Gay Cinderella On Thin Ice

Local News, By Joal, 7th August, 2008

It was a case of Prince Charming meeting Cinde-fella in Melbourne last night, when a contemporary production of Cinderella On Ice premiered with a gay-love scene.

With families and children filling most of the audience, former Olympic and world champion skaters acted out some same-sex romance.

“I don’t think there is anything offensive about including a gay couple,” said renowned artistic director Tony Mercer regarding the controversy the scene has created. “You see them day in, day out on the street.”

Gay-rights groups are applauding the visibility of same-sex relationships the production will provide.

To demonstrate “in the mainstream media that same-sex couples are the same as everyone else is fantastic,” said co-convenor of the Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby Stephen Jones.

Australian Childhood Foundation CEO Dr Joe Tucci supported the decision to mix-up the fairytale’s gender roles, saying, “It’s helpful as a way of breaking down prejudices.”

It’s even made news overseas. One reader’s comment on the story summed the situation up beautifully, saying, “And as we all know, ice shows are bastions of heterosexuality.”

Some family groups weren’t as supportive, citing the need to ‘protect’ children and allow parents to decide what ‘lifestyles’ their children are exposed to.

Liberal senator Barnaby Joyce agreed, saying that the show makes “children’s lives more complicated before they need to be,” and that parents should have been warned about the gay love inclusion.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is another show that caused similar ripples with family audiences, with its homoeroticism.

Cinderella was the hot topic of the morning in the land of Melbourne talk back radio. On 3AW a number of listeners said that they saw the show and didn’t know what all the fuss was about. One woman said she didn’t even notice the scene. One caller, Sue, said that the show was not socially responsible. She said that she would like equal air time for ‘Lesbians On Ice’. Cameron, another caller, said that the six o’clock news was far more frightening. Other callers on the conservative side of the fence said that the show warranted a later time slot, or a warning for parents.

Ice skaters Yuri Salimanov and Andrei Benikov, will be locking eyes in the gay-skate-scene in Melbourne until Sunday. The show will then move to Adelaide with shows following in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth, and will continue a world tour for the next two years.

For more information on the show, click here.

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