#but when I hear genderqueer or gnc I think multiple

[violetchi-king]

Reblogs are appreciated for wider polling size 👍👍

[shellsinadune]

ok so i'm back, i've slept on it, here are some things i loved about the darlinghurst great comet (in no particular order - spoilers if you want to be surprised by the creative decisions):

the drinks were great, i don't drink so i had the war and peach at the intermission and it had glitter in it!! btw just in general love when theatres change the name of a drink for the show ('anatole spritz' (aperol spritz) tickled me)

everyone was so kind, i got complimented on my outfit and the person (usher? idk the word) was really helpful

the building was accessible in a way i wasn't used to. the accessible bathroom had those buttons to open and lock the door, idk whether the changing place was adequate for adults but it was there. there was a lift between the upper and lower ground floor so i could actually go down those half floor stairs that i usually just have to sit at the top of

the use of the (massive) disco ball was beautiful, i started crying during no one else and the little specks of light spinning like snow were a contributing factor in that

the costumes!!!! they definitely did their own thing with them. natasha's opening dress with the sleeves and anatole's crop top were highlights but the whole thing was cool. most of the fem clothes had a sort of babydoll vibe to them?? idk how to describe it.

sonya alone was beautiful, many of the solos (notably also pierre and dust and ashes) were performed as if the character was writing/singing a song rather than the actor performing the characters' thoughts, if that makes sense?? but just the spotlight on her, her playing the piano and singing..... it wasn't what i was expecting, but it allowed a nice little rest between bigger numbers and let me focus on the singing

the whole cast was so talented though, i think every actor played an instrument at some point which is super impressive. some of them had cellos strapped to them half the time and were still dancing.

the theatre was so small that i'm pretty sure the cast could fully see me sobbing in the back row at the end. that is how great comet should be.

the jumping skills were impressive. not just during the abduction but also when people were getting off the stage.

i like how opb's movements were mostly controlled by other actors dragging his clothes around. my dad and i had a conversation about whether it's symbolic of his privilege (having a bunch of yes man servants) or of his declining mental state (being controlled by his dementia (?) instead of what he used to be)

danatole rights in the duel and preparations (they are so dysfunctional <3). anatole grabbing at dolokhov's chest and kissing his neck when 'a fact known only to his intimates' *chefs kiss*

marya's actor wasn't performing and the swing was playing helene so the production manager (?) was playing marya. given that she didn't know the role perfectly (she had the script in hand) she did really well!!!!

the 2 little balconies were great, they added a lot of dimension to the stage. (for those wondering, to my memory the songs performed in the balconies were: pierre, natasha and sonya in the opera, natasha & anatole, dust and ashes, pierre in letters, preparations, anatole in find anatole, and pierre & anatole)

GENDERQUEER ANATOLE!!!!! the way they would switch octaves mid line <3333

actually multiple of these actors are trans/gnc!!!!!!!

there was no/very little ensemble so you could hear every individual voice during the harmonies

the program is gorgeous, there are little glossy constellations all over it which makes a nice texture

the choreography in charming was so neat. love those little shoulder wiggles.

no strobing in the duel (but yes strobing in the opera when anatole comes in)

they did something with the lighting during the ball kiss that sort of made it look like a veil of light and a little strip of darkness spinning around them. if i'm going to analyse it conveys natasha's confusion while giving her privacy. or something i can't figure out the words to explain it.

not really intentional but right before the bit of the opera with the show, they stopped the performance for a bit. idk why. but it was charming and helpful for me because i had to ground a bit.

i cried 7 times. my head hurt by the end of it.

the use of silence was so good. like pauses between songs, in the middle of them, idk just. you know that post about how live theatre conveys loneliness better than anything else? yeah.

i know i already said this but i kept putting these as separate points so i'll just say all the actors' performances are SO GOOD. natasha and sonya were like..... scarily well cast btw

the 'no, i am enjoying myself at home this evening' line was performed so well

i didn't get an on stage seat but they were sitting at a long table type thing that was actually part of the stage and the cast were literally dancing directly in front of them

i like the fact they didn't try to find gender conforming audience members to bring up (in this performance, mary's suitor was fem presenting and opb's 'cheap french thing' was masc presenting). they didn't change pronouns to try and match the gender presentation of whoever they called up. same with the actors during the abduction (matryoshka etc).

