During the early years of World War Two, Benjamin Britten lived in exile in a townhouse in New York with his friend, the poet W.H. Auden and a shifting cast of artists and writers. The composer was criticised by the British press for his ‘avoidance’ of the war and faced a tribunal for conscientious objection on his return in 1942. Whereas Auden embraced his sexuality and was having an affair with a younger man, Britten was still struggling somewhat with his in the oppressive environment of 1940s England. Add to this mix some of the other residents: bisexual writer Carson McCullers hiding out from her husband, hitting the bottle and chasing after women and burlesque stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, trying to write a crime thriller. The potential for a fascinating story is all there on a plate. Sadly, writer Zoe Lewis and director Oli Rose have somehow made a dull play out of an intriguing piece of history.
The play feels oddly old fashioned (and not in a good way). There’s something twee and tedious about the drunken party games and fumbling. The cast seem like they’re in a void and in spite of Cecilia Carey’s excellent set there’s no atmosphere at all. The four lead actors try to recreate a thriving Bohemian arts scene of hedonistic parties (which isn’t easy with four people) and instead it feels like a staid afternoon tea that anyone in their right mind would exit sharply. There’s a whole ‘You don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps!” and “Looks how eccentric we all are!” vibe that actually just feels incredibly tiresome.
The venue of Wilton’s Music Hall (a Grade 2 star listed music hall from 1859) is gorgeous and is an echoing chamber of a space. Dom James’ sound design is beautiful when it’s in evidence: clanging boat engines, New York traffic in the background and distant music. Sadly, this isn’t very often and for most of the play the actors have no backing at all, adding to the strangely sterile environment.
The saving grace of the play is Ryan Sampson who gives a strong central performance as Britten. He’s convincing in his vulnerability and manages to show glimpses of pain through a veneer of genteel awkwardness. The actors playing Gypsy Rose Lee (Sadie Frost), Auden and McCullers also perform ably but are saddled with a lacklustre script that feels two-dimensional.
If you know a little about these fascinating characters then you’ll leave knowing about as much as when you came in. If you know nothing at all then you’ll be perplexed. It’s a shame that this didn’t pull it off. As the strippers told Gypsy “You Gotta Get a Gimmick”. Maybe the team here should heed that advice.
Freddie Mercury: We celebrate his life with some great facts you may not know or may have forgotten.
10. His real name was Farrokh Bulsara and he was born in Zanzibar. He had a wealthy childhood until he and his family had to flee a bloody revolution. His family are Parsees, followers of the Zorastrian religion whose ancestors came from Persia.
9. He changed the lyrics of “One vision” to “fried chicken” to the last line when dared by his lover Jim Hutton. He sang it on every version since.
8. Freddie was an accomplished ballet dancer, even performing with the royal ballet in 1979.
7. Despite only revealing his illness days before he died, he dropped many hints about his failing health during his last 1986 tour, most famously in a brief speech before performing “Who Wants To Live Forever” at Wembley.
After only 8 months together a reader is concerned that the romance and sexual attraction has died in the bedroom. We ask three of our writers what they think.
CREDIT: Wavebreak-Media-Ltd-bigstock
Dear TGUK,
We’ve been together for around 8 months now although we had an on/off casual thing for a while before getting together. At first the sex was phenomenal and on a regular basis nearly every time we were together even 2 to 3 times a night. However over the last 3/4 months it has rapidly decreased to nearly nothing.
Since May we have only had sex like maybe 4-6 times and even the odd occasion when it has happened it feels like he’s just not interested and is just doing it for me. So it has been rubbish.
We went on a weekend break away, nice and romantic, had a great time together but he was still just full of excuses whether “I’m too tired” or “I’m bloated” or any one of 146 other things and it’s really getting to me now.
We are intimate and I do feel that he loves me as we still kiss and cuddle and have romantic nights in and out but they just never involve sex anymore.
I’ve tried subtly bringing this up in different ways but nothing seems to work and I just don’t want to seem like a dick by bringing it up abruptly.
Obviously I understand that as a relationship progresses that sexual desire might depreciate a bit but not this dramatically and it went from always to never and has pretty much been that way for months now. Any advice would be appreciated.
JORDAN LOHAN
I’ve personally experienced this situation so feel your pain! And it literally is pain. You may be getting kisses and cuddles but repeatedly being brushed off when it comes to sex is nothing but rejection, and that hurts.
I wouldn’t call you a “dick” for bringing it up abruptly; you would only be mirroring how it felt to you when the sex suddenly died out.
