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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Liza, Liza, Liza at The Tabard Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Liza, Liza, Liza at The Tabard Theatre, London

    Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentleman! I bring you not one, not two but three Liza Minnellis, all on one small stage for your delight and delectation.

    Acclaimed stage and screen writer Richard Harris (Outside Edge, Stepping Out) has penned a brilliant new play which is a tribute, a raucous examination and a celebration of all things Ms Minnelli. More than that, it’s also a reflection on what it is to be human in a mad world and although we may not all be from such stellar circles as Liza, there’s much to identify with.

    The set is glitzy and bright with a giant ‘Liza!’ sprawling across it, partly obscuring the piano and dashing pianist and on limps Liza, post hip replacement with a cane. Within seconds the audience is rapt as she wisecracks her way to the chaise longue. The play cleverly combines three incarnations of Liza: Firstly, the gauche and enthusiastic teenager trying hard to make her mark on a world ready to judge her against her mother and balance a home life mad enough to drive a nun to blasphemy. Secondly: the chain smoking ‘middle’ Liza hurtling into a self destructive spiral of drink, drugs and unsuitable men as her career both soars and plummets and finally: the older wiser and more cynical Liza who’s more than able to laugh at herself and her own foibles and failings. Oh what a dirty laugh it is too. All these Lizas are of course, overshadowed by the dominating influence of Judy Garland who begins the play shouting through from a dressing table at the back of the stage.

    Multiple lovers and failed marriages, battles with weight, booze, pills and depression: it’s not hard to see what it is that gay men seem to feel such an affinity with her about. What Harris and the fantastic cast of three actresses manage to do is to present a life story that contains no self pity, plenty of humour and a hell of a lot of spirit. There are killer one liners, great vocal performances (but not too many; it’s not a musical) and some very credible acting that rises above being just cheap impersonations. The three actresses all manage to own the stage, which is a feat in itself.

    Liza, Liza Liza runs until the 29th of September

    Buy tickets here: http://www.tabardweb.co.uk/liza

  • FILM REVIEW | Bashment

    Developed from his original stage show, director Rickki Beadle-Blair explores the controversial subjects of class, racism and homophobia in dance hall music in this contemporary urban drama. (more…)

  • COLUMN | The twilight world of the homosexual

    I went to the theatre yesterday and saw the brilliant production of The Pride at the Trafalgar Studios. It’s a play set in two eras, the present day and the 1950s with echoes of the historical horrors of the oppression of gay people versus echoes of what we have and don’t appreciate and the horrors of the oppressions we sometimes choose to inflict upon ourselves.

    It’s a fantastic play and I won’t say much more for fear of spoiling it if you want to see it. I’d highly recommend it.

    It made me ponder. Lots of things do. On talking to a friend recently we both laughingly talked about how being gay has become so much less exciting now it’s all out in the open and less clandestine. Both of us, jokingly, talked about how dull being gay is now and yearned for the secretive and furtive days when sex had an element of danger and there was a whole art surrounding the dangerous act of being a gay man.

    Secret languages, knowing looks and basement dive bars all sound so exciting and almost romantic. Visions of buttoned up men in three piece suits, speaking gruffly in clipped tones as they undress and whip out outsized vintage genitals in dinghy back parlours with scuffed linoleum are daring and thrilling.

    Nostalgia is so often skewed and we often yearn for something that didn’t exist. I imagine that the reality was far from my imaginings. There’s no joy in imprisonment, an inability to express yourself at all and terrors such as aversion therapy or being institutionalised and labelled as mentally sick and twisted simply for the way you were born. The joys of being rejected, vilified and hated are limited.

    If I look back at my own life without a veil of nostalgia fogging the truth, I recall churning anxiety and terror. Living with an older man at the age of 18 in 1989, I was three years below the archaic age of consent of 21. This actually caused us both hideous anxieties.

