The abrupt change followed the circulation of a March 9 letter signed by “LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar and their allies,” who accused Disney executives of censoring moments of “overtly gay affection” in their movies. Pixar staff fume over Disney’s ‘hollow’ claims of support for the LGBTQ communityĪ same-sex kiss scene was reportedly restored to Pixar’s upcoming feature film “Lightyear” – a reversal that came days after top Disney brass faced intense criticism from some of the studio’s employees over their response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. ‘I let you down’: Disney CEO apologizes over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ flap
Son of Byblos is at Belvoir Downstairs until May 21.GOP senators want TV rating ‘update’ amid LGBTQ character pushĬonservative Disney employees urge company to stay ‘politically neutral’ He is a rare artist in Australian theatre prepared to take risks to write different stories that make us think and more importantly make us laugh. On the home front, there are the challenges of persuading family and the Lebanese community that creativity is valuable, not to mention the need to be oneself if that self is queer.Įlazzi must be tough. Professionally, it is difficult to find a place in Australian radio, theatre and television for stories that aren’t Anglo-Australian or dumbed-down multicultural stereotypes. The stereotypical narrative of crime, terror, war and abuse continue as dominant narratives.įrom 'Leb bread' to 'Leb Kelly', finally we're seeing more Middle Eastern faces on TVĭespite the rhetoric of inclusivity, artists of Lebanese heritage face personal and political obstacles. The woman sitting next to me turned and said: “so amazing and so unusual to hear our stories come to life like this.”įor Lebanese-Australians, there are few stories that play out in the public sphere. The simple fact that these details are played out on an Australian theatre stage is significant. Son of Byblos gives us an honest and nuanced look at Australian Lebanese families. The plastic-covered tablecloth is frantically changed when Angela, the guest, arrives unannounced at dinner. His father is obsessed with him being an engineer (because he thinks engineering makes money and web design doesn’t). Adam fails in his attempt to core koosa (zucchini). She tries to stand up to her husband’s patriarchal rule by taking up tango. Omar Sakr's 'epic, stunningly dirty' debut novel challenges macho heterosexual myths of Arab-Australian cultureĮlazzi demonstrates a nuanced and powerful understanding of Lebanese family life.Ĭarol (Deborah Galanos), Adam’s mother over salts the meals. The beauty of this scene is in Adam’s flirtatious and camp drag performance, at distinct odds with the anger and defensiveness he displays around his father John (Simon Elrahi). In a playful scene of sexual freedom, Claire dresses Adam in her red engagement dress (the dress she would have worn had she been allowed to get engaged to her ex-girlfriend Kate). With men sucking his cock, Adam is rescued, but only briefly. The sex scenes nevertheless provide poetic pause where Adam can be himself. We are given an Adam who is hiding with his boxer shorts like a scared cat in the dark. These scenes have a conceptual importance, but director Anna Jahjah doesn’t quite make enough of these moments. He takes his hetero mask off and is able to be free. With the freedom of anonymous sex Adam literally and metaphorically steps off the family stage.
Dispersed throughout the story they give Adam and the audience breathing space. The intensity of these domestic scenes are momentarily paused when Adam has sex with anonymous men in public toilets. Lady Tabouli review: a hilarious comedy about suffocating expectations In their Lebanese families, heterosexual marriage is the way to freedom. She is desperate to move out of home marrying him is her only escape.Īdam, Claire and Angela have a desperate need for independence from the parental stranglehold. Angela tries to pretend that Adam isn’t gay.
His alienation from his family – and now Claire – has him unravellingĪdam briefly battles his way back to heterosexuality by reuniting with his ex, Angela (Violette Ayad). If Claire turns straight, he will be gay alone. With his cousin turning “hetero” overnight, Adam feels abandoned. The adult children desperately want to escape their parent’s strongholds.