He’s sending out mixed messages and being incredibly controlling by being the one that decides what kind of intimacy you receive and when. Ask him, what does he want from you? Because right now he’s not offering enough to make you happy, feel good about yourself, and feel secure in your relationship, and you should make sure that he knows that in black and white. (Hopefully the thought of losing you will light a fire under his ass and spark the conversation that you both need to have).
DANIEL BROWNE
The so-called honeymoon period of a relationship when you first begin seeing someone can be a truly wonderful period. Whether it’s getting to know your partner’s quirks, excitedly introducing this amazing person to your friends, or all of that rampant sex you have, it’s a lovely time in your relationship. It’s a given that over time that honeymoon period fizzles out a bit, but it’s often replaced by that nice sense of familiarity, which I believe is often a positive thing.
With that familiarity and a deeper, more meaningful relationship often comes the inevitable change of sexual habits, and it’s true to say that sex can sometimes go through a dry patch or period of predictability.
Whatever the reasons are for your partner’s reduced interest in having sex, it is important to raise the issue and try to discuss it with him. By keeping it bottled up and not having an open conversation about your current situation, you risk becoming resentful and that may turn the issue into something bigger. It’s not often an easy subject to talk to your partner about, but communication is key to resolving things.
When talking about your worries around your sex life, perhaps you could take the angle of being concerned about your partner and asking him if he is ok. There could be a number of reasons why he isn’t as interested in sex as he used to be. He may have a lot on his mind or be stressed. He could be depressed or not feeling well. Or it could be possible that he simply has a reduced sex drive. Whatever the reason is, it’s important to be supportive and keep that line of communication open.
The fact that you remain intimate and enjoy kissing and cuddling is a positive, and perhaps that’s a way to begin the conversation; by saying you enjoy the intimacy, but are concerned about the lack of actual sex and wonder if your partner is ok. This will show that you treasure what you have, feel able to talk about your worries, but also that you care about your partner.
There is bound to be a reasonable, understandable explanation for the lack of sexual interest. I hope that by opening up the lines of communication and speaking to each other about the issue, you’re able to overcome it and enjoy a happy sex life once more.
PAUL SZABO
1. Whilst sex is an important part of any relationship, it is not the most important thing.
2. There is a compromise to be had – as both of you need to be happy.
3. Try initiating sex in different ways, or try other things instead of sex – try giving / having a nice massage or have a shower together.
4. Set up a regular date night, where you go out on a romantic date.
5. Try asking him about what he would like to do in the bedroom – he may be gagging to roll around smothered in peanut butter, but is too embarrassed to ask / talk to you about. Have a chat about your fantasies and start to introduce them.
6. If all else fails, you need to have a frank chat with him and say that whilst you appreciate it is not everything, sex is important to you and you would like to share such an intimate and personal thing with him. If you don’t want to blurt it out randomly in the advert break of Coronation Street, then agree a time with him to have a discussion. Don’t frame it as “this is your problem and your fault” – more as “you are really important to me and we need to be honest with each other, because I want this relationship to work”. Don’t make him feel small about it, or have a go at him. Approach it as a joint issue.
7. If you can’t get over this impasse, then you have to think about whether you should continue to be together – it depends on what compromise you can reach and how important sex is to you.
8. Whatever you do, don’t go looking elsewhere for sex behind his back. If you do, you risk losing him all together.
9. If both of you want to be together, but he does not want to increase the amount of sex to a level you want, then give some thought to you both having an open relationship. However, whilst this may suit some people, it does not suit everyone. Set ground rules and agree on things such as whether you will tell each other when, where and with whom, or whether you both agree not to discuss it at all. Open relationships can lead to feelings of anxiety, jealousy, arguments and mistrust – even if you both think that you are happy with it at the outset. If you do decide to go down this route, then always practice safe sex.
Advice and views expressed in this article mustn’t be taken as professional advice. These are the thoughts and experiences of real-life writers and their advice may not work for every person. If you’d like to talk to someone about issues you are facing we wholeheartedly recommend calling Switchboard.
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When I heard THEGAYUK was doing an issue on Drag, I proposed to do a feature on Drag Kings, and FTM Cosplayers an often far too ignored part of the Drag Community.
I have performed as both a cosplayer and a drag kind for most of my adult live (my Johnny Barrie has started branching out on his own on Twitter as well as YouTube) so thought it was time to introduce you to some well known as well as up and coming faces in the world of Drag and Cosplay.
These swashbuckling males will show you they are every bit as glamorous and funny as their female counterparts!!
Who Are You?
My name is Patricia Garvey, Im a 26 year old that’s born and raised in Derby.
