A Play Many Of Us Should See, But Few Will Probably Get To!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    There has been a lot of talk, darlings, about Daniel Pearle's play, "A Kid Like Jake," which was his graduate thesis at the New School, has won some minor awards, and is now being produced by Lincoln Center Theater. Alas, they are showing it in their experimental facility, the Claire Tow Theatre,  which rests atop the Library Of Performing Arts, a place I have a more than passing acquaintance with.  The theater only seats 100, and its shows runs are limited in length, which means if one does not snap up, and get a ticket, forget it!!!!!!!!!!!   I would love to see "A Kid Like Jake" move to a more accessible venue, but that can only be determined by Time.

                                                        One reason for the talk is the casting of Carla Gugino.  Critics, especially those who are straight, go crazy over her.  She is one of those actresses who, even if you put her in a burka, could not stop from exuding sexuality. Sometimes this goes overboard, as she did with Maggie in the revival of Arthur Miller's "After The Fall."  Here she seems to be toning it down a bit--she, is after all, playing an Upper West Side mom--but the guys are still cumming in their pants over Carla!!!!!!!! Ho, hum.

                                                          A better reason to see the show is the issue it deals with. Jake, the unseen child of the couple, whose parents are trying to get him into one of those trendy private kindergartens,  and is a bit outside the box.  His choice of toy preference does not conform to gender specificity, and he likes dressing up--as Snow White, or Cinderella!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                            And why does all this intrigue me, girls???????  Because, as you may expect, I myself was a child like Jake.  Many of my earliest toys were those inherited from my parents' friends' children who had outgrown them, and there were two Colorforms sets I was very fond of--Miss Cookie's Kitchen, and the Debbie Reynolds Dress Designer Kit. This was Debbie during her "Tammy" phase, loves, and I loved dressing Debbie up.  I went for color and tone.  Too bad it did not land me at VOGUE with Anna and Grace, but it did establish in me a penchant for the theatrical.  And while I loved opening cabinet and oven doors, taking things out, and putting them in, inside Miss Cookie's Kitchen (my God; this passage sounds so Freudian, but, really, it isn't!!!!!!!!!!!) none of this made me any sort of Domestic Goddess.  Just ask my beloved Monsieur!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                              The first time I saw "The Wizard Of Oz," the one I identified with most was the Witch!!!!!!!!!!  My poor mother; the day after, she had to stop me from repeatedly leaping off the back of one of our front room love seats, on my toy broom while shouting, "To the Emerald City, as fast as lightning!"  I swear, to this day, I seem to remember there was one try where I thought I flew clear across the room!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In Kindergarten (much to the consternation of that REAL witch, Mrs. Compton!!!!!!!) I dressed as a witch, and in Fourth Grade, fueled by all the hype surrounding the Disney movie, I was Mary Poppins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                 When my bedroom made the decorative transition from monsters to Betty and Veronica comic pin-ups, I think my parents hoped this heralded the arrival of heterosexuality and an interest in girls.  But, I wanted to BE Betty and Veronica, because they dressed so elegantly, I thought.  I also wanted to be Veronica MOST, because she was rich, and my priorities were already firmly in place.

                                                                       So, too, was my sexuality, which I had no idea of, at the time, and which I suppose my parents, particularly my mother (just like it is the mother, Carla, in the play) feared.  I can never forget the day--it must have been December 9, 1966.  I had just turned twelve back in November, and we were going to my friend Marc's party, whose mother mine was close to.  He was turning twelve that day, and when we pulled into the driveway, and I went to get out, clutching Marc's gift, my mother held me back, saying, disparagingly, "Now, when you go in there, don't start talking about things like 'National Velvet' and 'Lassie Come Home', because THESE boys are boys! " I honestly cannot forgive my mother, though deceased, for this!

                                                                        Which goes to show all during prepubescence, my parents pretty much did not care whether or not I conformed to roles; I was allowed to do my thing. It got to be a problem for both of us, once I neared puberty, when, I guess they felt, I should put aside childish fancies, not understanding I could not, because this IS who I was, and those fancies were going to a permanent part of my life. Which they are

                                                                             So, "A Kid Like Jake" has a lot of resonance for me.  I think parents should let their kids alone, and develop into whatever selves they are going to become. I mean, if you see signs of sociopathy, by all means, step in.  But don't inhibit the child, who will only become withdrawn, sullen, angry and open to a barrage of other problems.

                                                                                I have seen the monologue Carla performs while her character, Alex, watches Disney's "Cinderella," and I don't like the comments she (Alex) makes. Acting wise, Carla does an excellent job  But the speech centers on how this poor, abused girl becomes to feel, in Alex's eyes, entitled, a princess, so to speak, because of all the kind animals, who wait on her, hand and foot.  Well, bitch, if a child isn't accepted by peers who will said child turn to????????? Those who provide the most comfort, of course!!!!!!!!!!  And why might this lead to entitlement?????????  Because, and I know this from personal experience, darlings, reinforcing in yourself notions of superiority to your tormentors--saying that you ARE better than they--is one way a kid like Jake will get through what probably lies ahead for him.  As did I.  It is probably one reason why I am here today to say this, unlike, say Tyler Clementi.

                                                                                 I may not get to see "A Kid Like Jake," so I can't tell for certain what message it is sending out.  But I can tell you what I hope that message is.

                                                                                  It is that, darlings, whether we are male or female, we should ALL have the right to talk on the telephone for hours, with a pound-and-a-half of cream upon our faces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                    Damn right, honey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!