As a part of the theatrical community, I have always been proud of the fact that theatre is comprised of people who are forward thinking. People who are open to new ideas and outsiders. People who are proud to be inclusive of those who have been thrown down and caring toward those who think differently.
Obviously, I can think of instances in which these ideas can be struck down, either in practice or historically. However, I think we can all agree that those are ideals that we would like to hold up, even if they don't always stand true.
I bring up these ideals because I think we have a problem on our hands. A problem that stuck out in one simple line I heard during one of the first previews of Something Rotten at the St. James Theatre the other night. During the huge showstopper in the first act, the character singing quipped:
"And the chorus boys are kinda gay."
The line completely threw me out of the number. I barely was able to pay attention through its completion.
A similar instance occurred when I saw "If/Then," and Idina Menzel's character (I believe it was Elizabeth at this point in the story) commented on another character's bisexuality:
"Can't they just choose a side!"
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I am a musical theatre actor, living in New York city, who hates to be labeled as one thing or another. I most accurately identify as sexually fluid, but I often find that it is easier and more often understood to say that I am bisexual.
I know:
"It doesn't exist."
"You're just transitioning to actually being gay."
"I think you may appreciate women, but in the end I don't believe you'll end up with one."
I've heard it all. But I tell you, bisexuality does, in fact, exist. People are bisexual. Many of us look at men and women no differently than we looks at blondes and brunettes: different attributes of a person who could potentially be our significant other.
Back to the crisis I see in theatre and on Broadway. I hate that in my safe place we are told – without so much as a second thought – that as men in Musical theatre we can only be gay and that as bisexuals we are simply waiting to choose a side.
Is the perpetuation of stereotypes what we, as forward thinking thespians, want to stand for? Have we come to a point where the only humor we have is at the expense of someone? Aren't we past the point where commenting on someone's sexuality is necessary?
I do not want to be misinterpreted. If you are proud to be gay, BE PROUD! Too many have been through too much to discredit your pride in who you are.
And this also does not mean I am advocating that stories concerning non-heteronormative characters should be ignored, quite the contrary. Shows such as Fun Home, It Shoulda Been You, Cabaret, and Mothers and Sons are necessary in expanding society's definition of what is "normal". But they do so in a way that does not marginalize or make fun. They simply are. Broadway, and theatre in general, should continue to tout these stories and make them more common.
But to joke about another's sexuality is a problem which is not only pertinent to Broadway, but to all of us in all walks of life. We should look at each other for who we are, not who we love. When all we care about is who someone shares a bed with, we minimize our humanity. I don't know about you, but when I step into a theatre (whether it be for stage or film), I go to learn more about other humans: how they deal with their struggles, how they learn from their experiences. I do not go to be minimized, and neither should anyone else.
Broadway, I love you. I truly do. Something Rotten was an amazing show that I'm sure will only improve throughout previews. But please, please don't box me in. Don't tell me what I "kinda" am.
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