Tim has a crush on John and sits next to him in class, leaving notes and other messages on his pencil case. Both at Xavier College, Tim is in the drama scene and John is a footy star. So, with these themes in mind, this is where we meet Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo, played superbly by Declan Clifford and Jack Stratton-Smith. Holding the Man typically conjures a visceral and moving response from audience members because of the universality of accepting one’s sexuality at high school and oscillating between the expectations of societal structures – family values, gender norms, religion – and being proud of who you are. Over the span of 15 years, Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo navigate the nuances of a queer relationship on the backdrop of a changing Australia during the 70s and 80s, during one of the darkest times in LGBTQIA+ history. After a sold-out season in 2022, Taylor Made Productions has brought back Tommy Murphy’s stage adaptation of Holding the Man for a well-deserved encore at Chapel Off Chapel. Timothy Conigrave’s memoir Holding the Man is a beautiful and ultimately heartbreaking story of two men and their enduring love tested by family disapproval, the liberty of adulthood, and finally, death.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |