Will Broadway always be "gay"?- Page 3

[xerotheory7803]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 3:49pm

sorry, honest mistake.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 3:50pm

"Will Broadway always be gay?" Why, do you have a problem with Broadway being attracted to other Broadways of the same sex? Stop judging it and just love it for what it is. :)

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 3:55pm

My spiritual advisor tells me that on Sept 15, 2010, there will be a gush of wind blasting through Times Square and the West End of London. From that moment onwards, all heterosexual men will crave live theater and embrace their gay brothers.

[scot]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 4:13pm

And onto a different angle...

there are just as many openly
gay artists on Broadway as
there are in the closet. Why..
baffles me.

Such as...

well nevermind!

[eb412]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 4:44pm

whether broadway is gay or not I think everyone one this board wishes more people were exposed to theater and could appreciate it. I think we are all sick of it being misunderstood and wish more people could enjoy so as to have the same happiness we do and so we are not such a small group of broadway lovers.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 4:50pm

The thing that makes me laugh is that there are SOOO many gay people who could care less about Broadway.

But if someone's gay they're automatically "suppose" to love Broadway.

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 5:04pm

That's true of anything though. If you're male, you're supposed to love sports. I could care less about sports. If you're a girl, you're supposed to love fashion. I know plenty of women who don't pay attention at all to that stuff. That's what makes stereotypes so dangerous.

[SayWhyNot]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 5:17pm

I just don't think successful Theater (and that includes Broadway) is about 'gay' or 'straight.' There may be some who like to imagine that the theater is the gay stomping ground, but that doesn't bear out in the facts: successful theater appeals to the human person, and the shows that are successful are hardly successful because 10% of the population is seeing them. Sorry. Even gay writers know that theater has to communicate human honesty. The shows that 'push' the gay issue are not among the most successul, though I have no problem that they exist. Who's going to go to the 'Naked Boys Singing' movie? Not as many who will go see the 'Jersey Boys' on stage. Why? Because it's honest theater -- universal -- and not about trying to appeal to one part of the audience. I'm glad the theater community accepts and welcomes gays as part of the human family. But don't delude yourself into thinking that 'gay' sells. We'll find out even more when 'Hairspray' tries to go mainstream with a straight man as the lead. I think it'll sink faster than 'Rent.'

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 5:45pm

That has nothing to do with gay or straight - that's just because Hairspray isn't a very good show.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 6:39pm

I know some very straight guys very into musical theatre...

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 8:36pm

Jason, while I can appreciate your observation, I think that theatre appreciation and general acceptance of people and things out of the mainstream has very little to do with one possessing formal education or a lack thereof. I know plenty of theatre lovers, straight, gay or otherwise, who don't have any formal education beyond high school. I also know plenty of logically regimented conformists, closed-minded to people and activities out of the mainstream who have degrees from Harvard and Yale. What it comes down to is ones degree of humanity.

Updated On: 1/13/07 at 08:36 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 9:44pm

I don't give a damn if Broadway is gay or straight or bi or asexual.

As long as it stays as good as it has been for the past century, who cares what who does to who or what when the curtain rings down?

[benjamin_barker]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 10:24pm

Okay, I think I created a monster with this thread - which was FAR from my intention!

To clarify, of course Broadway isn't exclusively gay. Of course some straight guys love it, and some gay men couldn't care less. And obviously - with the exception of La Cage and perhaps Rent - "gay" musicals have never acheived much bigtime recognition, which is itself a symbol of our (hopefully changing) times.

My only question was whether the association with (and potentially, to some, stigma of) homosexuality and Broadway was going to be eternal, or whether it was merely a by-product of 20th century repression leading a) many gay artists into basically a "community" providing equality and b) "outsiders" to associate the theatre industry irrevocably with us.

I personally do think times are a'changin', but I think its evident from the tense discussions upthread that the association is perceived by some to be a stigma still.

I agree with ourtime992: "Stop judging it and just love it for what it is. :)"!

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:07pm

WBF -- I can't say I agree that "degree of humanity" is the defining factor either. There are plenty of people who are decent, good people who don't enjoy theater (I am not tying that into views on homosexuality, because I agree with you there). Those who have only the high school education that you know who love theater-- would you consider them to be intelligent people? My money says you do...

[wheredidhegogeorge2]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:38pm

Im a straight male and have no problem admitting to my love. Im majoring in it at a prestigious college and actually a majority of my class is straight. But I think you are right. In high school it was often believed that I was gay for doing theater and music. The whole concept of it is ridiculous I think. Some of my closest friends at school are gay and they're the best people. And in many ways the most talented because they have no fear of expressing themselves in ways some straight men find "embarrasing" or "immasculating".

