Description

pp. 338, b/w illustrations, “From the suspect heroism of Edwin Forrest, paragon of 19th-century American manhood, to the “lavender marriage” of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, the private lives of leading actors are unearthed in 14 stimulating essays by historians of American theater. The subtitle Queer Readings… is especially apt, in that Passing Performances continually addresses the promises and perils of “outing” famous figures who lived, in some cases, before the terms homosexual, gay, and lesbian were coined, and before many of the behaviors now associated with same-sex love took on their current meanings. While the best essays here explore the larger significance of these actors’ romantic affiliations–how it affected their performances, for example, or their choice of roles–many have a more narrow focus on sexual orientation, and are thus hampered by what the editors call the “vexed and elusive” evidence of sex acts or desires. Lacking documentary evidence or eyewitness accounts, writers are forced to rely (with varying success) on gossip and anecdote, and sometimes on gender stereotyping. Mary Martin is classified as bisexual, for instance, almost solely on the basis of her haircut.”