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Don’t Fear the Rapper: BASH’d! A Gay Rap Opera opens at the GCTC

Left to right, Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow as rapper angels T-Bag and Feminem. Photo: Alan Dean Photography

They are polished as performers, adorable as a couple in love, and even believable as a pair of rapping angels.

Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow have been performing BASH’d! A Gay Rap Opera (playing at the Great Canadian Theatre Company until January 31st) since the fall of 2006, and it shows.  Dressed head-to-toe in blazing white and pink, they run through an excerpt from their show for the television cameras, giving those of us present for the media call a taste of what’s to come.  As they move seamlessly from character to character at a breathtaking pace, they evoke a whole scene, despite the spartan stage arrangement and obvious lack of props.  This was, after all, originally a Fringe production, and in a lot of ways it still is.  Chris and Nathan perform with all the energy and freshness of improv comedy, engaging the audience at every turn.

BASH’d! may have a strong element of comedy, but it deals with a serious theme, conceived as it was in the wake of a rash of homophobic violence in Alberta following the gay marriage debate of 2005.  I eavesdrop avidly as the mainstream media ask the pair of performers the standard interview questions, taking notes.  Watching the dynamics between the two, it strikes me that they have the same interlocking fluidity when they speak candidly as they do when they are performing.  One thing is quite clear: There is no way I’m getting a verbatim quote.

The subject of hip-hop, and why it was chosen as a medium, inevitably comes up.  It catches me slightly off-guard to hear Chris and Nathan spring forth with both criticism and praise for Detroit rap artist Eminem; this, on the heels of an explanation of how hip-hop’s roots are synonymous with social activism.  They acknowledge, and indeed draw particular attention to, the harmful influence of the misogynistic, homophobic sentiment laced through mainstream rap and hip-hop, expressing pride in bringing gay-positive white rap to the stage.

It’s fascinating to watch these two actors with incredible stage presence answer the interview questions.  In response to each question asked, Nathan cocks his head to the side, listening attentively.  When he starts to answer, he considers all the aspects of the question in detail, aloud, while Chris looks on.  At the opportune moment, Chris jumps in with a short, pithy summary of his viewpoint.  From there, the two of them banter back and forth freely and easily.  These are not stock responses; these are men thinking on their feet under hot, bright stage lights, never missing a beat.

I had my own chance to speak with Chris and Nathan, both still glistening with sweat, after the mainstream media had finished grilling them and put away their equipment.  Chris and I are almost at eye-level, with Nathan towering over us.

We chat a bit about the last time they were in Ottawa together, putting on 3… 2… 1 at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in 2005, and Chris’s well-received pornStar, which graced last year’s Ottawa Fringe Festival.  Ottawa is the second stop on their Canadian tour of BASH’d!, after October’s successful run in Toronto and to be followed by a run at Vancouver’s 2010 Cultural Olympiad.  I ask why Montréal isn’t on the itinerary; the answer is that they’d love to go but they haven’t received an offer yet.  Besides home-town Edmonton and New York City, they’ve played to audiences in Victoria and Dublin, Ireland, and hope to take the show to San Francisco.

This leads directly into my question: Where, in that impressive catalogue of cities with thriving, open, active gay communities, does Ottawa stack up?  Nathan admits, after some consideration, that they’re not altogether sure what to expect.  Chris chimes in that Ottawa has the stereotype of being a conservative, quiet city, although he notes a few areas of society where a strong gay contingent is present—unfortunately, he requests that kept off the record.

The next question: Who do you take to this show?  From what I’ve seen so far, the message isn’t specifically geared to the gay community; the stereotypes addressed are fairly mainstream.  Do I bring my mother?  Nathan says that the show works best when the audience is very diverse: young and old, gay and straight.  Chris puts forth that it’s probably going to make the biggest positive impression on borderline homophobes; people still possessed of the usual cultural homophobic stereotypes that permit more dangerous hatred to keep its foothold in society.  He also mentions gay teenagers should see it, and bring their parents.  They tell a few stories about how it’s helped strengthen the relationship in these families.  Nathan relates that a student at the University of Victoria told them that seeing the show made him proud to be gay for the first time.

If there’s a hard-and-fast rule of theatre journalism, it’s this: Never mention Shakespeare.  It’s a rookie move, indicating that you have nothing of substance left to talk about.  Luckily, Nathan brings the subject up first.  With phrases like “Romeo and Romeo” and “star-crossed lovers” in the promotional material, how much does BASH’d! owe artistically to Romeo and Juliet? Nathan readily admits that, both in content and in form, there are a lot of parallels.  (You don’t realize just how true that is until you see the performance, either.)