[winston89]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:55pm

I am a striaght guy. I ALWAYS tell people that even though I like theatre I am also the most sterotypical straight guy out there. That being said, I don't think that broadway is gonna change from being thought of as gay anytime soon. I have a laptop that I am supposed to use for high school. However, when I am bored in class I go online to theatre sites. There was one kid who saw me reading an article about a show and said that I must be gay cus I like theatre. I got bothered by that. Not cus the kid was calling me gay and I am not. I couldn't care less bout what other people call me/think of me. It bothered me cus it only showed how a lot of people are homophobic. And, I am also sick and tired of hearing how just cus I like theatre it means I am gay. I also LOVE sports. If someone looked at my computer and saw me reading ESPN ( which I also read during class) then they wouldn't say anything. A couple of weeks ago the pro bull riding association was setting up shop in the marriot. I only know this cus I saw the logo on a banner inside the hotel when I saw Drowsy. But I degress. Cus of this a lot of people from the south were walking round times square. I rember walking outside the Broadhurst afger picking up a ticket to Les Miz and heard a guy comment to his firend about how that kid is supporting "the fags" as he called it. I turned to him and I said to him the following. Look, your in NYC where there is a diverse population of different kinds of people. If I were you I would be VERY careful about what you have to say. I also left by saying for the record I am not gay.

The point to this rant is that there are people who don't wanna go to theatre cus its " full of gays" and they don't wanna be there cus of it. I have read "take me out" and the sad part is it's no that unrealistic for those events to happen if a sports player does come out. The reason why you don't see any athleats comming out till after they have been retiered for a few years is cus if they do it during their carrears there is a chance that it would be the end of their playing days.

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 11:59pm

winston - if I EVER needed proof that bad grammar can ruin a good point, you just made it.

Please, dude, "cus" is not a word. Never has been, probably never will be.

[benjamin_barker]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 12:17am

Sadly, I tend to get the opposite of this bias... when people find out that theatre-loving-little-ol-gay-me is a die-hard baseball fan, they look at me funny.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 12:19am

We all should know by now that anything or anyone that doesn't fit comfortably into a cardboard box is much too complicated for anyone's time and is shunned accordingly.

[Zimmy]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 2:03am

Some people of a certain pursuasion have similar prefrences or likes "Birds of a Feather..."

But people need to accept that those arn't always the case.

I am a straight man who enjoys theatre very much and am involved with a small theatrical endevour, and attorney by day and also a high school football coach. People may think it is strange, but we all have our passions. People just need to accpt differences.

Sorry, I watched "Little Miss Sunshine" tonight.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 7:00am

>> when people find out that theatre-loving-little-ol-gay-me is a die-hard baseball fan, they look at me funny

LOL -- man, I know that feeling all too well. I'm from the Texas panhandle, so I have the rodeo gene ingrained in me (Until my knees went ka-blooie on me, my events were bulldogging and bareback horse riding). I also lived in Canada for many years, so I'm a huge fan of hockey, whether NHL or second- or third-tier leagues. I can easily live without football or basketball, but when the World Cup is on, I'm so there.

Dance divas? You can have 'em. But Aussie foot ball? I got my dancin' shoes strapped on for that.

But then I'm about the man, gay or straight, I know that can work on his own truck and keep it running. I dont hunt, but I target shoot. Try explaining *that* to your gay friends sometime. :)

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 3:00pm

Is the sky blue? from Roman in Austin, Texas....

[benjamin_barker]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 10:39pm

"Dance divas? You can have 'em. But Aussie foot ball? I got my dancin' shoes strapped on for that. "

Well, let it never be said that Aussie football doesn't have a *few* things to make it worth watching :p

[steveshack]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 9:52am

This has been said before, but those of us of the gay persuasion learn early on in our adolescence that, in order to survive, we have to wear a lot of masks. Theater just becomes an extension of something we are already pretty skilled at. Also, if we grow up in small towns, we tend to get OUT and find our own people -- and that's usually larger cities. So, if theater is "gay," it's because it provides us a place to go.

On the other hand, straight boys who are clued in learn early on that they're much more likely to meet sexy, gorgeous half naked girls in a dressing room than in a football locker room. And there's a LOT less competition.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 11:03am

Well, I am straight and I love musicals and straight theatre. And yes, being straight and liking theatre gets you teased and talked about just as much as gay people. For example, everytime I mention that I am straight and like theatre, someone on this board (probably joking) says, "It's because you haven't come out of the closet yet." Or when I talk among people and I say I LOVE theatre, they give me a weird look. Who cares what sexual orientation you are. If you like something, good for you.