Stagestruck: Gay Theater in the 20th Century

Directed by David Jeffcock

United Kingdom

SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE

For those of us who nod in adoring agreement when Blanche Du Bois declares, "I don't want realism; I want magic," this is the film to see.Ý At last, a story that's been begging to be told, a sweepingÝ and entertaining documentary celebration of the contributions of gay men to British and American theater.Ý From the poison pen of Oscar Wilde to Tennessee Williams' tortured closet, from Joe Orton's raunchy toilets to the epic dreamscapes of Tony Kushner, Stagestruck is a very gay look at how sexuality has made its way onstage, both covertly and overtly, over the past century.Ý In plays written during a time when outright homosexuality was essentially banned on the stage, Stagestruck reveals a wealth of uproariously coded references.Ý In mid-century theatrical works, the recurring themes of desire and shame come bubbling up in characters who are either female, offstage or dead.Ý And in the age of gay liberation and AIDS, with sexuality laid bare before the audience, gay theater takes on a host of universal human concerns.Ý Anecdotes and analysis from wonderful interviews with theater legends like Edward Albee, Lanford Wilson, Larry Kramer and Paul Rudnick are complemented by well-crafted and enticing scenes from the plays themselves, performed specifically for the film. Uncovering the hidden threads between disparate works, writers and eras, director David Jeffcock offers a whole new understanding of our history.

2:00 PM Screening $10