Bash'd: A Gay Rap Opera
NYC Fringe Festival
August 12, 2007
Village Theater
VanLoan
vanloan@nyconstage.org

Over the years, the shows at the annual Fringe Festival have rarely made political statements. When they do, they seem to take on easy targets such as last years Walmartopia (currently at the Minetta Lane Theater) or McDonalds (in 2003's McBeth) and combine a mild satiric approach with music. Bash'd is decidedly and refreshingly different. Aggressively upbeat and in your face, this self-styled "gay rap opera" is one of the most exciting shows in many years of "fringing".

After the Matthew Sheppard horror, a certain fatigue has set in over stories concerning gay-bashings (note the current apathy over the Gary Sandy death in Brooklyn). The stories have become so familiar that they no longer hold any sway. It has taken the creative team of Cuckow and Craddock to dramatically get us to stand up and take notice.

Set in the arch-conservative Canadian province of Alberta (according to program notes the 'Texas' of Canada), it's the story of Dylan (Nathan Cuckow) who having grown up in a repressed, conservative household moves to the big city, Edmonton and falls in love with Jack (Chris Craddock). Jack is a city boy, liberal and sophisticated. The two court and get married (legal in Canada) and start their life together. The fairy tale is shattered when Jack is brutally beaten up in a homophobic attack and left for dead. Dylan is

 spurred to political activism while Jack slides into a crippling depression. The idyllic romance is shattered and ends in tragedy.

The story is told in flashback by two gay angels Feminem (Cuckow) and T-Bag (Craddock) who have been watching the events from above. While the piece is suffused with a righteous anger, it is ultimately about tolerance and redemption. The excitement and vitality of the work comes from the use of rap music which by nature is ultra-masculine and homophobic to defiantly proclaim an activist gay sexuality. From the opening number which proclaims: "Wave your wrists in the air cuz you don't care; give a wave! Give a wave!!" to the sensational rap litany of different stereotypes in an average gay bar, the duo is outstanding. Their high octane performances and verbal pyrotechnics never waver even when the story moves into its darker elements. Director Ron Jenkins allows two performers just enough leeway to dazzle without upstaging the message. The dynamic, prerecorded music is credited to Aaron Macri and adds just the right amount of punch. Bash'd is quite simply a knockout.

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