"All the world's a stage" rings true for members of the LGBT community. Coming out about their sexuality means no longer playing a part but rather raising the curtain on their true selves.
"Gay men and women existed in a kind of state of repression, so coming out involves an ignition point, a kind of momentum, that I think gay men and women found a home in when they experienced the American music theater form," says actor Scott Plate. To honor the LGBT impact on theater, the Musical Theater Project created I Am What I Am: Gays, Lesbians and the American Musical, which stars Plate and takes the Cain Park stage Aug. 13.
Comprised of 36 songs spanning more than eight decades of theater history, the cabaret highlights contributions made by the LGBT community through musical numbers that incorporate narration, commentary and more than 100 images and video clips.
I Am What I Am, which debuted at last year's Gay Games 9, is the first production of its kind to take an in-depth look at the LGBT community's influence on musical theater.
"This is a communal experience for gays and straights to be together and learn from one another," says Bill Rudman, artistic director of the Musical Theater Project. He directs us to three turning points in the show.
"I'm A Gigolo" from Wake Up and Dream! (1929)
In a time when LGBT people were closeted, Cole Porter performed songs with code words, like lavender, with gay connotations so audience members could relate without persecution. "It's a very witty song but with words and terms that would be known only to a gay audience," says Rudman.
"It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish" from Seesaw (1973)
The first openly gay character in a mainstream Broadway musical, played by Tommy Tune, originally performed this song. "Before that song, you hear a sound bite from when I interviewed Tommy for a radio show," says Rudman. "He talked about how liberating it was to put that character on a Broadway stage."
"Take Me Or Leave Me" and "I'll Cover You" from Rent (1996)
Written by Jonathan Larson as he struggled to make it in the East Village of New York City, Rent showcased two powerful duets between both a gay and a lesbian couple as they navigated through poverty and the AIDS crisis. "It was such an inclusive show in such a powerful way," says Rudman.
