The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Exec wears dress for role in local musical

Residents asked to line for soldier’s funeral procession
3:06 a.m.
Events  to honor  9/11 losses, memories
3:05 a.m.
Thirtysomething heart patient hopes his story helps others
3:05 a.m.
$1M bond set in fatal home invasion
9/9/10
Checkout lane incident led to 3-woman fight
9/9/10
> More headlines

E-mail this page

By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer 1:06 AM Monday, February 8, 2010

MIDDLETOWN— Few men are willing to appear on stage in a dress. And of those that would, even fewer are directors of a local community foundation.

Luckily for Middletown Lyric Theatre, Duane Gordon is both.

Gordon, the executive director of the Middletown Community Foundation, will be appearing on stage, in drag, in the show “Ruthless! The Musical,” opening Thursday, Feb. 11 and running through Feb. 14.

The show takes cues from Hollywood melodramas such as “Mildred Pearce,” “All About Eve” and “The Bad Seed,” focusing on a relentlessly ambitious 8-year-old who goes ballistic when she doesn’t get a part in a school play. Gordon, 35, plays Sylvia St. Croix, a sleazy agent who takes the girl under her wing.

And this portrayal isn’t new to Gordon. He played the exact same role when he was in college at Mississippi State University in 1995.

Gordon almost didn’t get in that show, because he read the script and didn’t think there were any male roles. What he didn’t know was, that since a drag queen ended up originating the role of Sylvia, it was a tradition to cast a male in the part, which Gordon got.

“It was the first, and at that time, the only time I had put on a dress,” he said.

He got to step back into Sylvia’s high heels, he admits, because “this time I was the only guy who auditioned.”

Gordon has sung for a number of local groups, including the Middletown Civic Chorus and the chorale for the Middletown Symphony, but this is the first time he has acted anywhere since he originally played Sylvia.

“It’s fun to be back on stage. A lot of time has passed and I see the character differently... It’s quirky and unique and different for me.”

Charley Shafor, the artistic director of Middletown Lyric Theatre, said of Gordon, “Even though Duane holds a notable position in Middletown he is of the younger generation and that’s what MLT needs: Young, fresh perspectives to throw caution aside and not be afraid to put on a dress in the name of art.”

Although he likes performing, Gordon isn’t convinced he missed his calling. For him, acting is a bit like New York itself.

“I wouldn’t want to live there, but it’s fun to visit sometimes. I like to eat and didn’t want to be a starving artist.” Gordon said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.

How to go

What: “Ruthless! The Musical”

When: 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Middletown Lyric Theatre, 1530 Central Ave.

Cost: $15 for adults, $10 for students. Call (513) 425-7140 or visit www.middletown lyric.org

Share this article