THEGAYUK

Author: Chris Bridges

  • FILM REVIEW | Keep The Lights On

    ★★★★★ | Keep The Lights On

    This award-winning and Sundance Festival-selected film is an intricate look at the lives of two men who enter into a relationship in 90s New York.

    Erik is a Danish documentary film-maker who meets Paul via a telephone chat-line. Erik is anxious about commitment and lawyer Paul has a steady girlfriend. What starts off as a casual sexual relationship develops into something more meaningful and romantic. The film charts the two lovers throughout their turbulent ten-year relationship.

    The two main characters’ lives take on unexpected turns and as Erik becomes more responsible and committed, Paul’s more orderly life spirals out of control as his recreational drug abuse becomes a destructive habit. The relationship enters a series of cycles of damage and renewal as the film charts their lives.

    The film is beautiful to watch but also painful to view in places, but ultimately provides a meaningful glimpse into the areas of both lightness and shade which relationships can pass through. The balance of the film is such that the story never feels too bleak but is balanced with erotic tension, a compelling storyline and occasional bursts of humour. Strong performances from the cast add to the emotional intensity of the film.

    Highly recommended for a moving and fascinating insight into the life cycle of a relationship.

    Directed by Ira Sachs

    See other reviews for Gay Dramas

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    This review was first published in January 2013

  • 10 Amazing Novels about coming out

    10 Amazing Novels about coming out

    Having always been a fan of reading, I navigated my way through my teenage years by devouring as much gay fiction as I could. It made me feel affirmed and like I belonged. It’s always good to know it’s not just you.

    Here are my top ten “coming out” novels:

    Maurice

    Maurice by E.M. Forster: This is one of the original classic gay novels. Written around the time of War World I, it’s never going to be smooth sailing when Maurice discovers that he’s gay in a world where homosexuality is illegal and considered a perversion. It’s a beautiful story, though, with some gripping moments.

    A Boy’s Own Story

    A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White: This literary masterpiece from 1986 outlines the coming of age of a young gay man in a tender and well-written account. The writing is lyrical and moving with an evocative and fascinating story.

    Running With Scissors

    Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs: This is a coming-out story with a difference. Burroughs’ childhood was far from usual. He grew up with an alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, ended up being adopted by his mother’s psychiatrist and his eccentric family and had a relationship with a 33-year man whilst in his early teens. Memoirs don’t get much more compelling, brutal or funnier than this one, thanks to Burroughs’ comical take on his life

    Sucking Sherbet Lemons

    Sucking Sherbet Lemons: by Michael Carson: Young Martin Benson is a teenage boy who’s gradually coming to terms with being gay in a predominately Irish Catholic community in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s a humorous and touching book about a boy’s dilemma between the joys of discovering gay sex and the guilt instilled in him by a religion that labels him as sinful. It is also the first of a trilogy which goes on to follow Benson as he navigates his way through life.

    Fifty Ways Of Saying Fabulous

    Fifty Ways of Saying Fabulous: by Graeme Aitken: Billy is a young boy living on a farm in New Zealand. He’s not quite cut out for farm life and spends his time imagining he’s Judy from “Lost in Space”, fumbling with a friend and lusting after the 19-year-old farmhand. It’s a very funny and entertaining read.

    Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To YOu

    Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron: James is a misfit and in discord with his surroundings and fractured family. Caught in limbo between leaving school and starting university he feels adrift. His psychiatrist is driving him more insane and his crush on a co-worker is getting more than he can manage. This is an above-average account of the pain and confusion that sometimes accompanies being a teenager.

    Mysterious Skin

    Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim: This is a dark and at times disturbing read. It’s a coming-of-age novel but with a twist. Brian is a guileless innocent and forges an unlikely friendship with a savvy cynic and part-time male prostitute, Neil. The novel is fast-paced and at times shocking as the two move towards a conclusion which causes Brian and Neil to re-evaluate their shared past. Mysterious Skin has also been made into a movie which TheGayUK has reviewed

    A Home At The End Of The World

    A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham: Pulitzer Prize winner Cunningham has created a moving account of the extraordinary situation in which Bobby, Claire and Jonathan, three friends and lovers find themselves in. The book explores how people manage to find a place for themselves and is an accomplished piece of work.

    How I Paid For College

    How I Paid for College by Marc Acito: This camp tale is reminiscent of a 1980s teen movie but with a musical theatre-loving cast of misfits and a gay main character. It’s a light and funny book with lots of tongue-in-cheek moments and an amusing storyline.

