OCTOBER 2015 by EXP!

OCTOBER 2015 Volume 8 Issue 3

WHAT IS GLAMOUR? IT IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR PEOPLE, AND OUR GIFT TO HUMANITY.

5 COVER Magic 8 the bOUGIES Get It In Gear 14 TRAVER RAINS

Scarlet: The New Gay Club

22 barrio vintage

Retroactive

28 “The book of mormon”

The Broadway

eXpression808.com to

and have our current issue mailed to you

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Each October day that clicks by leads us closer to Halloween, the most sacred of all queer holy days besides Yule. Time to find something outrageous to wear and sashay down Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu or Front Street in Lahaina on Halloween night. This year, an extra bonus! Halloween falls on a Saturday. Few dates on the 2015 gay liturgical calendar offer such a great opportunity to be glamorous.

To quote Doctor Frankenfurter of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” October is the month of “anticip…….pation.”

magic By: mickey weems

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But what is glamour? Before the twentieth century, “glamour” originally referred to magical power that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary - straw becomes gold, stones turn into jewels. Eventually, the gold turns back to straw and the jewels become rocks once more. Glamour, like other words such as fabulous (related to fable, mythical) and fantastic (from fantasy), implies that what one sees is not real. By the twentieth century, what we call LGBT today was also considered illusion by all but a few. Same-sex desire was based on false impulses due to early trauma or inspired by the devil - only hetero-sex was considered real or natural. A real man wanted only women in his bed, and a true woman wanted a real man. Sexual dysphoria was just confusion caused by the same things that triggered same-sex desire - it was the result of something bad, such as a birth defect, rape, insufficient parenting, Satan, or fluoride in the water. Glamour evolved. It went from magical illusion, a trick played on mortals, to the highest form of aesthetic expression. Since just before the twentieth century, glamour was the sacred domain of people who evoked drama and were worthy of admiration. Once movies enchanted humanity, glamour was quickly associated with stars whose carefully scripted performances became lessons on how real life should be led. Hollywood is not simply the factory of illusions. The glamour of a movie star preserved on film has the potential for immortality, living long after the actual person who played the role has died. Perhaps because we were told that our identities weren’t real, those of us who fell under the general label of “gay” became exceptionally good at creating glamour. Or maybe glamour is just our communal superpower. We still access that superpower when we use our bodies as canvasses upon which we paint desire and gender, our clothing as wearable art, our living quarters as aesthetic installations, and words as our weapons of choice in beautifully choreographed verbal kung fu. Wherever there is creative transformation, more often than not the person responsible is either LGBT or under the tutelage of a member of our tribe. Take for example the recent visit of the Pope to America. Francis has morphed into a much more glamorous pontiff than either John Paul II or Benedict XVI, and this transformation began once he started listening to LGBT voices among the faithful. This was something Benedict, Francis’ predecessor, did not understand. Even though Benedict appreciated red Prada shoes, his love of fashion did nothing for the ugliness of his actions as he protected pedophile priests, yet 6 | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 5 - E X P R E SSION808.C OM

“What is glamour? It is the lifeblood of our people, and our gift to humanity.”

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blasted gay people for being immoral. All the fine linens, satins, and jeweled crowns in the world mean nothing, if the true glamour of a Christian is love. Pope Francis has not always been kind to us. But when he appeared before Congress in September, he said nothing in condemnation of our newly won rights, even though he is on record as being against marriage equality. In addition, he called for Americans to address climate change, care for the poor, and give aid to immigrants and refugees. Francis took the tacky ignorance proudly worn by many Catholic conservatives and transformed it into a stunning nerd-chic progressive outlook, prêt-à-porter, for the betterment of humanity. You better work, Francis! This month, eXpression! celebrates the magic inherent in our people, particularly when that magic involves taking something old and bringing it back to life. A Montana cowboy becomes a Manhattan club icon by accessorizing his hundred-year roots, then transforms a Chinatown space by indulging in creative perversion with dolls and lipstick. Two women start from scratch as they channel their parents’ music, reinvent it, and reinvigorate it to reflect how they feel today, learning to play their respective instruments in the process. Two men take clothing from yesteryear and, by loving what the clothing invokes, make it chic once more. And the greatest magic of all lies in the ability of Broadway to take perhaps the least glamorous Christian denomination in the world and create an award-winning musical from it.

