THEGAYUK

Day: 13 January 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    ★★★★ | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    Strangers In between review
    CREDIT: Andreas Grieger

     

    Great performances by a cast of three is the highlight of the play ‘Strangers in Between.’

    Playing for the second year in a row at the Kings Head Theatre, ’Strangers in Between’ is a drama about a young man experiencing the big city for the first time. Shane (Roly Botha) has moved from his small hometown in Australia to the big city of Sydney. He says he’s 19, and he works in a liquor store yet doesn’t even know how to use the register. In walks a customer – gay and trendy Will (Dan Hunter). Shane at first is a bit intimidated by him, but they manage to make small talk until another customer walks in – Peter (Stephen Connery-Brown) – a middle-aged gay man looking for a simple yet inexpensive bottle of wine. Eventually, Shane gets Will’s number.

    Shane lives in the Kings Cross section of Sydney, an area teeming with prostitutes and crime. But Shane loves it there, especially as it’s far away from his family, and especially brother, he ran away from. He and Will hook up for a few trysts – it’s purely a sexual relationship – while Shane finds comfort in his friendship with Peter. But Shane has a couple secrets, one being his age, and the other involving his homophobic brother Ben (Hunter). But suddenly Ben finds Shane in Sydney after Shane’s world is falling apart after he has lost his job and contracted an STD from Will.

    The cast is very admirable but it’s Botha who shines. His Shane is young, cute, innocent and with a nervous tick – he dominates the very small stage – Botha is a wonder. Hunter ably does double duty as Will and Ben, while Connery-Brown is very good as Peter. While the ending is a bit of a letdown, the play, written by Tommy Murphy, is a show that all of us can relate to because at one time we were all young and innocent and new to the big city.

    For tickets, please visit:

    Strangers In Between plays at the Kings Head Theatre until 4th Feb 2017

  • Bronski Beat’s Larry Steinbachek dies aged just 56

    Bronski Beat’s Larry Steinbachek dies aged just 56

    The Bronski Beat keyboardist Larry Steinbachek has died aged 56 after battling cancer.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The musician Larry Steinbachek died last month according to his sister, who told the BBC that he passed after a battle with cancer. Bronski Beat was formed in 1983 and the lineup included Jimmy Somerville and Steve Bronski.

    Larry was just 56, friends and family were at his bedside when he passed away.

    One of the band’s biggest hits, “Smalltown Boy” focused on key issues faced by the gay community in the 1980s and featured on the album Age Of Consent, which highlighted the inequality facing same-sex relationships at the time. Whilst most European countries allowed sexual relationships between gay people at 16-years-old, the UK’s government resisted leaving the age of consent at 21, despite the age of consent for heterosexuals being set at 16-years-old.

    The song reached a peak of number 3 in the UK.

    The song was co-written by Larry Steinbachek.

    Marc Almond was one of the first stars to Tweet about the musician’s death saying he was “sad” to hear of Larry’s passing and that he enjoyed working with Bronski Beat back in the 1980s. The collaboration on “I Feel Love” was a top ten hit.

    https://twitter.com/MarcAlmond/status/819814905503064064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    Larry’s bandmate, Jimmy Somerville also paid tribute by saying that they were “young, brave and determined”.

    https://twitter.com/JimmySomerville/status/819887297147666432

     

     

  • Remember Sam Curry ?

    He’s been out of the limelight for a little while now, but Apprentice hottie Sam Curry has just reignited the thirst.

    He first appeared in The Apprentice 2015, but he’s back and with a full on work out regime he’s got himself a cracking body and his fans are lapping up the results. Uploading a picture to the guyswithiPhones.com, a site very very popular with the gay community, the actor, author and former Apprentice star, Sam Curry revealed his rock hard abs and perfect chest.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BNJ_RvLAa9S/?taken-by=samuelcurry&hl=en

    However we couldn’t help but notice something else Mr Curry – is that a dumb-bell in your pocket or are you just happy to be in the gym? The picture was first uploaded to Instagram just after Thanksgiving in 2016, after what was described as a “thanksgiving binge”.

    He also credited the lighting for the spectacular results, but we think he’s being modest.

     

    [mailmunch-form id=”358872″]

  • THE UNDATEABLE GAY I don’t FORE-SKIN a future with him…

    I’m writing this column at the risk of being called a shallow, vain poof. I’m even scared that people may start hurling rotten potatoes at me in the street. But oh well, I have been called a gay Joan Rivers many a time so I’ll take the risk.

    I’m hard. Normally in a gay sauna, I am. Anyway, I’m digressing. I like to think I am but underneath my fake tanned, Botox-ed hard-hearted exterior, I’m a pussy cat.