    On one occasion we had a burglary in the flat we lived in and were panic stricken about having the police round in case they realised we were lovers. I remember ignorance, bullying and no go areas of the city. I remember the boarded up windows of our small city’s gay bar. They couldn’t have glass because it would get broken at least once a week by marauding gangs of blokes. It was a common occurrence to be in the bar and the D.J. would suddenly turn up the music to drown out the sounds of a gang of blokes hammering on the boards and shouting abuse. I remember not daring to touch in the street or even to look into each other’s eyes for too long in a bar or cafe.

    I think I’ll try to keep my nostalgia in check for now. I suppose we have the best of both worlds now. The modern gay man can be more open, mostly (I’m not naive enough to believe that rampant prejudice doesn’t still exist and we’ve a long way to go yet) and live the life he chooses. He can also choose clandestine and dirty too; loitering round cruising grounds and risking arrest if that’s what floats his boat. Of course that’s a simplistic view. The reasons people choose to carry out dangerous acts are multi-factorial.

    For now, I’ll restrict my nostalgia to clothing and my collection of 50’s china and doff my cap in respect to all those who’ve gone before and made life better for me now. Now those 1950’s gays: they sure wore a mean cravat.

  • INTERVIEW: The (Drag) Queen Of Benidorm

    INTERVIEW: The (Drag) Queen Of Benidorm

    Wayne Wright is Benidorm’s longest serving British Drag Queen, better known as Miss Levi. I got the opportunity for a chinwag with Wayne about how Miss Levi was born, what she’s like, what she’s up to and her future. (more…)

  • Police arrest suspect for gay murder

    Police in South Africa have arrested a man who is suspected of being linked to a series of killings which have targeted gay men.

    iafrica.com is reporting that a suspect has been arrested in connection to a number of murders in Gauteng and Cape Town in South Africa.

    Police are investigating whether a man is connected to the murder of Siphiwe Nhlapo who was found dead in his home in Kliptown. Had been strangled and his face covered in acid. He is also being investigated to see whether he has connections to the murders of eight other gay men.

    The man had evaded arrest for over a year, but on the 19th August 2013 was arrested for another crime, a hijacking in Dobsonville.

    He will appear at the Protea Magistrate’s court on Monday.

    A report by the Human Rights First organisations said that the, ‘day-to-day reality for many LGBTI individuals remains grim due to the ongoing harassment, intimidation, and violence motivated by a sexual orientation or gender identity bias.

    ‘Openly gay men and women—as well as human rights defenders working to promote the rights of LGBTI individuals—have been targeted across the country due to their visibility.’

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Spring Tide at The Old Red Lion, Angel, London

    ★★★★★ | The Spring Tide at The Old Red Lion, Angel, London

    This new piece of writing by Carol Vine premieres with a stellar cast put together by Oliver Taheri Productions, and delivers a punchy and passionate play that explores coming out in middle age and the impact on a modern family.

    We see the two women as girls in the teens and throughout the years of their relationship up until present day, Suzy trapped in an unhappy middle class world with an angry teenager and a crumbling marriage, Lan still waiting on her love to return.

    There was a little too much ‘business’ on stage between scenes and that was slightly distracting however the performances of the actors bought us crashing back into the narrative with their passionate and brave performances. The characters are not stereotypical but very real and three dimensional and the story not sensationalist but entirely believable. The actors also deliver a very naturalistic performance so you truly empathise with the characters and the tragic twist of the story is all the more poignant for it.

    On until 21st September, Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm and Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 3pm

  • New Gay Pub Opens In Ipswich, Suffolk

    Following a major external refurbishment carried out by STAR PUBS & BARS, The County of Suffolk is re-launching in Ipswich on Tuesday 30th September 2013.

    New Lessee; Mr Michael Knight, says “ I am delighted at the work that has been carried out around the building, the new fresh colour scheme, enhanced external lighting and brand new signage has really helped to restore life into this fantastic, historical building.”

    On the back of the success of a recently launched sandwich, Panini and jacket potato menu, a brand new hot food menu has also been introduced to coincide with the grand re-opening and features pub classics such as “Retro Prawn Cocktail”, “Fish & Chips”, “Scampi & Chips” together with locally sourced “Procters” sausages and regional specials. Sunday lunches to be launched soon!

