A dear friend of mine brought up the issue of homosexuality to me last night. He informed me that he believed homosexuality is a choice. I must preface this with the fact that this friend is an ally of the Queer community. He is One Hundred Percent for Gay Rights. Still, my initial response is to defend myself. How dare you tell me that my sexuality is a choice! I responded with the usual response to this question. I asked him, "Did you choose to be straight?". He thought for a moment and said, "Yes. I think I did." The conversation went on and ended with both of us being a bit more informed of each other's lives, but I don't feel we swayed each other either way.
But it got me thinking. Does Dorian choose to be gay? Does Dorian really love anyone? Is he a sociopath? Does he have feelings for Basil that he suppresses? Can a Narcissus decide his sexuality? Personally, I don't think so. I believe the character of Dorian is completely Pan-Sexual, and while he may have strong feelings for Basil he never let's himself fall for him. Basil painted Dorian, but Harry is the one who shapes him. Basil gives Dorian Immortality, but Harry gives him Life. All of Dorian's feelings for these people are through the filter of what they have done for him.
I wrote a new opening for the show that I feel achieves everything I wanted to in the first ten minutes in one song and more. Basil comes out and sings to the audience of an Angel that has shown him love. That Angel is Dorian. This way we are given exposition about Dorian and Basil's relationship and are informed that they have had sexual intercourse prior to the play beginning. This is not something that happens in the book but I really wanted to establish Basil as a key component in telling the story. With this as the opening, we will feel Basil's jealousy instantly when Lord Henry is flirting with Dorian.
Also, tomorrow morning I will be working with Ashleigh Moore on some of Sibyl Vane's songs to make sure my keys are appropriate for a woman.
No comments:
Post a Comment