"The ball scene roughly began in Harlem decades ago as a refuge for Black and brown queer people to strut, pose, dance and stunt in ways not favored by the white-dominated gay pageant world of the mid-20th century."
"One could make an argument that Cats, with its oddball mythology about the inner lives and dreams of mostly disregarded creatures, is a glimpse at a kind of subculture, scrappy and resilient in the margins."
"Livingston and Rauch see an obvious connection there, linking ball's rite and ritual to that of Eliot's, well, cats."
"The dynamism and spirit of ball has been grafted on to Cats, an inventive melding of two seemingly disparate entities that, it turns out, fit rather well together."
Cats: The Jellicle Ball is a reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical that integrates elements of queer ball culture. Directors Zhailon Livingston and Bill Rauch present a version that honors the original's focus on performance while adding context and meaning. The production celebrates the history of ball culture, which began as a refuge for Black and brown queer individuals. This innovative melding of Cats and ball culture highlights the resilience of marginalized communities and connects the themes of both art forms.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]