‘Elmer Gantry’ reveals the tension between religion and morality

“When fascism comes to America,” novelist Sinclair Lewis is said to have proclaimed, “it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.”

Lewis’ bitingly satirical 1927 novel “Elmer Gantry” aptly illustrates the tension between religion and morality that has always plagued American life and politics. It is especially pervasive today, with the media filled with stories of the sexual scandals of the clergy, revelations of clergy who, despite their homophobic diatribes, are secretly gay or pedophiles, racist claims that the earthquake in Haiti was God’s vengeance on a pagan people, religious opposition to public health care, and, especially, hysteria over gay marriage.

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Boulevard Theatre closes season with ‘It’s Your Mother!’

Mark Bucher recalls the day during a rehearsal that a future playwright – and future friend – came calling to his storefront theater on South Kinnickinnic Avenue in Bay View.

“She knocked on my door and was looking for some gigs,” Bucher says. “Patricia Durante is a gay-friendly actor who found it frustrating trying to find work as an actress and had some ideas for plays.”

One of those ideas ended up being “It’s Your Mother!”co-written with Betsy Tuxill, Durante’s former teacher.

The play has its Midwest premiere March 31 at Boulevard Ensemble Studio Theatre and runs through May 9.

Bucher, who himself is out, quickly developed a friendship with Durante while she lived in Milwaukee (she now makes her home in New Jersey with her husband and son). While in Milwaukee, Durante performed locally with such companies as the Skylight Opera Theater, First Stage Children’s Theater and Boulevard.

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Audiences get their kicks on ‘Route 66’

Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first.

“Route” is pronounced “root,” as in “Route 66,” according to writer and director Roger Bean. While many know – and have travelled – the American highway made famous in song and culture, Bean has used the fabled “Mother Road” as inspiration for a musical revue.

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Gay group gets sneak preview of Florentine Opera’s ‘Elmer Gantry’

The term “camerata” in the late 16th century referred to an informal group of writers, artists and musicians who met regularly to discuss trends in art.

Today Milwaukee has its own camerata. The Florentine Opera Camerata brings together men and women from the LGBT community to discuss and preview upcoming Florentine productions. On March 14, the group’s members – numbering 75 to 100 – will get an exclusive sneak preview of selections from the company’s upcoming production of “Elmer Gantry.”

“This is a good way for members to get a feel for the opera and see if this is the one they want to go to,” says Scott Stewart, Florentine’s chorus master and associate conductor. Stewart’s been with the Florentine for 32 years.

Based on the classic novel by Sinclair Lewis, the opera tells the story of a corrupt evangelical preacher’s rise and fall. The novel was turned into an Academy Award-winning 1960 movie starring Burt Lancaster and Shirley Jones (who won an Oscar for her performance).

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