    Mr Knight and his Team have high hopes for the new development, stating: “we are here for the whole of Suffolk and surrounding areas to enjoy – we intend to provide a warm welcome and a top class and affordable range of food and drinks within a safe and homely environment”. We also have 2 double guest rooms available on a room only basis at a very competitive rate of from £20.00 per night per room.

    Over the next few months Mr Knight will be developing The County of Suffolk’s offer with speciality evenings such as “sausage & cider week”, “quiz nights”, and themed evenings in the lead up to Christmas.

    The pub is open 12noon until 11pm, 7 days a week and offers a wide range of draught beers and cider with weekly specials of hand pumped real ale. A full selection of soft drinks, together with teas and coffees are available throughout the day.

    The County of Suffolk is a gay-run, gay-friendly venue welcoming the whole of the LGB&T community.

     

  • TECH REVIEW | Netflix

    If, like me, you felt that the arrival of digital TV channels was like all your Christmases come at once, then you probably grew up in my era. Three main channels, all closing down before midnight, then joined by a fourth….and the rest is history.

    Except, these free to view (see what i did there?) are still dependant on an aerial for reception, and, as our friendly local TV guy told us, we have the wrong kind of leaves on the trees that form part of our boundary and for part of the year, Freeview becomes Noview….

    Until now that is. Given the chance to test Netflix for TheGayUK, and report back on its content, I nearly bit the hand that feeds me DVD’s and books to review!

    Now, I’m no tech nerd, nor am I a net novice but accessing Netflix is so damn easy, and with the onslaught of tablets and smart phones, it’s truly portable too.

    But first, a spot of history…

    Netflix is American and was established in 1997 to initially provide DVDs by mail much like LoveFilm. It has since grown and moved into streaming TV via the net and as of earlier this year, had around 36 million subscribers – because this is the genius bit, its subscription only. Not only does it stream older series, and not just US ones but Brit ones too, it also commissions its own. It’s responsible for the resurrection of Arrested Development for a final series, it commissions original series like Hemlock Grove and House of Cards. It’s won Emmys stateside for this last series….so it’s not just a simple streaming or rental service.

    I know, I know….some of these deals rip you off, but having tried this for around a month, I truly feel that this service doesn’t “diddle” its customer base. But it does depend what you want. For instance, some of the series it streams aren’t the most up to date ones and there are series you’d think it would carry that it doesn’t. But, for me, if you’re bored with the usual X-factors-got-a-Voice-no-talent show or hooked on re-runs, then this service is amazing. If you love old movies or schlock horrors, you’ll love this….

    For instance, the entire back catalogue of Buffy? Really? OMG?! Warehouse 13? Yes please! Gossip Girl? As if…

    And there are several films and documentaries that cover gay related issues. I’ll cover details of these at a later date.

    For now, I have to say, I’m a fan…

    It was easy to create my account once I had my activation key, and then download the app for both my iPad and iPhone to watch on the move via my mobile wifi… at home, I can watch something downstairs via Apple TV, whilst the boyfriend watches White Collar upstairs (apparently it’s got good story lines and not just the gorgeous Matt Bomer? Who knew?)

    So, if you want the latest movies or series, maybe look elsewhere for now, but if you want some old fashioned class with a mix of originality, then give Netflix a go….it has a reasonable monthly charge, free first month….and did I mention Matt Bomer?

  • OPINION | #HateDoesNotPay: Russian’s Shortsighted Homophobia

    So Putin hates homos. We all know that – he has made it very clear and the Anti-Gay legislation plaguing Russia has been referenced across the LGBT and mainstream medias. The human rights and social welfare implications are dire but what about a colder, less humane, and perhaps purely financial interpretation?

    So, let’s ask – do we reckon Putin has thought this through? Does he understand the social and economic impact state-sponsored homophobia will have on the country? Does he hate money as much as he hates homos? I doubt it.

