Because you’re gay, dummy…
I saw Swan Lake at the Vienna Opera House when I was on my mission. I left somewhat underwhelmed and haven't been really big on ballet ever since. Maybe it was because we were in the stehplaetze (standing places) and even with rails to lean on, three hours is a damn long time to be standing—they're super cheap and in the old emperor's box so the view of the stage is superb—or maybe it was because there were too many girls....
I think I could have stood and watched that for three hours. Perhaps I begin to understand why so many people gush about Swan Lake now.
I had a similar experience a while back with a movie called Another Gay Movie. I've tried watching similar adolescent hijinks movies and always found them boring and unfunny. I turned American Pie off after about 15 minutes. Another Gay Movie? As my little brother would say, "I was cramping." Yes, it was adolescent. Yes, it was predictable, but I laughed out loud several times and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
A gay man (or woman) spends most of his (or her) life swimming against the hetero-current of society. When one occasionally finds a gay eddy in which to rest, it's a wonderful respite.
June 18th, 2009 - 11:50
I saw a hetero version of Swan Lake when the Ballet West put it on a few years ago, and I loved it. But now that I think of it, I was sitting down, and was with my then-boyfriend. So that may have colored my experience.
A few years before that, I was going to go on a (BYU) study abroad to Vienna. I was SO EXCITED to stand in the stehplätze like a total student miser and watch a billion hours of opera. I didn’t get to go because of money issues (see: student miser), but I’m wondering now whether I would have enjoyed all those hours of leaning on a rail after all. Maybe I’ll visit the Staatsoper someday when I’m rich and can actually afford a regular ticket. Because as a librarian I’m on my way to multimillionairehood for SURE.
June 18th, 2009 - 12:40
I did the stehplaetze for Cats twice. Location was not nearly as nice as the Staatsoper, but I obviously didn’t mind all that much cause I went back for more. Seems like I stood through The Magic Flute as well. It was a looong time ago and I’ve seen that one a couple of times since so my memory is somewhat fuzzy. If I did, it obviously didn’t feel as long as Swan Lake. Literally I’m sure it’s not, but our perception of the passing of time is hardly literal.