(OUTscene NW) THEATER RE-view: Theater 22 Returns with the FAB, The Lisbon Traviata!

Robert Falk

 Christensen and Mulholland in “The Lisbon Traviata.”

by MK Scott

Seattle has a new Gay Theater group and the much anticipated followup to 5th of July for the Theater 22 happened this past week. What I like about Theater 22 is like Portland's legendary Triangle Productions started out staging their productions at various theaters all over town. The inaugural season of T22 started at West of Lenin this past fall for the acclaimed, 5th of July, now has secured Richard Hugo House to stage, Terrence McNally's The Lisbon Traviata is a play by Terrence McNally. The play premiered Off-Broadway in 1989. It revolves around several opera fans, especially of the opera singer Maria Callas, and their gay relationships.

McNally loves to combine classic Art with Gay relationships and continues the trend here.


In Act One, it reminded me of a recent encounter while in LA. I was hosted by a Classical Opera voice teacher, who was just diagnosed as being HIV+, his young friend, a recent Julliard Grad, had just moved to town and was looking for his own place. For the next week, we sat at his dining room table savoring home cooked meals and listening to the Opera of Maria Callas and Jessye Norman. The chatter between the Teacher and the student showed the Passion for Opera (and blocked out the rest of the world)  as much as the characters of Mendy (the hilarious, Eric Mulholland) and Stephen (the intelligent, Daniel Christensen) share. Warning: You must love a little opera to be fully engaged in Act One.

In Act I, Stephen takes temporary refuge at the apartment of fellow opera aficionado Mendy to dish about divas, listen to records, and avoid thinking about his rapidly unravelling eight-year relationship.

Robert Falk

Christensen and O'Bannon 

In Act II, he returns home to confront his unfaithful partner (Sean P O'Bannon) and makes a play for his much younger trick (Kyle James Traver). The Play goes in a direction that is just as tragic than any other opera, but shows it is the guise of an modern abusive relationship.

Some of the highlights from Act 2 include, Full Frontal Nudity, and some shocking violent scenes with fake blood, that looks so real. The Final scene is tragic, but as the opera consumes the leads, the passion overtakes the senses. 

The 2 sets, were top notch and the direction (Gerald Browning) was spectacular, even though the Callas Portraits resembled more of Joan Crawford than Callas! Welcome to Seattle, Theater22, we look forward to the next chapter.

Terrence McNally's The Lisbon Traviata, as part of T22's First Pride series continues through June 28 at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., Seattle; $10-$22 (206-257-2203 or www.theatre22.org).