    Terre Haute

    Terre Haute by Will Aitken: Jared is the son of a wealthy family growing up in Indiana who happens to fancy boys. He’s sly, manipulative and cunning and has a predatory nature. When he enters into a relationship with an older man he quickly gains the upper hand. This is a moody, erotic tale which is really compelling to read but also makes the reader wince a little. Jared is definitely an anti-hero with a difference.

    Happy reading people.

    This article was first published in September 2012.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Waitress, Adelphi Theatre, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Waitress, Adelphi Theatre, London

    ★★★★☆ | Waitress, Adelphi Theatre

    (C) Alistair Muir

    An American musical about a waitress who bakes amazing pies to cope with life sounds too whimsical for words. You’d expect to come out of the theatre feeling more nauseated than if you’d eaten an oven full of apple pies with whipped cream. This belter of a show is a surprising gem, though. Yes, it’s feel-good and frothy with sections that play out like a sex comedy but it’s also poignant and achingly sad, at times.

    Based on the 2007 indie flick, it’s the story of Jenna (Katherine McPhee), a small town diner waitress who’s unintentionally become pregnant by her abusive loser husband who she dreams of leaving. To complicate things further, she’s smitten with her obstetrician (David Hunter). It’s also a story of the power of female friendship, with her colleagues, ditzy virgin Dawn (Laura Baldwin) and fierce Becky (Marisha Wallace) supporting her in her dilemma.

    Katherine McPhee is staggering with a voice that could shatter the hardest of heart as she belts out the repertoire of rock/folk songs by singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles. She’s amply paired with David Hunter as the likeable and unlikely heartthrob doctor. It’s a sweet rom-com with cracking music and a versatile set that sweeps you off to small-town America.

    There’s nothing not to like here. The songs are great, if occasionally forgettable, the cast nail it and the story is watchable. It’s fun and occasionally thought-provoking. Well worth seeing.

     

    Waitress plays at the Adelphi Theatre, until October 2019, Book Tickets Here

  • CABARET REVIEW | Black Cat: Bohemia

    ★★☆☆☆ | Black Cat: Bohemia

    The Black Cat cabaret has been slinking its way round the London circuit for a good few years and frankly, it’s starting to look a bit mangey round the haunches. This autumn’s incarnation is themed around Bohemia with an attempt at a demi-monde atmosphere but which has about as much relation to the bohemian style as an afternoon sipping Sherry and nibbling on Bourbon biscuits with your auntie Pam from Dagenham.

    The problem lies, not in the acts but in the overall show which is lacking in edge. If you’ve seen cabaret before you’ll also have seen it all before and it’ll either have been similar, better or worse in quality than you witness here, which isn’t the problem.

    There’s the usual acrobatics, fire-eating and hoop work and all of it’s pretty much faultless. However, the seven performers feel like a backdrop to the talents of compere Laura Corcoran (a.k.a. Frisky). She banters with the audience, makes jokes, sings a medley of uninspired musical choices (and at times unwise ones such as the choice of trying to cover ‘Wow’ by Kate Bush (who’d even try that?)

    There’s nothing wrong with her work. She’s archly funny and generally fun but there’s just too much of her. Way too much. It feels like the cabaret performers get a brief chance to pop on, do a turn and pop off again and then she’s off again. On the rare occasions that there’s an atmosphere building up or the remotest hint of thrill then she quickly re-appears and the mood returns to bawdy comedic chit chat, dashing any hope of anything that feels cohesive or novel.

    If you’re a huge fan of Miss Frisky then knock yourself out. This is her night and she’s largely only briefly interrupted in owning the stage. If you’re after something darker and more edgy and with some variety then there’s plenty more cabaret shows on the circuit.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Kiss Me Kate, London Coliseum

    ★★★★☆ | Kiss Me Kate, London Coliseum

    Kiss Me Kate London review

    If you want glossy and lavish then look no further than this stunning revival of Cole Porter’s classic 1940s musical. It’s a musical in the classic tradition with more hot hoofing than you can shake a fire extinguisher at, grand ensemble pieces galore and a raft of witty songs. Your nan would probably love this and I suspect she wouldn’t be alone. You’ll love it too.

    Opera North’s witty revival of this foppish tale of theatre people bickering endlessly whilst they stage ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ is a real gem. They’ve polished up this antique till it positively gleams. The sets and costumes are things of beauty and at times exceed the pace of the show.

    There’s a perfectly executed tap set piece performed by suave young Alan Burkitt and the extended version of the classic ‘Always True to You in My Fashion’ is note perfect with a superlative performance from Stephanie Corley. Yes, it’s slightly uneven with occasional lulls in the first act but the second act is a blink and you’d miss it joy from start to finish.

    Miss this at your peril. It’s riotous fun and yes, it’s pretty darn hot but don’t fear, it’s also ideal for a sultry summer night in the air-conditioned Coliseum.