What is glamour? It is the lifeblood of our people, and our gift to humanity.

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the bougies get iT in gear By: mickey weems | Photos: JTL

The first thing that comes through the music of The Bougies is their energy. There is something of the Pixies and punk in them - their more uptempo songs have an urgent quality, a call to the moshpit. At the same time, there’s a light touch, as if The Smiths were whispering in their ears as they crafted their melodies. The Bougies consist of Kelly Bongolan on drums, her brother Jordan Bongolan on vocals and guitar, Joy Furushima on bass, and Josh Gonzales on guitar. Kelly spoke with eXpression! about starting from scratch, explaining how their name is neither flame in French nor lady parts in Korean, and getting serious about music.

You called yourselves “the world’s laziest band.” Why? Kelly Bongolan: Because we totally are! We started playing in 2011, and we got a lot of positive feedback from people at our shows. But we all get into this intense lazy mode and go months at a time not playing a show or even practicing. We started getting serious last year when we decided to record an EP. Then laziness kicked in again, and we didn’t finish it until a few months ago. We finally got our act together when my girlfriend gave us a talk… Basically, she told us to get our shit together.

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There has been some confusion about the name of your group, whether it means “candles” or “vaginas.” A lot of people ask us what our name means. It actually comes from the word “bourgeoisie.” My brother and I would call each other that whenever we did something snooty, and we thought it would be the perfect name for our band. A couple of people have asked us if we named ourselves The Bougies because it is slang for vagina in Korean. We definitely didn’t, but we kind of wish we were that clever.

You didn’t start out as musicians, at least not all of you, correct? Not at all! We all played an instrument in high school - Joy played clarinet, and Jordan and I played violin - so we had somewhat of a musical background. But we didn’t know how

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Kelly Bongolan

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Jordan Bongolan

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to play our current instruments until we started the band. Josh was always the music prodigy. Initially as a duo, I played the keyboard that my mom had bought me for Christmas because it was on sale while my brother played my old guitar. I then moved on to a cajon and finally a drum kit that I bought on Craigslist after selling my bike. Someone happened to give us a bass, and that’s how Joy learned how to play.

Describe your music. Our sound has a garage-pop feel and Jordan’s voice adds a certain grittiness to it. We’ve been described as a mix of The Strokes, Best Coast, and The Smashing Pumpkins, which is not surprising because those bands are some of our major influences. My dad was into the ‘90s grunge/alternative scene, so we grew up listening to Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana.

And you gained a support network. During the same time, there were people approaching us and wanting to work with us pro bono. They loved our music and wanted to help us move to the next level, such as the videographer we are currently working with to make a music video. That definitely motivated us to work harder as well.

I find it interesting that you were already writing your own songs before you learned any covers. Yeah, we kind of did everything ass-backwards, for lack of a better term. Just a couple of months ago, we did our first cover-heavy show. In the beginning, we didn’t know how to play our instruments, so we figured we just start making our own songs instead of learning covers, which seems totally illogical now, and we probably just made things harder on ourselves. But two of our most popular songs were made in the beginning of our musical career, so I guess we didn’t screw ourselves over that much.

Describe your evolution. We’ve come a long way from when we started in 2011. We didn’t have any idea how to play our instruments and actually learned a lot from YouTube, just listening to our favorite songs. Since we had EXP R ESSION808.COM - O C TO B E R 2015 | 11

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no formal training, and we were lazy, of course, it took a while for us to be comfortable playing our own instruments as well as gain the confidence to play them.

