The Laramie Project Ten Years Later directed by Chad Badgero at LCC's Dart Auditorium is in much the same episodic, interview patchwork style as the original script, which paints a picture of the gay-hate-crime murder of Matthew Shephard in Laramie, Wyoming. The original script has more drama and momentum with the description of the crime and the trial. The first act of the sequel lacked that momentum, but did illustrate how the event had "weathered" with people, how "facts" became twisted, and how some were fighting for gay rights, others were twisting the facts to fit their beliefs and rumors, while others just wanted to "let it go."
The second act picked up the momentum and intensity, however, and the interviews with the murderers in jail were moving and dramatic. I felt as if Russell Henderson (Brennan Hattaway) was yet another victim of this crime. Juan (J. Othen) Lerma was unnerving as Aaron McKinney; it was spooky how he could switch from playing the kind priest to playing this hardened murderer. Jackie Payne was convincing and memorable both as state representative Catharine Connolly and as Matthew Shepherd's mother.
A film at the beginning and some "updates" to this 2008 script at the end do give us hope that the tide is turning in favor of gay rights. I like to think we're near a sort of "tipping point" where enough gays are "out" and "known" that seeing them as "alien others" to be persecuted will become passé. As we've seen with racial prejudice, change is a process and doesn't come as easily or quickly as we'd like.
Continues Fri/Sat 8 pm through March 23. One Sunday Only, 2pm March 17. http://www.lcc.edu/cma/events/
The second act picked up the momentum and intensity, however, and the interviews with the murderers in jail were moving and dramatic. I felt as if Russell Henderson (Brennan Hattaway) was yet another victim of this crime. Juan (J. Othen) Lerma was unnerving as Aaron McKinney; it was spooky how he could switch from playing the kind priest to playing this hardened murderer. Jackie Payne was convincing and memorable both as state representative Catharine Connolly and as Matthew Shepherd's mother.
A film at the beginning and some "updates" to this 2008 script at the end do give us hope that the tide is turning in favor of gay rights. I like to think we're near a sort of "tipping point" where enough gays are "out" and "known" that seeing them as "alien others" to be persecuted will become passé. As we've seen with racial prejudice, change is a process and doesn't come as easily or quickly as we'd like.
Continues Fri/Sat 8 pm through March 23. One Sunday Only, 2pm March 17. http://www.lcc.edu/cma/events/
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