    Runs until 30th of June 2018 – tickets available from £11.90

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Chicago, Phoenix Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Chicago, Phoenix Theatre

    Chicago London review

    It turns out that Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart hadn’t gone away for good, they were just polishing their revolvers, sharpening their tongues and napping in a cell somewhere. To celebrate the 21st anniversary of the West End production of Chicago, those murderous bitches are back to shake things up and take a well-aimed pop at the madness of celebrity culture. They’ve also bought their own dose of celebrity culture along with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Junior playing slime-ball lawyer, Billy Flynn.

    If you’ve never seen Chicago on stage and only know it from the Hollywood film then you’re missing out. It has to be seen in the flesh (and there’s a lot of flesh on show). The men are beefy and scantily clad and the women are Vaudevillian and slinky. The set and costumes are pared back with an on-stage orchestra belting out all those classic Kander and Ebb hits. The choreography is note perfect with all the shoulder shrugs, finger clicks and pelvic thrusts that you expect from Bob Fosse. Yes, it’s the same old show that we got in the 90s but who cares? It’s a veritable classic. With murderesses this stylish and camp who needs anything new.

    Two choice musical theatre actresses take the key roles with Sarah Soetaert giving us a cheeky not so dumb blonde Roxie and Josefina Gabrielle excelling as an embittered Velma. Cuba Gooding Junior might struggle with the singing but he’s got the moves and the charisma needed to sleaze it up a little.

    As one drag queen said to another once on Rupaul’s Drag Race: ‘Bitch I’m from Chicago. I will whoop your ass.’. You can certainly rely on these scintillating killers to whoop any ass on offer.

    At the Phoenix Theatre in London

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Devil With the Blue Dress, The Bunker

    ★★★★☆ | Devil With the Blue Dress, The Bunker

    THEATRE REVIEW | Devil With the Blue Dress, The Bunker
    Devil With the Blue Dress, The Bunker

    If you’re old enough to remember 1998 then you’ll recall a lot of fuss about a certain chalky stain down the front of Monica Lewinsky’s dress and a gag-worthy tale of a cigar being inserted into somewhere distinctly non-oral. Old news? Well, yes and no. Whilst Monica might not have dry-cleaned that dress, Hilary Rodman Clinton certainly cleaned up in the popularity polls and a chain of events began that came to an abrupt halt during the recent election. Sometimes being the wronged wife has its fringe benefits and the other woman isn’t always the villain of the piece.

    Kevin Armento’s witty take on the tale is a meta-theatrical absurdity. The characters know they’re in a play and the story is told by five women who featured in the story of Bill definitely ‘having sexual relations with that woman’. Hilary and Chelsea and the Bill’s secretary/go-between meet on stage with Monica and her confidante/betrayer Linda. Bill doesn’t appear but is voiced by the women around him as well as a plaintive saxophone. Whilst it’s a clever piece, it occasional lacks dramatic climax (unlike Mr Clinton) and feels more like reportage but it’s fun and thought-provoking nonetheless.

     

    Booking now

  • The Inheritance, The Young Vic

    The Inheritance, The Young Vic

    ★★★★★ | The Inheritance, The Young Vic

    It’s a bold move to schedule nearly 7 hours of theatre about the lives of gay men, by a writer who’s largely unknown in the UK and hope that people take a punt on it without fear of boredom or backache. It’s paid off here though, as the run is almost sold out. Maybe the draw is ‘The Crown’ (the director of the plays is Stephen Daldry) or the recent epidemic of boasting about having sat through a day of ‘Angels in America’ at The National. Whatever the reasons, they’ve scored a winner with this two-parter. It’s a magnificently acted and tightly scripted piece of theatre which is both thought-provoking and incredibly moving.

    The plays look at the lives of a group of sometimes self-satisfied/dissatisfied and hedonistic/troubled gay men in New York a generation after the AIDS crisis was at its height. Although there’s lots of issues raised it’s also a very entertaining and human piece of character-driven storytelling with moments of wry comedy.

    Based directly on E.M. Forster’s ‘Howard’s End’, but with gays, it’s like a fat and occasionally filthy novel and it’s definitely a page-turner. The action is played out on a sparse set by barefoot and occasionally bare bottomed actors and one actress (Vanessa Redgrave pops in for 20 minutes). The concept is that the men are part of a writing group looking at writing their experiences, mentored by the Edwardian author. Bizarrely, this works really well and acts as a perfect backdrop for the action. You can binge watch it like it’s on Netflix or take the DVT free option and see it over two nights. Whichever, it’s worth grabbing one of the few remaining tickets.