Self-confidence was an issue? Over the years, our stage presence has been tighter and our skill level has improved. People who hadn’t seen us since we first started are amazed to see how much we’ve grown. Josh has always been great at what he does, but Jordan, Joy, and I had to work hard at believing in ourselves. We’ve learned that if we’re not confident with what we’re playing, it shows on stage. We’ve been a lot better with practicing individually and as a band.

Tell us about the high school-to-college gap in your fandom. It’s kind of cool because every year we have a new batch of high school kids that are totally into us and go to all of our all-ages shows. They end up graduating and moving to the mainland and then the next year, another group of kids become the new hardcore fans.

What have been your biggest setbacks? Josh goes to school on the mainland, so we only have a few months out of the year that we can actually play as a full band. Another big setback is just being on an island - we can only do so much here. We’ve considered moving to the mainland, which is still an option, but I think right now a tour is more likely.

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Anything to get our music out there, gain new fans and get noticed, which is also why we are making two music videos. Social media can make or break you these days, and I think it’ll help us tremendously, especially because we’re so isolated from everyone.

Your biggest boosts? Our fans. They’re the best! We’re not a mosh band, but they definitely find a way to dance mosh to every song we play. Some of them even have dance moves for certain songs! The greatest feeling, though, is when they’re at our shows singing our songs. It’s amazing and I still can’t believe that people actually know our lyrics. Another big boost is all the support we get from people who believe in us and want to help us succeed. They don’t need to help us, and they’re not making a dime, but they still take the time out of their busy schedule to work with us.

Are there any shout-outs you want to give? Upcoming gigs? I want to give a shout out to my girlfriend, Yayoi. She’s really supportive and my number one groupie! Our next gig is on October 10 at Anna O’Brien’s opening for The Shanghais, and then November 27 at Urban Outfitters’ one year anniversary party.

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Word has spread quickly about Scarlet, the new gay club in Chinatown

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Barbie Dolls, Ball Gags, and Strap-On Lipstick By: mickey weems | Photos: JTL

Strictly speaking, Scarlet is a frontier bar. It straddles the border between Chinatown and Downtown Honolulu on Fort Street Mall, just across the way from the Hawai‘i Theatre. There is a broad red entrance and signage that is not visible from Bethel Street - if you were not actively looking for Scarlet, you’d never know it was there unless you walked in front of it - then you couldn’t miss it for all the crimson.

The Space

Its interior is an interesting mixture of Chinatown and Downtown: a basic, no-nonsense space, visually extravagant and infused with urban sensibilities. A long bar stretches immediately to the left of the entrance. On one wall is a full-size image of Barbie in a black leather bikini, watching a naked Ken doll doing another naked Ken doll wearing a ball gag. Neither of the Kens has genitalia, of course. Another wall features a multicolor array of giant lipstick tubes, and by the entrance is a massive image of a young man’s face painted in half-drag. Makeup is incorporated into the design scheme in a big way - a giant clam-like compact floats above the dance floor.

The dimensions of Scarlet are as much vertical as they are horizontal. An industrial ceiling towers over the mega-dance floor. Four smaller brightly-colored microspaces stacked two-on-two look out from two levels. The effect is a giant, campy dollhouse - Ken dolls are doing their thing in one of the bottom and top rooms. Of the two floors of the dollhouse, the top rooms are more intimate and voyeuristic - they are equipped with balconies for watching the dance-floor shenanigans going on below. The décor has other, more subtle touches involving transgressive humor and wit. The way to the women’s room features Barbie with what looks like a strap-on with an erect red glowing dildo - it is actually a lipstick tube with the tip extended. The hallway to the men’s room has shirtless Ken taking a selfie - it may take a second to see that an actual mirror is on the opposite

