What is it about actors who play lesbian characters that makes us become immediate fans of them and claim them as part of the lesbian and bi women’s community? It doesn’t even seem to matter if the actor is gay themselves. Lip Service actor Fiona Button (“Tess”) is in a new play. And for the Theatre Company producing the play, Theatre503 it would seem that they want to make the most of the cache Fiona Button has developed with her lesbian and Lip Service fans.
On the one hand it is great that the producers are proud to reference this credit in Fiona Button’s resume, and make the most of it rather than hiding it in the closet. On the other hand, is there an expectation that the character might have some kind of affinity to Tess, and the draw for lesbian audiences is the chance to recapture what we liked about Tess/Button in Lip Service? The play does not contain gay characters, but potential lesbian audiences are titillated by being sold the ‘erotically-charged’ nature of the story.
Being completely objective, we should be able to say that a good actor can play any part, their previous roles should have no impact on any current or future role. But in reality it doesn’t work this way. When I think about conversations I’ve had with friends about actors who are gay or who are willing to play gay, I know that for many of us, this means as a lesbian audience, I am more likely to give that actor the time of day. I’d rather they were playing a gay role but I’ll accept them playing straight too. I wonder why this is?
The Girl in the Yellow Dress is on at Theatre503, above the Latchmere pub in Battersea, between 20 March and 14 April 2012. Review will be posted here.
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