    As my friends will tell you, I don’t really have a type when it comes to men. My criteria normally just states they must have a cock and a pulse. And sometimes even the pulse isn’t important. No, no, I’m joking, I’m joking. I thought I’d better point that out before I get arrested by the Old Bill for necrophilia. The point is, I’m very open minded when it comes to men, hence why I don’t have a type. There is just one strict criterion my men must adhere to. GOOD TEETH.

    I can’t bear bad teeth. It turns my stomach. The thought that I have to kiss them. Now, I’m not talking wonky wisdoms. That’s fine, it’s just when they’re discoloured and stained. I just think, get yourself down the hygienist.

    Now before you all start lynching me and throwing shallow stones in my direction, let me point me out that I’m not perfect. I have a little gap in my front teeth. But I gargle coconut oil every night to ensure they stay gleaming white. People put sunglasses on when I smile.

    Talking of my gap, it takes me back to a family roast one Sunday. We’d finished eating and my mum looked at me and said, “you’ve got something in your teeth!”

    So there I was having a little pick. I looked back at my mother, waiting for reassurance it was gone. “No, no. It’s still there!” So I picked again. And again. This went on for a full five minutes so I stood up from the table in sheer frustration and walked to the mirror. On further investigation, I realised it was my gap she was referring to and there was absolutely nothing there!

    “30 years you’ve known me and you thought it was food stuck and not my gap!”

    Anyway, I better talk about my dating story seeing as this is my undateable column. I’ve been set up on a date by my friend Inch again. You know the one who works for Mulberry. I thought I’d give her another chance to get it right. Surely, she’ll do better this time. So, off I trot to the restaurant to this lovely bloke called Lee. He looked very handsome as he stood up at the dinner table to greet me with a kiss. What manners.

    We sit down and I order the standard bottle of Sauvignon from New Zealand. My snobby ways never cease to amaze me. The waiter pours it for us and as we lift our glasses to cheers, he shoots me a bloody great smile.

    How sweet.

    Then my jaw drops quicker than a prostitute’s knickers. His smile includes some rather discoloured teeth. I knock back my glass of Sauvignon like an alcoholic at breakfast.

    He’s so handsome, I keep repeating to myself. And then he opens his mouth and it reminds me of my bad teeth phobia. I did spend hours on Google looking for the official name for it, but there isn’t one. Even though there is an ARACHIBUTYROPHOBIA which is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, I kid you not. (??!!)

    So lee and I, we do get on really really well and we laugh and we enjoy a beautiful meal together. He’s got the looks, he’s got the personality. I try and remember my Sunday school teaching and vow to overcome my shallow behaviour when it comes to his molars. We get up to leave and he goes to kiss me. I pull away, faster than a rat up a drainpipe.

    I’m not quite ready for that.

    I make my excuses and he asks me back to his. I shock myself and say yes. I tell myself, I can’t kiss him on the lips but maybe I can kiss his…

    We arrive back at his gaff and to avoid the kiss on the lips, I automatically drop to my knees.

    As I perform fellatio, I hear him screaming. I carry on, gloating and smiling to myself. He’s obviously enjoying it. I feel quite smug as I carry on.

    He screams again and I think, God, I’m better at blow jobs than I thought. As he lets out another scream, I think, ooh I better just check he’s alright.

    I pull away and I feel his foreskin come with me! I realise it’s caught in my gap!

    “Be careful!” He screams as he rubs himself better.

    “Oh sorry!” I blush. “It’s my gap!”

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

    ★★★★ | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

    The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy played by Ben Turner,  growing up at the beginning of the troubles, in Afghanistan. When the Russians invade he is forced to flee with his ailing father or “Baba” (Emilio Doorgasingh) and begins a new life in the US where he finds a bride in what should be a happy ever ending. Unfortunately, Amir is also accompanied by a burdening baggage of guilt as a result of a set of lies and deceit, a secret known only by his father’s dear old friend Rahim (Nicholas Khan) who remained in Kabul.

    Amir’s mother had died during Amir’s birth, so he was brought up by Baba and father and son servants, the later Hassan (Andre Costin) of whom had developed a strong and loyal bond with Amir which is pivotal to the storyline. However, Amir betrayed that loyalty after witnessing an outrageous act on Hassan by a local gang of youths, who’s ring leader Assef (Nicholas Karimi) and Amir’s nemesis, reappears in an added twist later in the story when he is compelled by Rahim to return on a dangerous mercy mission to Kabul, now inhabited by the Taliban.

    The adaptation is brave as it’s a narration by Amir of his journey from boy to man and the tragedy that unfolds. This is a common style for Asian story telling but there is a danger that narration can be plodding and almost “sermon-esque” but Mathew Spangler seems to have struck a perfect balance between the story telling, flash-backs and cleverly choreographed crowd scenes that echoed the atmosphere and rhythms of Husseini’s novel, helped by a strong performance from Ben Turner and the supporting cast. The stage set is minimal with a kind of skateboard park half pipe that cleverly allows an illusion of height and depth for the performers to work off especially during the kite flying and action scenes, the backdrop a giant movable kite that had patterns projected on to it that complimented each scene.