wall, with Ken looking directly into it as if he is prepping pics for his Grindr profile. Upon reflection, there is nothing conceptually unique about an S&M theme with ballgag, strap-on, or makeup that has not been done before. Gay club history has plenty of examples of transgressive interiors. But Scarlet is a circus, not a dungeon, with a vibe that celebrates the absurd. Sexy dryhumps kooky in a way that comes across as instantly chic and refreshing. Scarlet is the kind of club that would easily fit in the LA, New York, Toronto, or Chicago scene. In places like Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Dallas, it would be an instant landmark. In Honolulu, a town infamous for small dance floors, Scarlet is a miracle. The word is out: With her spacious dance floor, provocative interior, and oversized everything, Scarlet is a huge screaming queen who craves lots of lovers as well as lipsticks, and she recruits straights and gays to fill up her cavernous, glittered walls. And she will soon have company. Three other venues: a tiki bar (which will feature live entertainment of all sorts as well as drag shows), a restaurant, and a clothing store will be close by, turning that portion of Fort Street Mall into an enclave with LGBT sensibilities.

Ride ‘Em, Cowboy

The public face of Scarlet is Traver Rains, a young man who has big plans for claiming a new space for a mini-LGBT district where once there was none. Rains has been involved in club culture in New York, LA, and Chicago (home of the original Scarlet night

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Traver Rains

We are “totally

straightfriendly.”

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club; Chicago’s Scarlet is much smaller with a gothelegant interior). He is part of a team that decided to take mainland nightlife sensibilities and go west, far west to Honolulu. They joined forces with Lanai Tabura, local personality and owner of Aloha Plate, to create a whole new gay scene that welcomes everyone who wants to dance. Having done the continental big-city scene, Rains and his team came to Hawai‘i because they wanted a more laid-back location for their new venture. And compared to Chicago/NYC winters, San Francisco real estate sticker shock, and LA congestion, Honolulu looked really good.

Introducing the

2016 FORESTER

Rains has roots in Montana, miles culturally from Chinatown and Downtown Honolulu. He stays true to those roots as he adheres to an ethic of hard work that he learned while growing up on his family’s ranch. During an impromptu visit to Scarlet on a Saturday evening before business hours, I saw Rains on a ladder, hammer in hand, hanging drapery for a dramatic unveiling of go-go boys later that night. How did a Montana cowboy end up running a queer frontier bar (and riding a cute pink moped named Caitlin) in Chinatown/Downtown Honolulu? Here is his story.

Home on the Range

Traver Rains: My family’s ranch was homesteaded in Montana over a hundred years ago, making my brother and I the fifth generation to grow up on our property. Outside of a couple attempts at mining, raising Quarter Horses and Angus cattle has been our business there. I basically grew up on the back of a horse... my mom was actually rodeoing when I was still in the womb. My mother, Dee Dee teaches French and Spanish at the local high school. One of her life’s missions is to teach the rural kids about cultures outside of the valley. Many of them would never have ventured outside of the state if it weren’t for her. I just always knew I would leave Montana for a life outside of ranching. But in the meantime, I was making my own vests and eye-catching chaps for the horse competitions - my only experience in fashion before hitting the Big Apple. Since spending time in Hawai‘i, I’ve seen similarities with Montana in caring for the land. There’s a sense of responsibility for the future, for treating animals with the respect needed to pass them on to the next generation. We grew up in an area that was immersed in Native American history and culture, which also parallels many of the things I’ve heard about Native Hawaiians.

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By: mickey weems | Photos: jtl

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New York, New York

When I first moved to NYC I got a job as a riding instructor at the equestrian center that used to be on Chelsea Piers. I would dress up in my chaps and cowboy hat - which I thought was silly - but the New Yorker students liked the look. One of these students was the son of Susanne Bartsch, a famous club and party promoter. Her club kid arm candy and assistant at the time was Richie Rich. The two of them loved the cowboy look and asked me wear it to their parties. In no time I found myself being bounced around the globe to trot around these epic Bartsch parties in my chaps and cowboy hat, sometimes even a lasso! I was always amazed at how Susanne could take a space and transform it into a party wonderland with her creative club kids and sexy atmosphere. As we’ve built Scarlet here in Hawai‘i, I’ve caught myself thinking on many occasions, “What would Susanne do?”

Heatherette

Before every party, Richie and I would get together and whip up some “Look At Me!” sort of get-up to wear out that night.

