"Don’t
get caught up in all this gay activism. It’s
not a gay thing, it’s a
human thing,” says
Jade Esteban Estrada as Gertrude Stein in his
one-man show
ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History
of the World, Vol. 1. That
one sentence speaks volumes, not just about the
show, but about the gay rights movement in
general. Instead of looking at the shows as
“gay plays” (well, really almost musicals)
you can see them as reminders that throughout
history, gay people have been amongst us —
important people, movers and shakers. And,
extending the metaphor to the political, gays
are human, therefore “gay rights” should be
a given.
Humanization is
paramount in
Estrada’s two shows. Instead of
focusing solely on the sexuality of each
individual he brings to life, he instead gives
the audience a look into who these people were,
and why they have achieved the status of
“icon”: someone to remember, to look up to,
to say “thank you” to — and not just for
the GLBT community.
Estrada created
Vol. 1 first (which makes sense) and it is
obvious — it is a more polished and fleshed
out show, and character switches are more
defined and entertaining. You can see
Vol. 2 and
not see
Vol. 1, however, as they are not
dependent on each other, and both cover vast
amounts of history, with no specific cut-off
date. Both start in the distant past and work
their way to the present.
Estrada,
through songs and monologues, portrays each
character through personality, clothing and
wigs.
Vol. 1 begins with Sappho, who gives us a
run-down of the decimation of the homosexual
lifestyle as the Catholic Church came into
power. Next, in one of the most powerful
vignettes, Estrada performs as Michelangelo. At
a time when many things were beginning to be
questioned, Michelangelo’s statement still
rings true: “Mankind is beautiful in all
forms, and that is the word of God.” Next up,
Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Sylvia Rivera (the
transvestite who threw her shoe and began the
Stonewall riots in ’69) and Ellen DeGeneres.
Vol. 2 begins
with Alexander the Great, and also includes
Queen Christina of Sweden (who abdicated instead
of marrying), Susan B. Anthony, Billy Jean King,
Harvey Milk, and ends — a little emotionally,
a little abruptly — with Mark Bingham, who
died in the Sept. 11 Pennsylvania flight and was
one of the group who fought back against the
terrorists.
Through this
whirlwind,
Estrada convincingly creates separate
personalities, so that a new character is
defined by more than costume changes. Lighting
— or the lack thereof — in the Alley Theatre
for
Vol. 2 was a problem, but the next night, at
Vol. 1,
Estrada had more than shadows to work
with.
And just for the record: I’m not gay. But I
loved these shows.
©2004
Nuvo