    Tragedy upon tragedy lent to a relatively high tear jerk rating but this was pleasantly interspersed with humour from the characters who seemed to grow in confidence as the performance progressed and they connected with the audience.

    My only minus point about this stage version is that Husseini’s novel addressed other issues head on, shaking a fist at the revolving door of invaders that ruined what was once a beautiful country and a Mecca for travellers seeking enlightenment with a steady bustling economy and the subservient divide between Sunni and Shia, issues that were incidental and merely form a backdrop in this stage version, but were what made the novel a hot potato. However, to encapsulate the novel in its entirety on stage is too big an ask!

    I cannot sum up without mentioning the wonderful and often hypnotic percussion accompaniment from Hanif Khan that gelled the performance, beautifully done.

    I recommend this play, well written, and with strong performances throughout. I have already booked my return ticket!

     

    The Kite Runner runs at the Wyndham’s Theatre until 11th March.

  • 20 things you know if you were gay boy from the 80s

    20 things you know if you were gay boy from the 80s

    Ahh, the 1980’s….

    20 things you know if you're a gay boy from the 80s

    1. When Harrison Ford appeared as Indiana Jones and elevated archaeology to the sexiest profession known to man.

    2. When the government passed Clause 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 which made it illegal for any Local Authority to “intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. It was only repealed in 2003.

    3. When Madonna arrived, and although her first single, “Holiday”, was released in 1983, it wasn’t until 1984, with her second album, Like A Virgin, that she really blew the gay boy’s minds, cavorting around in Venice and having diamonds thrown at her whilst dressed up like Marylyn. She has been a gay icon ever since.

    4. When Colin and Barry had a kiss on Eastenders, making it the first UK soap opera to feature a gay kiss and sending the media into a frenzy with no more than a quick peck between the two men.

    5. When Boy George appeared on Top of the Pops, causing fathers in their living rooms to tut in disgust, and school children to debate in schoolyards up and down the country the following day as to whether the singer was a boy or a girl.

    Embed from Getty Images

    6. When the “AIDS – Don’t Die of Ignorance” campaign meant that as the reality of AIDS took hold; the Government terrified everyone with their now infamous campaign. The “gay plague”, as it was called by the media, had started to hit home.

    7. When Bronski Beat hit the charts with “Smalltown Boy”, about a young gay man running away from home to hide his sexuality, and gay musicians came onto the pop charts, including Erasure, Culture Club and Mark Almond.

    8. When the New Romantic music movement meant that it was ok for guys to wear eyeliner, pixie boots and use a can of hairspray on their hair every night.

    9. When the age of consent for the gay community was 21 years of age, whilst heterosexual couples could consent to sex at 16.

    10. When Larry Grayson was the campest thing on Saturday evening television, with his innuendo-filled humour and his famous “shut that door” catchphrase.

    11. When Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married; and there wasn’t a gay dry eye in the house. Even before she broke down prejudice by visiting HIV and AIDs patients (amongst her many other charitable causes), she was always adored by the gays.

    Embed from Getty Images

    12. When Stonewall was founded in 1989, which grew out of a small number of people, including Sir Ian McKellan, who had been campaigning against Clause 28. The green shoots of progress were starting to appear towards the end of the 1980’s and Stonewall’s arrival heralded a more public struggle.

    13. When Friday night simply wouldn’t be complete without watching The Golden Girls. “Thank You For Being A Friend”, went the theme song, and Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia were friends to us all.

    14. When Frankie Goes To Hollywood were banned from Top of the Pops and Radio One after releasing “Relax”. The band misbehaved themselves in a rather suggestive video to accompany the song, which got Radio One DJ Mike Reid all upset and Auntie Beeb’s knickers in a twist. The single shot to number one in the charts.

    15. When after-school cartoons were full of hunks, whether it was He-Man flexing his muscles, Hank the blond haired, handsome ranger from Dungeons and Dragons or Jason from Battle of the Planets, there was always someone to swoon at.

    16. When The Weather Girls gave us the ultimate weather forecast.

    17. When John Walters out-gayed himself with his movie, Hairspray; bringing together Divine, Rikki Lake and Deborah Harry into one huge ball of campness and a film about those who don’t quite fit in.

    18. When Scott and Charlene (aka Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue) got married on Neighbours, doing so not only to the dulcet tones of Angry Anderson (not the most suitable name for a ballad singer) but to the delight of gays everywhere

    19. When La Cage aux Folles opened on Broadway, and spawned the hit “I Am What I Am”, which got the gays feet moving when it became a huge disco hit (and gay anthem) after being released by Gloria Gaynor.

    20. When Care Bears made the world just that little bit gayer.