    Runs at The Young Vic until 19th of May 2018

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Menier Chocolate Factory

    ★★★☆☆ | Kiss of the Spiderwoman

    Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Menier Chocolate Factory
    Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Menier Chocolate Factory Review

    Manuel Puig’s story of two men incarcerated in a brutal Argentinian prison is a funny and moving take on masculinity and oppression. Molina is a campy window dresser with a love of old B movies who’s inside for ‘gross indecency’ whilst Valentin is a gruff political activist, bristling with macho ego. It’s a claustrophobic piece and at 1 hour 40 minutes with no interval, you’re pretty much imprisoned with them, watching their relationship develop in a grim cell.

    Kiss of the Spiderwoman has had many adaptations since it was written as a novel in 1976 including stage plays, the Oscar-winning 1985 film and a Kander and Ebb musical. This new version is beautifully scripted but somehow the play as a whole doesn’t feel quite there. Samuel Barnett almost captures the endearing feyness of Molina but there’s something slightly undercooked about the portrayal. Declan Bennett seems to struggle a little and the lines occasionally feel stilted. It’s more hit than miss but the piece doesn’t quite feel as tight as it should and the chemistry between the two isn’t always present.

    The set is grimily evocative and the back projections of Molina’s flights of celluloid fancy work well. Overall it’s an endearing piece and worth seeing for the glimpses of what it could have been.  There are achingly poignant moments which are something to embrace.

    Runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory until 5th of May 2018

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Brief Encounter, Empire Cinema Haymarket

    ★★★☆☆ | Brief Encounter

    Emma Rice’s tribute to Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter is back after 10 years away and in an unusual venue: a cinema in the West End.

    Emma Rice’s tribute to Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter is back after 10 years away and in an unusual venue: a cinema in the West End. Sadly it’s not a triumphant return and is a bit of a mixed bag. Part parody, part homage; it just doesn’t quite know what it is and suffers as result.

    If you don’t know the classic David Lean film from 1946 (where have you been?) then it’s a story about two married strangers from the suburbs who conduct a very chaste affair in and around a railway station cafe. It’s characterised by tight dialogue, clipped accents and Celia Johnson smoking an unfeasible amount of fags. It’s very much of its time but also contains beautiful and resonant dialogue. The Kneehigh theatre company’s version is one full of trickery. The cast act out the story against clever back projections, sometimes literally bursting out of the cinema screen. There are cheeky little props, the odd Noel Coward song and lots of deft little touches.

    Whilst the two main actors play it straight as the po-faced couple headed for heartache, the rest of the cast camp it up as the remaining bit players. This is where the problem lies. It all becomes too much and a bit panto at times. There’s lots of face pulling, whimsy and larking around. Whilst it works part of the time it all feels a bit much at others. Less is sometimes more.

    Overall, it’s a fun show but I’m not sure it’s going to rock anyone’s world.

    Brief Encounter runs at the Empire Cinema Haymarket until September 2018

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Harold and Maude, Charing Cross Theatre

    ★★☆☆☆ | Harold and Maude

    If you’ve never seen the 1971 cult classic film ‘Harold and Maude’ then you’ve missed out. Poignant, darkly humorous and with a lilting soundtrack by Cat Stevens, it’s a thing of beauty. Sadly, the same can’t be said about this relentlessly trying-too-hard-to-be quirky revival of the later stage play.

    Harold is 18, disaffected and troubled by chronic ennui. He spends his days attending funerals and annoying his overbearing society matron mother by faking his own suicide. Maude is 80 and is a free spirit who is enchanted by life and has a penchant for petty larceny, providing it has a sound moral basis. The two meet (at a funeral, naturally) and an oddball romantic comedy develops. Sheila Hancock has huge shoes to fill (the sublime Ruth Gordon played Maude in the film) but does this admirably. Bill Milner manages to convey the blank-faced and nihilistic Harold with aplomb. Whilst the set does look like it should be hosting something on CBeebies, it serves a purpose. The problem isn’t in the play or the cast but in the production.

    If this production was a person it’d be posting inspirational quotations on Instagram and spending every waking moment trying to convince you just how unique, witty and quirky it is. In other words, you’ve have blocked it on social media within a minute of knowing it. Distractingly, the cast all stay on stage throughout the piece, doing ‘comical’ things with musical instruments (yes, there’s a ukulele and someone plays the spoons, of course). There’s an abundance of little touches, like a man making seal noises, for example, and it’s nauseatingly twee and feels like a bit of an irritating mess. Rather than add to the production it just ends up a being a bit annoying.

    Whilst the play does have merits with strong acting, some jaunty music and the odd funny moment, on the whole, you’d probably be much better off watching the film instead.

    Runs at the Charing Cross Theatre until 31.03.18