Shakespeare's Sonnets Heterosexualized on Stage in New York

Here's the dedication page of the 1609 first printing of Shakespeare's sonnets, which says the only begetter of the poems is Mr. W.H. Of the 154 sonnets, 1 through 126 are addressed to a young man; call him Mr. W.H. The sonnets 127 through 152 are addressed to a "dark lady," which might seem to contradict that Mr. W.H. is the "only begetter" of the love poems, unless you remember that every female role Shakespeare ever wrote was performed by a young man wearing a dress. Anytime the Bard wrote lines for a "woman" he was writing about a twink in drag. It was beyond comprehension that an actual female would expose and debase herself appearing on stage and it remained so for two generations after Shakespeare's death. As for the unimaginable, England beheaded their King and abolished the monarchy before they allowed a woman on stage.

Last night at the Duke on 42nd Street, eighty-five year old British director Peter Brook presented "Love Is My Sin," his staging of thirty-one sonnets. He says:

"Love Is My Sin allows us to penetrate into Shakespeare's own, most secret life. It is his private diary, in which we find his intimate questions, his jealousy, his passions, his guilt, his despair. Above all, he searches to discover for himself the deep meaning of being attracted by a man, by a woman or even by the act of writing itself. This is neither a play nor a poetry recital. It catches the actors in human relationships. Then, at the very end, they become speakers for Shakespeare himself..."

Although Brook mentions "a man" in his notes, it doesn't appear to be conveyed on stage. The performance stars only "two lovers," sixty-six year old Michael Pennington and Brook's wife Natasha Parry who turns eighty this year. He kisses her hand; they address the audience or each other directly. While the music of Louis Couperin is meant to evoke an authentic 17th century atmosphere, young Mr. W.H. has vanished. The anachronistic casting has gone unmentioned by mainstream critics.

This is tricky because of course great literature transcends its particulars, and a poem is not a biopic. Yet Brook insists this is about "Shakespeare's own, most secret life" while annihilating Mr. W.H. The production erases gay love and replaces it with a hetero version because that's what the straight director and the majority of the audience want to see. ($75 for 50 minutes.) Mr. W.H. was an actual person, not an imagined, generic pop song "you." If his gender is irrelevant in a more universal look at love, then so is the race of civil rights leaders in the more universal quest for freedom. The argument being what really matters is the ultimate truth of the words, the passion, the equality, not whether the person was short or left-handed or queer or of color. Frederick Douglass as played by sixteen year-old snowflake Justin Bieber because it will sell more tickets.

Comments

[Bob Smith]

I think you're being too nice. If they did a show of straight love poems performed between two guys someone would claim it violates the author's intentions. Shakespeare was definitely bisexual if not gay. The New Arden edition of the sonnets gets it, Peter Brook should too.

[Daniela Cox]

I would feel very sorry if the question of the gender of the actual actors would keep anybody from attending this performance since it will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see two actors like Pennington and Parry enact Shakespeare's Sonnets. Peter Brook also mentions that he chose the particular actors because of their "heart and art". I'm very much inclined to believe his view - having actually met the one of them recently - and to share it. Please do not make the same mistake like the average straight reviewer as mentioned in the comment by Bob Smith but go there and be hopefully enchanted ;-).

[Duncan]

Everything I have ever read agrees that "begetter" did not mean the subject or inspiration of the poems. Whoever Mr. W. H. was, he wasn't the Youth.

That being said, I agree completely. The heterosexualizing of the sonnets, and of so much other same-sex literature, is a sign of just how much homophobia still exists among the educated classes.

[Bob Smith]

I agree with Daniela and plan on going to hear the sonnets. I suppose three actors would've broke the budget, but it would have been more interesting and historically accurate.

[Daniela Cox]

Bob, I must say I envy you a lot!! Just one more interesting information: if you speak French, then do have a look at the following article http://www.letemps.ch/Page/Uuid/2199da64-3144-11df-9e7d-ad31e4c19ee1. As far as I interpret it there were some male-male performances of "Love is my Sin" in Geneva in March ;-)!

[Ki DHPAC]

This topic is related. Thought some folks might be interested...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHZV-wadoDE

Secrets of Gender Blind Casting
Macbeth at DHPAC/Five Towns College in LI, New York.

Pre-performance interview with actress Beth Gwara and Director, Dr. Kathy Curtiss. Macbeth, a production of Five Towns College Theatre Department, will be performed April 15-18, 2010 at DHPAC/Dix Hills Performing Arts Center, Long Island, New York. More info and tickets at: (631) 656-2148 or http://dhpac.org This is fan video by blogger "Ki at DHPAC". Includes discussion of: feminism; gender blind casting; color blind casting; and Cate Blanchett's performance as Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There"

[Cole]

Totally expected. A heterosexual who wants a heterosexual-only play. Just like heterosexuals wanting heterosexual-only marriage, heterosexual-only proms, heterosexual-only education, heterosexual-only health care, heterosexual-only anything.

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