By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
When the cynical and abrasive John (Gary L. Anderson),
on the floor, collapses, the other men gathered for a stay
in the country rush to his aid in a scene from ASATAD's
production of "Love! Valour! Compassion!" The Tony
Award-winning play continues through this weekend
at Leeward Community College.
Play transcends ‘gay’ label
By John Berger
Special to the Star-BulletinMORE than one local theater company has wimped out when it came to doing a show where the playwright called for nudity, but director Clarke Evans and an all-male cast don't shy away in ASATAD's production of "Love! Valour! Compassion!" America tends to be obsessed with nudity, particularly when men perform nude, and playwright Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play contains a number of male nude scenes. Get over it! McNally created a remarkable piece. The ASATAD production is one of the best productions of the year by any local theater group.
Call it a "gay play" if you wish. McNally addresses the issues of homophobia and the AIDS holocaust, but spends far more time exploring aspects of the human experience that transcend sexual orientation: jealousy, professional rivalries, aging, age differences in relationships, living with physical handicaps, morality, ethics, mortality and the reasons some relationships last while others founder.
Evans and the cast do a perfect job bringing it all to life. This is a rare three-act play that doesn't seem overly long or bloated by someone's self-indulgence. At times hilarious, at times poignant, "L!V!T!" is absolutely excellent theater.
The story takes place during three summer weekends at the secluded country home of acclaimed choreographer Gregory Mitchell (Richard Barton) and his boyfriend Bobby (Ron Sweet).
Guests Arthur and Perry (Lance Bateman and Doug Althauser) have been together for 14 years; despite occasional spats and doubts, their relationship is a caring and stable one.
Abrasive and cynical John (Gary L. Anderson) is showing off his latest trophy, a muscular young Puerto Rican dancer (Tony Eidson). Buzz (Mark Gilbert) is a flamboyant fan of Broadway musicals, an outspoken advocate of gay pride, HIV-positive and single.
The ensemble grows by one when John's good-natured twin brother arrives from England. Anderson does a very convincing job in the double role. The others are consistently excellent; Gilbert is first-rate at infusing a sitcom style gay character with humanity and emotion.
McNally illuminates the various relationships and conflicts by deftly juxtaposing past, present and future. The characters take turns addressing the audience as narrators; they even reveal how each will eventually die.
At a time when so many "gay plays" rehash the same trite topics, it's refreshing indeed that McNally doesn't pander or preach to the converted. Each character is distinct and well-defined. None is a "wunza," as in wunza a drag queen, wunza macho, wunza Sensitive Young Gay Man Struggling With His Sexual Identity, etc.
The nudity works as McNally evidently intended it should. Honolulu audiences would have been shortchanged if the cast had performed in flesh colored tights.
The language is no rawer than that heard in many other local productions. The sexual content is actually less graphic than in the Kennedy Lab Theatre production of "Baal" or MVT's highly touted staging of "Angels in America," other recent plays that included full male nudity.
On stage
What: "Love! Valour! Compassion!" presented by ASATAD
John Berger has covered the local entertainment scene since 1972.
