I was lucky enough to catch the La MaMa production of Contradict This! A Birthday Funeral for Heroes. In it, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret “celebrated” the second centennial of Walt Whitman. Fitting the exultant demand to contradict, it was as much a birthday party as a funeral. It also being Pride and the 50th anniversary of Stonewall a time to reflect. The performance, with original music performed by “misfit” artists and queers costumed accordingly was a gaudy spectacle. We were challenged to account for Whitman’s racism and classicism, alongside acknowledging from how ahead of his time he was in asserting his sexuality, however disguised. Is it anachronistic and unfair to bring contemporary values to historical, and historically progressive, works? Or is this exactly what we need to do, especially now, when our founding liberal, social principles seem to be everywhere at stake and up for discussion?