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Inspired by the nightlife, these looks kept getting shinier and brighter and crazier. The Look At Me worked, and we were soon asked by celebrity stylists and photographers to make things similar to what we were wearing for their clients. When we realized we could actually make money off of our creations, we started to formulate an idea, and Heatherette was born. Our first fashion shows took place at NYC clubs, and the looks were inspired by the scene at the time. It became a line that reflected nightlife and tried to translate that into something more wearable, but something that would still make you feel like a club kid at heart.

Empire State Building

After many years of being artsy East Village kids, we signed a deal with backers that landed us in the Empire State building. It was a total clash of cultures, but somehow totally made sense. The Empire State building is the symbol of the city. We were so excited to call that our home! We took over the 66th 20 | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 5 - E X P R ESSION808.C OM

floor and turned it into a Warholian-Club-Kid fashion factory. It was pretty amazing to see celebs like Pamela Anderson and her entourage of sequined men march into a sea of business suits on her way up to her wedding dress fitting. For years it seemed like every day there would be a knock on the door up there, and behind every knock some insane new fashion experience awaited.

Business Partnership with Lanai Tabura

Like everything else exciting in my life, meeting Lanai was random and amazing. He is so full of Hawaiian-ness it’s hard not to be intrigued. I especially love his awareness of the past and future and how they tie together. I believe that it’s this awareness that has drawn him to myself and our other partners in the Scarlet venture. He has such a keen understanding of the local environment that he has confidently introduced the “new kids on the block” into the community in a way that will be more beneficial to all sides.

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Creating a Major Gay Presence in Downtown

It’s obvious that the local gay scene revolves around the Waikiki area of the city. Our goal is not to distract from that, but to give members of the LGBT community who live and go out in the Chinatown region of the city a safe place to congregate and socialize. We opened the doors to Scarlet earlier this summer. This space has been designed to create a high energy, finger-on-the-pulse place to dance your ass off. It’s loud, crazy and sexy, a place to totally let loose and whip your hair back and forth. We especially want our girl friends to grab their boys and come in for a twirl because we are totally straightfriendly.

Cowboy at Heart

I miss the ranch and horses immensely. And I wear my boots and hat not only to help pacify the homesickness, but also to give me confidence. I grew up under a cowboy hat. It’s a part of me. EXP R ESSION808.COM - O C TO B E R 2015 | 21

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Fashion is a strange beast. The cardinal sin of fashion is to appear out of date, yet glamour, fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Holy Grail, is typically wrapped in past trends interpreted anew.

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Barrio Vintage

active By: mickey weems | Photos: jtl

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The trick to glam is to find the right outfit that conjures the drama of yesteryear to make a fresh statement in today’s world. And this is where Bradley Rhea and Jonathan Saupe are priceless: their superpower is the ability to match the vintage clothing in their colorful Chinatown shop Barrio to the fashionforward customers that stop by.

Our new location is still in a historic building, but has many more amenities than our last. Now our customers can shop whilst enjoying A/C, a luxury we didn’t have before.

Barrio is a small triangular space that seems much bigger than it actually is. Large display windows on the hypotenuse of the Barrio triangle feature just enough items upfront to catch the eye, while still allowing a cascade of colorful clothes behind them to surge onto Nu‘uanu Street. It is a shop of wonders that has made quite a splash.

Barrios in Tucson are the neighborhoods in the city that are just as vibrant in their color palate and architecture as the people who live there. They are festive and inviting places to cultivate creativity for all walks of life. Everyone is welcome, and everyone is encouraged to be themselves.

According to Rhea, he and Saupe moved to Hawai‘i from Tucson, Arizona about seven years ago, “Jonathan following a job, and me following Jonathan.” Three years later they opened Barrio in Chinatown, the neighborhood they call home. “We live in a historic loft building in the vibrant Chinatown neighborhood with our cat. We love soaking in the local arts and music scene and also try to get to the beach from time to time, though we are very much city gals.”