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
I can’t really say, I’ve always loved dressing up, even the days when I use to be the blonde haired, blue eyed 5-year-old who loved all things that were pink and fluffy. But even when I loved those things, if my friends wanted to play games and someone had to be the man, I’d happily play the guy. And as I grew older, I just went ahead and wore what I felt comfortable in, which just so happened to be guys clothes.
Do you have a favourite character? (Why is he your favourite?)
It’s quite hard to choose, it’s like asking me what is my favourite anime/manga! I have so many names running through my head! Monkey D Luffy, Shanks, Sanji, Kisuke Urahara, shikamaru nara , Roy Mustang, Kakashi Hatake, Shizuo Heiwajima.
They’re the names just from the top of my head, but I can go on… but I won’t… I just love the guys that’s crazy or calm, but always have that strange sense of loyalty to them, the sort of guys who you’d want on your team because you know they’ll have your back… even if some of them do it in a weird way.
What attracted you to dressing and performing as a male character?
I just prefer it. I don’t like a lot of female characters in many things, well, at least I feel like my own personality would not suit such characters. I have tried to dress up as certain girls but I feel so uncomfortable and then I feel like I’ve not done the character any justice. I can only seem to cosplay as female characters who are quite tomboy themselves. But when I first properly cosplayed as a guy (to the best that I could with what I had) I had an amazing time! I felt so comfortable, I was in character most if not all the time. And I am a huge believer in doing what makes you happy. So now, I do!
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
I know that this can be a touchy subject to certain folks out there, but honestly, I’ve never seen them as being ignored. At least, I’ve never ignored the Drag King FTM and I don’t ignore Drag Queens MTF cosplayers. I know both sides and both are amazing folks! If I see someone wearing something that looks pretty damn amazing, I let them know regardless the sex.
Okay, I know there’s more Drag Queen shows out there which are awfully popular, but if people want to get out there and do shows like that’s on TV, then there’s ways to do it, it won’t just fall onto peoples laps. Drag Queens are probably more known because not enough Drag Kings FTM actually go out there and actually express themselves.
What would you like the world to know?
My cosplays right now are not great, I am working on them but you know what? I don’t care!! Because at the end of the day, I have an amazing time, I’ve made some amazing friends and that’s all that matters! It doesn’t matter if your boobs are too big to cosplay as a dude, it doesn’t matter if you have a feminine face which can never pass as a guy. As long as you go out, do it and have fun, that’s all that matters!
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
I started cosplaying in July 2013, and my first cosplay was actually a FtM crossplay of Sirius Black from Harry Potter Marauders era. I am very invested into the character side of cosplay and always choose my cosplays based on the character, regardless of gender (so I do female cosplays as well)
Do you have a favourite character? (Why is he your favourite?)
My favourite character is probably still Sirius Black as I perform in character panels with him along with the rest of my cosplay group (Bandursnatch Studios) at conventions all over the country and they are also very popular on YouTube! I have a lot of fun as Sirius: running around as though you’re a teenager again and sniping at the Slytherins in the group as part of an improv question and answer session where you don’t know what’s coming next is a huge adrenaline rush.
What kind of act do you do and do you have one or more characters? What attracted you to dressing and performing as a male character?
I enjoy the character regardless of the assigned gender. Being tall (5’8 ) with big feet means that when I first started I could buy men’s clothes as easily as women’s clothes and soon learnt my sizes for both! A good binder is a must, both for safety and accuracy in my opinion, and just learning ‘male’ mannerisms or walk is all part of the character development for me. I work closely with a male photographer (Geordie Gent Photography, who took the lovely shot of me as Jayne from Firefly) and he has helped me immensely with body language and posing.
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
Within the cosplay community. I would argue it is seen as more of a norm for FtM cosplay rather than MtF. My friend and I were crewing a convention last year and both ended up crossplaying (I was FtM and he was MtF). We helped each other a lot with the wigs, makeup and posing and ended up confusing people, which was fun! What would you like the world to know?
The cosplay community in the UK is very open and welcoming of everybody, regardless of whatever you choose to cosplay – male, female, non-binary. If you’re interested, give it a go – it’s addictive! If you have any questions, head to my page and ask me directly if you like: www.facebook.com/siriuslycosplay
Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherWaltonPhotography/
Who Are You?
Hi my name is Alex and I’m a 19 year old creative writing university student at the University of Portsmouth UK. At the moment I identify as non-binary when it comes to gender but physically my sex is female.
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
I started doing FTM Cosplay in college when my best friend at the time introduced me to cosplaying, the whole idea of making yourself look male was alien to me as I just assumed women wore girls costumes and men wore boys costumes. I started purely out of interest and I’m glad I was interested as it shaped who I am today and has helped me realise who I’ve always been.
