Manatee UU Fellowship NEWS

As I sit down to write this month, I’m still thinking about two events I attended this past weekend.

On Saturday, Oct. 18, “No Kings” rallies took place around the country — even around the world. Three such rallies were held in Bradenton and Sarasota, where the total number of participants was counted in the thousands. And that number included members and friends of Manatee UU who joined in supporting democracy in the United States.

The gathering nearest to the fellowship, on Cortez Road West, was bigger than at any previous rally I’ve seen there, an estimated 1,000 strong. It was a beautiful thing to see so many step up with their time, energy — and express themselves with pointed signs and clever costumes — to extol the principles on which our country was founded.

The next day, after Rev. Fred L Hammond’s powerful (when are they not?) Sunday homily “Compassion: The New Dirty Word,” I went to Sarasota to see Dingbat Theatre Project’s production of “Heathers: The Musical,” a 2013 show based on the satirical high school-set 1989 film “Heathers,” starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Our A/V Tech Assistant, Michael Luck, performed in the ensemble for this run, and also understudied the lead Slater role.

Dingbat Theatre, a small, can-do troupe with a mission to present theater by and for all (and for them all really does mean “all”), presented a show that seemed all too timely. The high school setting became the perfect backdrop for serious exploration of ruthless bullying, as privileged teens tormented anyone who was different from them. But the efforts of their tormentors backfired, as the bullied victims turned to shocking acts of retribution. This high school presents as an insular world out of control in which bad things happen a lot, to good and bad alike.

Believe it or not, it’s fundamentally a comedy, a highly entertaining one, and the plot resolves more or less amicably. But it’s comedy with a disquieting edge full of moral ambiguities, tackling such serious issues as homophobia, body shaming and much more, along the way. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since.

Michael and all his onstage colleagues were nothing short of terrific — it’s been a while since I’ve seen such joyous communal energy on a stage — and under the expert direction of Luke Manual, the show managed to rapidly turn from exhilarating to shocking to deeply moving and around again several times over with ease. The casting celebrated the diversity to be found in any high school (or any group): diversity in body type — this was no chorus of lookalike clones — character, gender, and everything else. The heartbreak of the bullied folks was palpable, but the humanity of all was eventually revealed. Somehow these distinctly characterized individuals came together to create a small society that, while as dysfunctional and messy as many families, was ultimately a hopeful one.

During the show I kept thinking back to the rally from the day before, also a group of individuals as different from each other as people can be, but united in one big, beautiful defiance.

“Heathers” showed how dangerous actions by such bullies can have terrible consequences not only for their victims, but for the bullies themselves. It also showed a glimmer of possibility of finding common ground.

Unlike “Heathers,” “No Kings” did not have a come-together moment between opposing sides. But it demonstrated a coming together of individuals, with all their differences, united in seeking a way forward through collective resistance and unity. Better together indeed.

With love at the center until next month,
Ted Medrek — board president

P.S. “Heathers: The Musical” ends its run on Nov. 2. But you can go to dingbattheatre.org for information about the Dingbat Theatre Project and its upcoming productions.