dishonest, immoral nature, as society teaches us to s teaches, his students feel safe to propose gay slants on traditional operatic scenes.

Recently, for instance, at CarnegieMellon, two tenors in one of his opera workshop classes felt enabled to present the major duet from Gounod's Romeo and Juliette as a declaration of love between two men. As Theisen explained, this allowed them to have a personally meaningful experience of the scene that they could

carry with them in subsequent traditional stagings.

Theisen sees room for similar restagings on a larger scale. He shared his hope of presenting Company with Marta refigured as a man, thereby giving more meaning to

William Theisen

Bobbie's conflict over choosing among the three persons he is dating (The Cleveland Play House's current production deals with this issue in a different way).

He also has ideas about an all-male Iolanthe, Gilbert and Sullivan's work about peers and fairies, and a gay version of Five Guys Named Mo to be retitled Five Mos Named Guy.

Theisen got into directing by chance. After having trained as a chemist, he pursued a singing career. At one point he was hired by Florida's American Stage as the second cast Tony for an important production of Most Happy Fella. The first cast lead

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had problems with the role, and Theisen ended up doing all the performances.

He was so favorably received that he was asked to appear in a production of Man of La Mancha directed by Dorothy Danner. This lead to what has been a very successful second career as an assistant director and director.

Clevelanders will have a chance to see the latest of their new takes on the classics

when Cleveland Opera brings Carmen, subtitled in English, to the State Theater October 16 and 17 at 8:00 p.m. and October 18 at 2:00 p.m.

For tickets call 216-241-6000 in Cleveland, or 800-766-6048.

Richard Berrong is a Chronicle contributing writer who lives in Kent.

Laughter, sing-alongs are a substitute for analysis

by Dawn Leach Dayton-The Therapy Sisters singing duo made an appearance in Dayton October 2 on their tour of a new album, Codependent Christmas.

The Sisters describe their music as "short-term therapy with affirmations, sing-alongs, and a medicinal dose of laughter."

Reviewers have raved about the duo's ability to imitate a broad range of musical styles, which is true.

If their previous album Beyond Prescription is any indicator, the Therapy Sisters probably appeal to a rather specific audience. It helps to be a feminist lesbian surrounded by lesbians in therapy.

The music is not bad if you're in the mood sil-

liness and don't mind the occasional painfully atonal moment. Some of their songs are worth a little foot-tapping, and perhaps a chuckle or two. Some real talent shines through from time to time, too.

The singers themselves seem like delightful people who like to have fun, even if their idea of fun is a bit demented. Their

BRENDA LADD

show is probably worth seeing, if only to find out what kind of women would sing a song about John and Lorena Bobbitt called "The Weenie Whacking Woman.”

For more information about the tour or to purchase a CD, call 512-447-4779 (512HI-SISSY).

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