How does the name “Barrio” refer to your roots in Tucson?

What other merchandise do you have?

We mostly feature clothing, but also jewelry and accessories. We have a rotating collection of vinyl, and an everchanging selection of mid-century home décor. We also feature the works of local artists and designers from time to time.

Describe Barrio and its birth.

We are always looking for something new and exciting, and we never know what we are going to get in. Someone could walk in with a fifty-pound vintage disco ball to sell, for example, and we would most definitely buy it.

We both had been avid thrifters on the mainland, and brought with us a lot of vintage clothing. Soon after our move, we decided to have a “pop-up” at our loft on First Friday with 15 items on a small rack. The response was beyond supportive, and within the next month we had lots of items donated or sold to us. By the next First Friday, we had a totally different inventory and a whole slew of new shoppers. The momentum grew quickly from there, eventually availing us to open a fully stocked storefront location in the retail district of Chinatown. Since then we’ve moved into an even bigger location, and have been in an actual storefront just under four years now.

How would you describe the Barrio aesthetic?

Bradley Rhea: Barrio is a vintage clothing boutique for both women and men. We buy, sell, or trade within the shop, so we get new inventory pretty much every day.

How different is your current locale from your former one?

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It’s a bit difficult to pinpoint a specific aesthetic. Everything is original vintage and retro, and we definitely do not shy away from print, color, and over-the-top designs. As far as clothing is concerned, we always look at the garment for its fashion forwardness. It’s as if you’re in a huge walk-in closet, surrounded by swirls of color, texture and design.

Describe the Barrio Girl.

The Barrio Girl is ageless. She is a 15year-old girl looking for a prom dress and an elderly woman reliving her past. She is adventurous, whether or not she is outwardly outspoken. The Barrio Girl loves indulging in her own personal style

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and is always looking for the next thing to add to her closet, whether that’s a summery dress or a three piece suit.

Describe the Barrio Boy.

The Barrio Boy is as ageless as the Barrio Girl. He is open-minded, artistic, and has a definite sense of self. He loves finding something he’s never seen, as is often looking for something completely outspoken. He isn’t afraid to try on new things, and a lot of the time will venture into the women swear to see if there’s anything there that might fit him, too!

What artists, designers, and musicians inspire you?

We pull influence from a plethora of genres, and we gravitate a lot toward a more retro aesthetic, so anything 1960s or ‘70s really excites us. We can’t seem to get enough of modernist and mid-century design, such as Ossipoff and Eames. Disco, psych rock and world music seem to be always on our radio, though we love new indie sounds as well.

It’s hard for us to pinpoint contemporary designers that specifically speak to us, but we are always finding vintage pieces from small design houses that put us in awe. I recently discovered an Italian designer from the ‘70s whose graphic prints were explosions of color with a futurist-meets-naturalworld angle, something I had never seen before. And now I can’t seem to get enough of it.

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Will you ever come forth with a Barrio line?

Designing our own threads has always been something on our minds, but it has taken the back burner while we continue to grow our boutique. When you find a really awesome piece of vintage a really awesome home, it’s exciting, but also a bit sad because only one person gets to enjoy it. It would be great to create pieces inspired by the things we love most so that more people could also enjoy them, but we are going to wait for that time to happen naturally. In the interim we might screen some rad Barrio tees and totes just for fun, then work on our sewing skills.

Tell us about Psychotropic.

Every year we produce one big fashion show in the Downtown area. We invite people from every walks of life and spend the night looking fabulous as we enjoy fashion, music, drinks and dancing. Drag queens, skater boys, cute old ladies - literally the whole survey is invited out to join us. Last year our show was entitled Psychotropic, and we showcased an immense collection of psychedelic fashions circa the 1960s and 1970s. There were trippy projections across the walls, gigantic flowers hanging from the ceiling, and hundreds of people dressed as wildly as they wanted. We don’t ever reveal the theme until closer to the show, but each year it continues to grow and become more of an experience, so start thinking of what you’ll want to wear.