Do you have a favourite character? (Why is he your favourite?)
My favourite character to cosplay is a niche reference linked to a group of YouTubers called the Yogscast, the particular character being Xephos. He’s my favourite as to me he feels the most natural, like that’s how I’m meant to look, he’s also the character that made me realise I wasn’t 100% female as I felt so me with the full beard and short spiky hair.
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
I feel that MTF cosplayers are favoured over FTM’s because they’re the ones that are so unusual, the ones that get the most attention unfortunately most of it being negative. Girls can wear boys clothes without much criticism, society simply assumes their a tomboy and move along yet when it comes to boys in dresses that’s where society starts to freak out. FTM cosplayers aren’t as shocking as MTF’s so that’s why I think they get less coverage.
What would you like the world to know?
In regards to FTM Cosplaying I would want the world to know that it’s perfectly normal. Although I haven’t gotten as much hate as my MTF friends I have had times where I’m look down on as weird, but I’m not, I’m simply a normal student who likes to express their feelings through art like any other human being.
Who Are You?
My name is Zachary but in the cosplay community I go by PoisonInYourTea Cosplay. I got into cosplaying male characters when I came out to friends as transgender. Cosplay helped me with passing as a male in everyday life.
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
My favourite characters to cosplay are ones that involve a lot of face paint or make up as it lets me show off my skills as an artist. My favourite character that I have done so far is Tate Langdon from American Horror Story.
I got into cosplay as a way to expand my skills creatively and to help myself transition.
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
I think really FTM, MTF, Drag Kings and Queens are all thrown in together more than one ignored. Not many people take trans people seriously because of this, people think transgender people are just drag kings/queens which is unfair as it is totally different.
What would you like the world to know?
I would like the world to know that the cosplay community is a very accepting place no matter what you do or who you are.
Who Are You?
Hi, I am Amber or Kealo Cosplay! I’m 21 and I have started cosplaying about 6 or 7 years ago. Cosplay is a huge part of my life and it helped me so much. Other than cosplay I love exploring new places and always up for an unexpected adventure! (I live like a Hobbit!) I also enjoy photography and play with my kittens.
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
Since the very first time when I started cosplaying 2009 ReCon I was dressed as L from Death Note and after that I kept dressing up/ cosplaying male characters. I always loved dressing up as a boy or being a boy as much I am a girl. I always had my days when I wished I was a boy, a few years ago I came across genderfluidity and realised that I am genderfluid. Cosplaying male characters helps me a lot becoming a male whenever I want to.
Also in cosplay due to my slim body type I always felt a lot more comfortable cosplaying male characters. I feel more myself and more in character when I can cosplay a male character.
Do you have a favourite character? (Why is he your favourite?)
Oh dukes. That is hard question! I have so many! But if I only can choose one is has to be Mephisto Pheles from Blue Exorcist. I absolutely adore him! He is sooo sassy and careless, also fabulous and let’s not forget a badass!! I mean he is the second King of Hell! And you just gotta love his style!
What attracted you to dressing and performing as a male character?
I always was a boyish girl. Climbing trees, playing cops or pirates or being the bad guy! As everyone else did I had crush on anime boys a lot then I started thinking after every anime… “hmm wait I am a cosplayer what if I became him??” So I tried it and it worked out quiet well! Of course I am not the best cosplayer but that didn’t matter, all that matter that I had fun and I was comfortable being the badass demon child, or the sweet gentleman.
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
People are definitely paying more attention to MTF as it’s more common nowadays finding FTM cosplayers than MTF, but again no one really herad our side of the story, why and how we do this as it’s not always as easy as it looks!
What would you like the world to know?
Binding! the first word popped to my mind and I screamed. Binding is the spawn of Satan! As much as our characters might look like the handsomest devil most the times it is pain in the hooves! When you are binding you have to make sure you won’t injure yourself, yet still make yourself look flat and that is my friend is hard especially to cosplayer who has larger breasts. Thanks sweet impala I have tiny bazookas (the only time I’m glad I’m an ironing board!) so I don’t have much problem with binding excpet that after wearing binders for a long period of time you get rather bad back aches but it’s different to every person.
Now let’s talk about open chest binding. NOW that is a b*tch. You have to find the right tape that strong enough to hold your puppies through out the whole convention other wise you are in trouble! You need a tape that could hold the god damn London Bridge together! And your nipples! Make sure you covered them you’re going to be in for a sticky (and rather painful) suprise in the end.
