‘Kinky Boots’ encourages Chinese drag queens to ‘be themselves’
BEIJING: Kinky Boots has filled theatres in China, lighting up audiences in a country where LGBT-themed entertainment is often censored. Sign language interpreters swung their hips and gestured at deaf audience members to the rhythm of a rollicking performance by drag queens singing and dancing on stage behind them. The Tony award-winning musical Kinky Boots has broken new ground in the socially conservative nation. The show has filled theatres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, lighting up audiences in a country where LGBT-themed entertainment is often censored and rarely gets major — if any — billing. It also has reached a broader audience than usual in China: Kinky Boots was the first musical to offer sign language interpreters for the hearing-impaired in the country. China only decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, and withdrew it from its list of mental illnesses in 2001 “It’s very inspiring because for many years for me as a deaf person, subtitles were the only thing available in a theatre. But now I’ve got access to the whole show,” Junhui Yang told AFP at a recent performance in Beijing. Interpreters memorised the entire show and never looked back at the stage as they translated the musical for the deaf audience, matching the gestures of the rhythm of the music and the dance moves. They hugged at the same time as the performers, made forlorn faces when a character’s heart was broken, and extended an inviting hand followed by a fist pump when the drag queens sang “everybody say yeah!”. “We really hope to make (shows) more accessible, to engage the deaf in various kinds of social settings and let them enjoy the same level of joy as I do,” interpreter Tang Wenyan told AFP. Kinky Boots, whose music and lyrics were written by pop veteran Cyndi Lauper, wraps up its two-month China tour on Sunday – a long run for a country where censors often frown upon gay entertainment. Gay-themed films struggle to make it into movie theatres, same-sex relationships are banned from television screens and gay content is forbidden on online streaming platforms. Oscar-winning Call Me by Your Name, the story of a summer romance between two young men in Italy, was pulled from the Beijing International Film Festival in March. Another film about a secret homosexual relationship, Looking for Rohmer, was heavily edited for Chinese movie theatres this year. Online video service MangoTV cut out a gay-themed dance from its broadcast of the Eurovision contest in May. It also blurred out rainbow flags in the audience. Kinky Boots tells the story of a shoe factory worker who saves the business from bankruptcy by teaming up with a drag queen named Lola who wanted red, thigh-high stiletto boots. Jianhao Lin, a fan who saw the musical seven times, went to the show dressed up in a skirt, heels and a wig and wearing makeup. He said a character like Lola who “dares to be herself despite misunderstanding or bias from others” makes it easy to accept even for people in a country who have not been exposed to transgender culture. “The Kinky Boots crew members even encouraged me to audition for the show in New York,” Lin said. “During this process, I came to realise how difficult life can be for a transgender and a drag queen,” Lin said. “Everyone should believe that they can be themselves.” (AFP)
Archaeologists discover ancient sphinx in Egypt
Cairo: Archaeologists have discovered a statue of a lion’s body and a human head in the southern city of Aswan. The Antiquities Ministry on Sunday said that the sphinx made of sandstone was found in the Temple of Kom Ombo during work to protect the site from groundwater. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities says the statue probably dates back to the Ptolemaic time. The Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt for some 300 years — from around 320 B.C. to about 30 B.C. Egypt hopes such discoveries will spur tourism, partially driven by antiquities sightseeing, which was hit hard by political turmoil following the 2011 uprising. (AP)
S Korea celebrates ‘Car-Free Day’
Seoul: South Korea celebrated car-free day in the heart of the capital Seoul on Sunday to encourage its citizens to use more public transport to ease the burden on environment. ‘Seoul Car-Free Day’ was held on September 16 from 7 AM until 8 PM (local time) on the ‘Car-Free Street’ Sejong-daero (from Gwanghwamun to Seoul Plaza), the Seoul Metropolitan government said. This year’s ‘Seoul Car-Free Day’ event has been pushed a week ahead from the original September 22 scheduled date in consideration of the Chuseok holidays. Chuseok is a Korean thanksgiving festival during which families get together to celebrate. The campaign seeks reduction in driving of private cars and active use of public transportation systems, including subways (metro) and buses in order to reduce air pollution from cars and cut down on greenhouse gases. (PTI)