    The pink pound is estimated to be worth £6 billion per year in the UK, and over £350 billion of pink money was spent globally in 2012. Russia is missing out on this trade as discerning gay consumers will not be flying to Moscow or St.Petersburg, and many will also be boycotting Russian products at home. Indeed Chief Executive Officer for SPI (which owns Stolichnaya Vodka) Val Mendeleeva has publically explained that although some ingredients used to make Stoli do come from Russia, “the Russian government has no ownership interest or control over the Stoli brand that is privately owned by SPI Group.” It is interesting to see that he has made it very clear the company “fully support and endorse your [lgbt community] objectives to fight against prejudice in Russia. In the past decade, SPI has been actively advocating in favor of freedom, tolerance and openness in society, standing very passionately on the side of the LGBT community and will continue to support any effective initiative in that direction.” Clearly the boycott, even if slightly misdirected, does have an impact. Perhaps that is an angle Russia might listen to?

    And what about the labour force contributing to such businesses? How productive are people when they cannot be themselves? Various organisations have argued that 6-10% of the UK population is lesbian, gay or bisexual. Assuming that the UK is roughly representative of other European countries (and not a homo-hot-spot) then that means there could be 8.6 – 14.3 million lesbian, gay or bisexual Russians. Even a conservative medium estimate leaves over 10 million employees not giving 100% to their work, social or personal lives.

    With Russia’s economy showing signs of weakness, workers need to perform better and be happy to invest back into goods and services. With industrial output declining in early 2013 (for the first time since 2009) and foreign direct investment subdued, perhaps Russia’s unpredictability and lack of commitment to the rights of its nationals is having a cost. Further economic issues, such as inflation, increased in the second half of 2012 and is set to remain high for 2013.

    Furthermore, if you had the choice wouldn’t you leave? And who has those choices in life usually? Is it Russia’s affluent? Perhaps they will be able to escape first and take their money somewhere else. And is it a stretch too far to assume that not all Russians are homophobic? Galop, London’s LGBT community safety charity, highlights that over 1000 homophobioc hate crimes take place in London each year – does that mean everyone in the capital is partial to a bit of gay bashing? I’d hope not! And would Putin carry out the attacks we see in the news personally?

    But who will ask these questions of him? Is anyone able to pose these questions? #hatedoesnotpay @VladimirPutin

     

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

  • Gay women release calendar for Breast Cancer Care

    A group of fearless women have dropped their clothes for a calendar which they hope will raise much-needed funds for breast cancer care and the Breast Cancer Campaign.

    The Calendar has been made by a group of friends that got together in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign, some are survivors, some are Mothers, Sisters, Aunties, and Friends of Women that have passed away, and who would like to dedicate this calendar to them.

    None of the models are professionals, none of the photographers are professionals & nor are the editors. What we are is a group of “real gay women” who worked together to support a “real cause” & we truly hope you’ll support us by buying one of our calendars.

    You can find ou more by visiting: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Gaywomenuk you can also donate to their just giving page at: http://www.justgiving.com/teams/GayWomen

  • BOY GEORGE: “‘Odds Are One Of One Direction Are Gay”

    Boy George reckons at least one of the boys from One Direction are gay and are probably all bisexual.

    Is one of One Direction gay
    CREDIT: © PopularImages Depositphotos

    Iconic singer, Boy George has had a good tongue wagging conversation with the Daily Star about Justin Bieber, Rhianna and the One Direction boys and it seems as though he’s not a fan of the lads either.

    ‘I wouldn’t know who One Direction were if they fell on my head,’ he joked. “I’m older than them, they should treat me with respect. I blocked all the band, I couldn’t be bothered to hear anything they said but I couldn’t help winding up their fans.

    “One tweeted me saying: ‘My mum says you’re a horrible old has-been.’ I tweeted back saying: ‘Your mum’s probably an old, fat ugly bitch.’

    Boy George who is due to release his new album ‘This Is What I Do’ on the 28th October, also added,

    “The odds are one of One Direction must be gay. I think everyone is a bit bisexual deep down, so the odds are they are probably all bisexual. They’re rock stars so it’s what you’d expect, isn’t it? I’d be disappointed if they weren’t.

    “Tattoos don’t make you butch. Look at me.”

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