But I have babbled enough about binding the most important thing I want the world to know is cosplay equality! No matter who you arem where you from, what’s you body type or skin colour, or gender you CAN cosplay whoever you want to, because the most important thing in cosplay is to enjoy yourself and not what other people think. Always believe in yourself and don’t care what other people has to say, you are you and you and your cosplay is PERFECT just the way it is. So I call out to everyone in cosplay community to let’s be nice to each other and let’s be a family again, stop the shaming, stop the bullying because if you do that you are not a real cosplayer.
Who are you?
Georgia Haines, Cosplayer, student and aspiring actress.
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
I decided to do a female to make cosplay because I don’t see gender as an issue when Cosplaying. If you’re a woman and you want to cosplay a male character, do it! If you’re a male and you want to cosplay a female character, do it! The main thing is that you enjoy it!
Also, the majority of my cosplay are of male characters.
Female: Harley Quinn and Columbia
Male: Jareth, Rimmer, Spider-man, L, Black Veil Brides, Billy the Puppet, 11th Doctor…ETC
Do you have a favourite character? (Why is he your favourite?)
Although I don’t cosplay as him, my favourite drag character has always been Dr Frank N Furter from the Rocky Horror (Picture) Show. Not only is he an incredibly funny character, but Tim Curry’s portrayal of the transvestite character has become incredibly iconic. I feel he is an icon for many in the cult and LGBT communities.
What attracted you to dressing and performing as a male character?
The reason why I wanted to Cosplay as Jareth was mostly because I wanted to do a tribute to David Bowie, as I made the cosplay only a couple of weeks after he died. But Jareth was also a character I lived from my childhood, ever since my step mil introduced me to Labyrinth. I think Bowie looks so cool as Jareth and I love everything about him – and the film!
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
I honestly don’t know, although, I think you tend to see more FTM cosplayers than MTF, but that’s just from my experience.
What would you like the world to know?
The one message I love to spread around is equality. Everyone is equal and everyone is beautiful. And in the cosplay world, it doesn’t matter who you’re Cosplaying, or what gender the character is, the most important thing is that you enjoy yourself and that you’re happy!
Who Are You?
I’m Annette. I’ve been cosplaying for 15 years, and I cosplay characters of various genders, but I do particularly enjoy the opportunity to cosplay male characters.
Why and when did you decide to become a Drag King or do FTM Cosplay?
Early in my cosplaying days, I did a lot of group cosplay with a certain group of friends. The women outnumbered the men in the group and I was asked if I would take on some of the male characters. Having been involved in drama a lot at school, including my time at an all-girls’ school, I had performed male roles before and didn’t mind. After doing it a few times I realised I was often more comfortable in those roles and it led in part to my realisation that I was genderfluid.
Do you have a favourite character? (Why is he your favourite?)
I performed at Jack Sparrow for a number of years. He was glorious fun to perform as; I’m not a very confident person in myself most of the time, but having a character that was so flamboyant and outgoing gave me the opportunity to take on those characteristics myself. It was Jack Sparrow’s confidence that helped me to make a move on my current partner, who I have now been with for over 10 years.
What attracted you to dressing and performing as a male character?
As I grew up I was never interested in the stereotypical female roles for imaginary play; I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to be princess sitting around in a castle when you could be a prince who went out slaying dragons! Eventually, partially through cosplay, I realised that although I had a female body, I was genderfluid, and performing as a male character allows me to express that in a safe space. I also enjoy the aesthetics of male clothing, specifically historical styles and fine tailoring. I cosplay female characters as well, often quite highly sexualised ones, but they can make me feel very vulnerable about my body and the attention it draws; with male characters I always feel very safe and comfortable.
Why do you think Drag Kings/FTM cosplayers are usually ignored in favour of Drag Queens MTF Cosplayers?
There’s definitely a visual aspect to it. Overall, men’s clothing is much more restricted and less visually impressive than women’s, and it’s much harder to make exaggerated and theatrical for drag. The colours tend to be more sombre and patterns and other noticeable visual detail is rare. Even in cosplay, the male characters are rarely as detailed and fancy as the female (a common complaint amongst male cosplayers who aren’t necessarily willing to crossplay). There’s also a sense that it’s much more common to see women in what was historically “male” clothing, like suits and trousers, so there’s less of an impact than you get with a man in a dress.
What would you like the world to know?
That we need to worry less about conforming to gender stereotypes and judging those who don’t; there are much more important things to worry about than telling a man he shouldn’t be wearing a skirt!
And that cosplay is for anyone who wants to try it; in fact, within the community itself there’s a lot more acceptance of people cosplaying outside their established gender and cons and cosplay can often be a safe space to experiment with cross-dressing and cosplay.