Your First Fridays have been stellar. What can we expect for November?

It honestly turns into a party every time. Our recent favorite is our collaboration with the Secret Record Store, a group that pops up with hundreds of vinyl gems. They spin music, we serve drinks, and people shop for music and vintage clothing until midnight. In the past we’ve also featured artist installations, trunk shows, and DJs. For November, we will have just returned from a huge sourcing trip on the mainland, so our shop will be packed with new vintage gems. It is absolutely the best time to shop at Barrio. We will also have several DJs spinning music and plenty to drink! www.BarrioVintage.com

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“The Book of Mormon” By: mickey weems

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Ever since Mozart came out with “The Marriage of Figaro,” an opera about common people rather than Gods or heroes, the stage has proven time and again that anything can be made glamorous if it is translated into song and dance. We need look no further than the success of the Broadway musical, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Harber of Fleet Street.” Speaking of Broadway musicals, “The Book of Mormon” is coming to Honolulu. This is exciting news for gay people - anything Broadway is like cultural crack for many members of the LGBT community. But this play is much more than crack for LGBT Mormons. It could bring them closer to their not-so-accepting relatives. “The Book of Mormon” is a farce in the traditional sense of the word - it is a grand, funny exaggeration of the subject it intends to portray. But it is a sympathetic farce - there are inside jokes that only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) will fully understand, and it allows the audience to empathize with the problems that come with being a member of the LDS Church. The musical deals with one of the best traditions that Mormons have: time as missionaries. Young men (and some women) leave home for two years to spread the Word of God in places around the world. For fathers and sons, this is an especially important rite of passage that they can talk about when the son comes home a wiser, more experienced adult. Going on mission functions as an important community builder. On the positive side, the mission experience means that young people go to any number of places. Those that leave the countries of their birth encounter cultures very different from their own. They often learn a new language, and many of them come home with a better sense of what the world is like. The cumulative effect is that each new generation has the potential to become more cosmopolitan. On the negative side, missionaries get cussed out, have doors slammed in their faces, and understand what it’s like to be treated like a walking cold sore. This is a mini-reenactment of the trials and tribulations of the early church faithful who had been run from state to state until they fled to the deserts of Utah to create their own version of the American Dream. “The Book of Mormon” is about exposure to a different culture and the bonding power of shared oppression as two young men, Elder Kevin Price and Elder Arnold Cunningham, go on mission to war-torn and AIDS-afflicted Uganda in East Africa. The play does not shy away from discussing certain aspects concerning the elephant in the average Mormon living room: the audaciousness of Mormon beliefs. Mormons are often criticized because of LDS teachings about history (Hebrews floated to the Americas in giant barrels in 600 BCE), cosmology (when a righteous Mormon man dies, he becomes God of his own planet and

his wife gets to be God’s Wife), and their founder (Joseph Smith was arrested for disorderly conduct, banking fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder). Same-sex desire is likewise in the musical. Homoeroticism between men is an underlying theme. Handsome, athletic male dancers sweep across the stage in the uniform of Mormon missionaries: dark pants, white short-sleeve shirts, ties, and nametags. One of the main characters is the barely-closeted Elder McKinley. There is even a song, “Turn It Off,” that talks about how men should deal with same-sex desire: turn it off like a light switch. One might expect the LDS Church to denounce this Broadway play, especially with the liberal use of obscenities sprinkled throughout the script. But the reaction has been a credit to the LDS leadership. The church has used the musical as an opportunity to reach out to people with ads in playbills, saying things like “You’ve seen the play, now read the book.” So if you are a Mormon or a recovering Mormon who wants to reconnect or even just improve the relationship with your less-than-understanding kinfolk, invite them to see “The Book of Mormon” with you. Assure them that the LDS Church has not condemned the musical, so it will not render them in danger of going to H-E-Double-Hockey-Stick if they see it with you. You’ll have so much to discuss afterwards. Blessings come to us in many ways. Attending a Broadway play about the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints with a family member or two might just make miracles happen.

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