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COUNTERCULTURE
by Dave Hayward
"The easiest way to be gay is all by
yourself with your fantasies" asserts Jim
Grimsley, award-winning author of the gay
fable Mr. Universe. "You can stay in the
closet forever with your fantasies and
never have to relate to another person."
VCR addicts, be advised.
Grimsley's bizarre fairy tale "play for
gay people" returns to Seven Stages with
previews April 4 and a grand opening
Thursday, April 11. Universe will play in
rep with Grimsley's new "Southern
Gothic," Belle Ives which premiers on
April 18.
Universe originally premiered at Seven
Stages in 1987. From there it rocketed to
Off-Broadway and captured the 1988
Oppenheimer/Newsday Award for best
new play. It’s the last anyone has seen of
the oft-praised oft-controversial tale and its
beefcake ace. That, says Grimsley, is
because of Universe's gay content and
because his agent held out for another New
York production rather than trying to get
the play produced in regional theatres.
Accordingly he's considering promoting it
himself, kicking off with the revival at
Seven Stages.
"Mr. Universe is about two gay men in
New Orleans' French Quarter who stumble
across the ideal man” sums up Grimsley,
drawing from his sojourn there in the late
'70s. The three men in question are drag
queens Judy (Don Finney) and Vic (Peter
Thomasson), and Mr. U, the mute, bare
chested, bloodied icon (6'4" blond Ed
Corbin). The witches' brew percolates
immediately due to Corbin's scars, which
"we all see as paint and makeup but the
characters see as blood and wounds," teas
es Grimsley, accelerating Universe's hurtle
into the abstract.
"My character is a fantasy, there’s a
question whether he really exists" grins Ed
Corbin, a professional actor who's also a
THEATRE
Universe
Returns
Grimsley's prize winning play
gets a reprise at 7 Stages
"body sculptor" and declares that drag
queens and bodybuilders have a lot in com
mon. "They both put makeup on, and they
both want to be something else."
A lightning rod for the French Quarter's
queens and hookers, "Mr. Universe is like a
serviceman or a mechanic. He gives others
what they expect him to" even if they
expect rejection and self-destruction.
Hence the masochistic Judy (brilliantly
played by Tim Kevin in the original pro
duction) becomes the play's central figure.
"She is dangerous, strong and powerful,
and she won't rest with being a victim,
she’ll be her own victim and no one else's,"
exclaims Grimsley. Yet Judy also reflects
the average gay man.
"He was raised not knowing who he
was, not having anyone to be like, his way
of loving was so different" emphasizes
Grimsley. "I think this is why the gay
community can be so screwed up, we real
ly don't know how to be gay You really
can't just be a healthy gay person without
looking at the unhealthy too."
Thus Judy's downfall becomes an
obsession with skin, a stimulant most gay
men grapple with. Grimsley is relentless in
dissecting our not-so-hidden fixation, giv
ing us a perfect specimen who is also
silent, allowing us to invest him with any
and all attributes. It's as if every gorgeous
gym rat were secretly altruistic, attentive
and affectionate, too. Meanwhile, the
demand for Chippendale's male strippers
and Sports Illustrated babes shows straight
women and men objectify as well.
Some resolution comes through the
other drag queen Vic, who is the one most
immune to the muscleman's enchantment.
"Vic will take care of him, but there are
limits to what he'll do," emphasizes
Grimsley. "He is in awe of him, but he's
afraid if he lets go, he'll open the flood
gates. And he refuses to be punished for
his affections." Corbin chimes in "Looks
are a liability. You live on a pedestal being
admired. But it's safe for M & M (the
muscleman) to step off that pedestal with
Vic. He sees the human being in there.”
Still Corbin revels in the attention for
his voluptuous vanilla looks. A farm boy
from Armuchee in North Georgia, Corbin
graduated summa cum laude in finance
from UGA and forsook his fiance and
banking for acting in Atlanta. "I relish
feedback from others" Corbin beams.
"When I'm onstage go for it, enjoy it, let
me live on in your memory! If I make an
impression on someone, I've had a good
day."
So while he realizes "Beauty of
physique is totally subjective," Corbin
encourages fans. "When you are an audi
ence member, I'm here for you. But if you
want any more, use professional restraint."
Even though he’s straight-identified,
Corbin's cool. "I don't judge others. It's too
much trouble to keep up with the things I
like and don't like about people."
Mr. Universe can be said to portray the
life of the late '70s before AIDS. "The cri
sis brought people's attention back to sex
with fewer people under more special cir
cumstances," suggests Grimsley, parallel
ing the commitment the muscleman and
Vic eventually make. "Their relationship
means all kinds of things. But I only tell
2/3rds of the story. It's compelling and the
2/3rds is all there, but it's not complete."
Short Subjects: Chris Coleman as
Harvey Milk and Brian Barnett as Milk's
lover Jamie were stunning in the staged
reading of Dare to Dream at Actor's
Express last week. Atlantans Dan Pruitt
and Patrick Hutchison have created an
engaging and entertaining look at Milk's
legend, and by extension, gay activism and
discrimination of all kinds. Dream could
stand some revision, chiefly in the senti
mentality surrounding Jamie's sister and
San Franciscans' nostalgia for the good old
days. Quibbling aside, Dream emanates a
core of emotion that is profoundly affect
ing. Here's hoping it fulfills aspirations for
a fullscale production if the fall.
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Southern Voice/March 28, 1991
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