finally managed to id the woodwind instrument in the 'he'll come home one day and take me away, i want nothing more' bit ('twas a clarinet). that was bugging me for years.

the comet was depicted by natasha's actor holding a big lit up ball and slowly walking through the mid-audience bit of the stage. when the song ends she gives it to pierre and he holds it until it's the only light in the room. something something hope.

they didn't directly copy the recording, there were variations in the tune that caught me off guard (in a good way) and they pronounced things the way that was most natural for an australian performance instead of trying to americanise.

overall, the only thing i would want for is to have a recording for sale, because my memory is so shit that i remember something that happened yesterday about as well as i can remember being 4 years old (not an exaggeration). i'm sort of sad that i can't see it again and again, which is just part of ~the magic of theatre~ but also a sign that it's really that good.

(anyway i highly recommend it if you're in sydney before the 20th of august)

[the-ghost-king]

☕ + you've spoken a bit on it but id love to hear u talk about gnc nico wearing skirts

oh absolutely thank you!

see my favorite thing about this is just the pure genderfuckery tbh, but also there's such a good chance here for comfortability and gender expression in a way queer guys often aren't allowed to or are scared off from expressing

I feel like the "young queer boy wants to wear his sister/mother's nail polish/clothes/etc but is scared of the consequences of doing so" is a common enough trope in media for people to recognize, and personally I see Nico as someone who fits in this range and was just never allowed to have these sorts of things because well 1940s are a lot less kind than even now and Catholicism often doesn't accept gnc or queerness in general

I think growing up Nico probably had some access to feminine or girly things, and was probably occasionally allowed to play alongside Bianca and share her things but he was probably not allowed to have his own things, do certain activities, and was probably often pulled away if he seemed to interested in dolls/jewelry/etc. it's also quite possible that when he had time alone or something when he may have had opportunities to engage with these things he was scared off from them by whatever he'd been taught socially/culturally

anyhow, I do see Nico as gnc/non binary/genderqueer in that way gay guys often are (someone is going to get after me about this being homophobic or something- no please have a complex conversation with multiple mlm about their gender it is often very complex and nuanced) and I think that a part of unlearning his internalized homophobia definitely has to deal heavily with gender because I see him as one of those people where those to things are extremely interconnected and inseparable (he is probably more likely to say his gender and sexuality are both gay or an equivalent term before he would define them using seperate words)

now as for skirts in particular I think it would take him a long time (a couple of years, which is not horribly long but not quick either I suppose) to grow comfortable enough to wear one, even just in the comfort of his own space. I think Nico's journey towards accepting the complexities of his gender probably starts with nail polish and jewelry, and eventually he takes the bold steps to get his ears pierced. I think he builds up from accessories and maybe to androgynous or gender neutral clothing before he is eventually comfortable approaching the "women's" section

I think by this point he would have a pretty decent support group of trans and genderqueer friends (imo this would be Will, Mitchell, Lou Ellen, Austin, and Piper as a more distant but still valued addition) who would be encouraging and kind but he would probably still feel uncomfortable even around them in skirts... He starts with shirts and eventually works his way up to comfortability in skirts/dresses.. The first time he wears one he cries not out of agony or anything out of some sort of warped joy and he just keeps thinking "I never thought I would get to have this" and after a few wears he feels confident enough to go into public in skirts and dresses and whatever else he pleases

it's at some point after this he starts to play around with pronouns, something about seeing himself so authentic and honest without having to be vulnerable or hurt to do so opened something inside of him and in addition growing older and becoming more and more uncomfortable with the word "man" gets to him (he's a man sure, but he's not A Man) it gets to him and just really resonates with him... I think he would struggle with the lack of older rolemodels (such as I've never seen a guy with kids wear a skirt before???) but he learns to shoulder it with the help of the dead and his friends and family and becomes even more himself for it

I do think I would like to see Nico in a modern au where Maria didn't have to worry about keeping him from feminine things he liked out of safety concerns, and tbh I do not think Hades would even bat an eye at anything Nico wasn't interested in ("We're Greek, what can I say?") and I think it would be very cool to never see him fight for comfortability in himself and to just be granted a loving family with open arms who accepts him as is and provides him opportunities and spaces to be authentic while supporting him

I don't really have a good way to end this but hopefully it's at least something like what you maybe were looking for? I hope you enjoy it at least!