Martin Sherman’s play is credited with raising awareness about the Holocaust
Martin Sherman’s acclaimed play Bent made its debut on this day in 1979. The play dramatises the persecution of homosexuals under the Nazi regime in the 1930s and 1940s.
It follows several characters from the Night of the Long Knives in 1934 through their imprisonment at the Dachau concentration camp. The play is credited with raising awareness of the persecution of gay, lesbian and transgender people under the Nazi regime.
The play made its debut in London at the Royal Court Theatre before later transferring to the West End.
Sir Ian McKellen played one of the central characters, Max, while the role of Tom Bell played Horst – the man Maz falls in love with while in prison. Bell would later have a prominent role in the TV series Prime Suspect, opposite Helen Mirren where he played Sgt Bill Ottley.
When the play was staged on Broadway, Richard Gere took on the role of Max. The play has become an often performed work, a local production was stage in Adelaide in 2022.
It was also adapted into a film by director Sean Mathias in 1997. In the cinematic version Clive Owen played Max, and Lothaire Bluteau portrayed Horst. The film also included Paul Bettany, Rachael Weisz, Jude Law, and future Game of Thrones star Nikoaj Coster-Waldau. Ian McKellen also appears in the film playing the character of Uncle Freddy.
Playwright Martin Sherman has gone on to write many more works, and several films. He also wrote the 1997 queer film Alive and Kicking, as well as the 2005’s Mrs Henderson Presents and Callas Forever which he co-wrote with director Franco Zeffirelli.
Sherman also adapted the Australian musical The Boy From Oz when it made its journey from Australia to Broadway.
In 1976 ‘A Chorus Line’ winds the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
In 1976 the musical A Chorus Line won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The music was written by Marvin Hamlisch, with lyrics by Edward Kleban and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.
A Chorus Line is one of Broadway’s most successful musicals. It held the record for the longest Broadway run, until 1992 when it was beaten by Cats.
The musical tells the story of seventeen dancers desperately auditioning for eight stage roles in a musical. This audition is the chance of a lifetime. It’s what they’ve worked for – with every drop of sweat, every hour of practice, every minute of every day of their lives. Their personal stories are told through captivating song, riveting drama and stunning choreography.
Alongside the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it also won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Score and Book, seven Drama Desk Awards and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Iconic musical numbers in the show include What I Did for Love, One, I Can Do That, At the Ballet and I Hope I Get It.
It’s Mary Lambert’s birthday
Singer, songwriter and spoken word artist Mary Lambert celebrates her birthday today. She was born in 1989 and is best known for her work with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on their track Same Love which became an anthem for marriage equality.
Lambert later expanded her contribution to the collaboration into the song She Keeps Me Warm for her own album in 2013.
OUTinPerth chatted to Lambert about her work back in 2015 when she was on the cover of our March edition.
Christine Jorgeson died on this day in 1989
Christine Jorgensen was the first Americans to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
After being drafted into the military and serving in World War II Jorgensen heard news about the new medical procedures of gender reassignment surgery.
She traveled to Europe and in Copenhagen, Denmark, began the process of transitioning in 1951. She chose the name Christine in honour of the endocrinologist who treated her, Dr Christian Hamburger.
She returned to the United States in the early 1950s. Her transition was the subject of a New York Daily News front-page story. While the report wrongly suggested Jorgensen was the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery, she was the first person to be treated with a combination of hormones and surgery.
She became an instant celebrity, using the platform to advocate for transgender people and became known for her directness and polished wit. She also worked as an actress and nightclub entertainer and recorded several songs. She published her autobiography and often spoke at universities about her experiences.
In 1959 she became engaged to typist Howard J Knox, but the couple were unable to gain a marriage certificate because Jorgensen was identified as male on her birth certificate. Knox lost his job when it became known he was engaged to someone who was transgender. The couple sadly broke up.
Shortly before her death in 1989 Jorgensen said that she had given the sexual revolution a “good swift kick in the pants”. She died of bladder and lung cancer four weeks short of her 63rd birthday.
