By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Gary Anderson narrates the story for lovers played by
Richard Barton, center, and Ron Sweet.
Actors tell the
naked truth
Tony-winning play comes to
Star-Bulletin staff
LCC stage in all its nudityIt's always been hard to pin down theater company ASATAD, and now they've become a moving target. Their next nine productions will be performed at five different locations. "We're the ATM theater -- one everywhere," said director Gary Anderson. "We like the mobility and the challenge. We can't be pigeon-holed and never will be.
"Some shows are meant for small and intimate audiences, others aren't. So, we just shift the theater. We have our own lighting and technical people so it's not that difficult to be footloose and fancy-free."
Their next production calls for fancy footwork -- Terrence McNally's Tony-winning play "Love! Valour! Compassion!," a kind of "Big Chill" about male gays. The play has been made into a big-time Hollywood production starring Jason Alexander of "Seinfeld," but the film hasn't made it to Honolulu screens, and may never. And the ASATAD edition plays for six performances only at Leeward Community College Theater.
"It's playing in the Vermont backwoods and the hills of Tennessee. What are we -- chopped liver?" chortles Anderson, who points out that all across the country stage rights to the play were pulled when the movie was released, except for ASATAD's.
Booking agents at both Consolidated Amusements and Wallace Theaters confirmed that "Love! Valour! Compassion!" is not scheduled to play in Hawaii, at least not in the near future.
"The film is in very limited release right now, just in the big cities," said Phil Shimmin, Consolidated president. "We'd love to get it if it ever becomes available."
What's the big deal?
Most movie reviews of it hint that the piece worked better on stage, but even so, as Reed Johnson of the Los Angeles Daily News points out, " 'L!V!C!' probably represents the high-water mark of so-called 'gay theater' -- that is, theater by gay writers that appeals to largely gay audiences as exercises in cultural self-affirmation."
That, and that the male cast spends a fair amount of time on stage naked.
"There's more nudity in this than 20 years of community theater combined!" said Anderson, who plays a pair of twins in the work. "No dim lights or standing behind a couch or reaching for a towel. We're completely uncensored. We're letting it all hang out -- so to speak -- the way it was meant to be played."
Being nude, said Anderson, is "freeing. Except that you have no idea what to do with your hands. You have to totally concentrate on the words, because there's nothing to hide behind, no mannerisms or bits of acting business.
"We're just gratified that the lights of Leeward Community College Theater are as warm as they are. It can get cold. Remember on 'Seinfeld' when they talked about 'shrinkage'? It's absolutely true. I lost 42 pounds for this. And now I have men AND my wife telling me to brush my teeth more often after kissing!"
The nudity is supposed to be germaine to the plot and dialogue, which, said Anderson, is "funny, really funny. (Director) Clarke Evans is our teacher, our guide through gay culture, and for someone like me -- who's straight -- I get completely lost at times in the emotional depths of being 'gay.' He's quite a demanding director."
Even though Anderson and the rest of the cast are discovering hidden depths while dropping trou, why do a production guaranteed to freak out straight-laced citizens?
"Oh, I'm sure we'll get a few calls; we always do," said Anderson. "We know who they are because of Caller ID. We also get nice calls occasionally from the gay and disabled community thanking us for doing works that speak to them.
"To be honest, it's probably the gay and disabled or deaf productions that have saved us from bankruptcy. Their audiences come out and are the most enthusiastic."
The ASATAD production after "Love! Valour! Compassion!" is as straight as it can be -- Reginald Rose's teleplay "12 Angry Men," about a sequestered jury.
Well, sort of straight. ASATAD being ASATAD, "12 Angry Men" has women in the cast.
'Love! Valour! Compassion!'
When: 8 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, and July 18 and 19; 4 p.m. Sunday and July 20
