OUTLAWS TO INLAWS

OUTLAWS TO INLAWS
At the Kings Head ****
Seven distinguished writers have each a fifteen-minute play about the history of the problems and the persecution of homosexuality, in the past seventy years.
It begins with the Queen’s Coronation “Happy and Glorious” by Philip Meeks. Four men in a private club watching and commenting on the wedding. Enter a drag queen who tells them about his encounter with the heavy hand of the law. The play exhibits the obscenity of men being hounded like criminals because they were gay. It also reminds us of how opinions have changed.
Jonathan HARVEY wrote “Mr Tuesday.” Mr Tuesday is the lover of a married man, who wants to finish the affair and be faithful to his wife and children. But when Mr Tuesday discovers that his lover is a policeman, he threatens blackmail. People in positions of authority would lose their jobs if the truth were known. This was just two years before Homosexuality stopped being a criminal offence.
Jonathan Kemp – “The reward”. Even though being gay is no longer a legal crime, it is still dangerous. A skinhead living in a council block with others of his kind picks up a black middleclass teenager. When the affair is discovered, he suffers a dreadful punishment from one of his erstwhile mates.
In “1984” by Patrick Wilde, Ayds is here and so is Margaret Thatcher. Everyone is afraid of dying even young men who have privileged positions within parliament. Was Ayds considered a punishment? Some people thought so.
“Princess Die” by Matt Harris. A Princess Di look alike wears a sequin frock, jewellery and a blond wig. When the death of Diana is announced. He takes a last look at himself, removes the blond wig and sits alone in his spangled frock.
“Brothas” by Topher Campbell. Early in 2,000 there is still prejudice. Two black boys are looking for a date. Most of the dating places say No Blacks, No Asians. So they are looking online. We see the conversations and pictures on a screen at the back of the stage.
Finally, we are in the modern day ‘The Last Gay Play” is an actual wedding. Two young men one black, one white – are getting married by a vicar in a church. Is this the end of prejudice?
All twenty roles in this extraordinary set of plays are performed by six actors, Myles Devente, Paul Carroll, Alex Marlow, Elliot Balchin, Jack Bence, and Michael Duke
They are amazing in their versatility and Mary Franklin of Rough Haired Pointer directs all the plays.