I ask them one last question: What is the one thing they would say to get people to come to the show?  Nathan’s response is instant: “Look at our reviews from New York.”  That may seem like a rather dry answer, but it’s bluntly honest.  BASH’d! has left in its wake a string of rave reviews.  Chris’s answer is more pithy: “Don’t fear the rapper.”

I thank them for their time and take my seat again.  Now that the television cameras are gone, we’re treated to a run-through of part of the introduction to the piece.  I understand immediately why this was left to last; the lyrics are a string of guaranteed CRTC fines.  Although loaded with swearing, it’s not foul or crude, it’s engaging and poetic.

Chris and Nathan pose for a series of shots as the media call winds down.  Kevin Falkingham (the GCTC’s Marketing & Communications Manager) and Nancy Kenny invite me out to the Upper Lobby to answer some more questions; I’m particularly interested in the special BASH’d! Bash fundraiser on Friday, January 22nd.

As Kevin explains the fundraiser (a partnership between the GCTC, TotoToo Theatre, Lambda Foundation, and the Village), my gaze wanders to the paintings on the walls of the Fritzi Gallery around us.  They have been commissioned specially for the show, and are the work of Peter Monet.  Perhaps the most striking piece, a triptych entitled Pink Wedge, is right at the top of the stairs, taking up most of the wall.  We talk about the gay community’s reclamation of this former symbol of Nazi oppression.  Kevin mentions that the paintings have a tactile aspect; they’re meant to be touched.  That’s about right, I think, they’re already touching me.

Left to right, Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow as rapper angels T-Bag and Feminem, on the set of BASH'd! Photo: Alan Dean Photography

Opening night is the 100th performance of BASH’d!, and completely sold out.  My plus-one is a good friend who identifies as bisexual; I’ve chosen to bring her along because I want to see an alternate perspective on the performance and the issues (and, besides, I owe her a favour).  The theatre is packed with media, bloggers, some familiar faces from the theatre community, and GCTC members of all ages.  I can’t help wondering how some of them are going to react to the material.  We wander around, mingling with the crowd.  I show my companion the paintings; she touches them.

Not even a minute into the performance, it becomes clear that the brief glimpse provided during the media call doesn’t begin to do justice to the performance itself.  I mentally shred half of my draft for this article.  The audience is instantly engaged; there are arms in the air and everyone is transfixed by the music, lighting, and most importantly by the slick poetic narrative.  Chris and Nathan, first as T-Bag and Feminem, then as Jack and Dillon, then as, well, everyone else, lead us through a hilarious sequence of scenes, sending up every cultural stereotype—heteronormative and otherwise.

Then things get serious.  The homophobic violence, central to the plot, is not handled in passing or offstage.  These performers bring as much to the stage with their physical performance as they do with their words; together with the dynamic lighting, the impression is vivid, visceral, and tense.  Nothing is sugar-coated as we are drawn into the pain, conflict, and grim reality of the violent spiral of homophobia.

For a moment my attention flickers; I realize my companion for the evening is wiping away tears.  She’s not alone.

Any questions I had as to how deeply and effectively the issues would be addressed through the vehicle of a rap musical are put to rest.  It is neither a light, glossy treatment, nor an effort to convince or preach to the audience; it’s a dialogue, encouraging you to think rather than telling you what to think.

The end of the performance is met with a standing ovation.

I catch up with Nathan, now wearing a black-and-white checked shirt, enjoying a St. Ambroise Blonde Ale in the Upper Lobby.  I thank him for the performance.  Even after an obviously physically demanding performance, he is as warm, gentle and personable an actor as you could ever hope to meet.

BASH’d! is a musical.  It’s entertainment.  It’s meant to be enjoyed.  It is also, maybe more importantly, a weapon against complacency in the face of cultural homophobia.  Homophobic violence is real, and an important part of changing that is showing its causes and effects.  The creators of BASH’d! succeed in doing this, in a way that’s accessible, not preachy, and thoroughly enjoyable.

As I fall asleep, still possessed by the images of rap angels T-Bag and Feminem, I can’t help remembering what happened to Dixie Landers.

See BASH’d! A Gay Rap Opera until January 31st at the Great Canadian Theatre Company.  To satisfy your appetite for gay-positive white hip-hop tracks in the meantime, I suggest MC Frontalot’s I Heart Fags and Jesse Dangerously’s A Single Gay Male on his Thirtieth Birthday.

Andrew Snowdon is a theatregoer, concertgoer, and writer.  He lives in Lowertown, Ottawa, sandwiched between a MacBook and a typewriter, with a cup of coffee.

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