Amelio Garcia Tells Passionate Queer Coming Out Tale

 by K. Marguerite Caronna

There’s no escaping those Greeks. “Red Red Red” is based on Greek scholar Anne Carson’s queer coming of age story called Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse, which includes fragments of poetry by Greek poet Stesichorus. Amelio Garcia’s play tracks Red’s youthful self-discovery, unfolding growth, and inevitable loss—an autobiography spanning millennia.

Director William Hodgson creates an energetic and powerful re-imagining of the 10th labor of Herakles. In Greek myth, Herakles must steal the “red” cattle of Geryon, a three-bodied giant. Because Geryon’s island lies at the edge of the horizon, the cattle are painted red by the setting sun. Ultimately, Geryon’s cattle are sacrificed. Images of isolation and devotion emerge from the slaughter of these innocents.

Playwright Garcia opens with Geryon as Red (Romeo Channer) sitting on the edge of a rumpled bed in a messy room. The ever-present bed tilts toward the audience like a monolithic plinth. Dressed in red track pants and a red flannel shirt, Red radiates vulnerability and loneliness. Their tentative opening lines reveal a self-absorbed child, timidly taking their place in a hurtful world.

The kinesthetic opening monologue transfixes with Red’s life-story, telling about ancient times and the present. The tale abounds with references to both the mythical past and contemporary culture.

As Red, Channer is spellbinding, poetic, humorous, and forlorn—pulling the audience into their story of unrequited love. Those Greeks always knew how to play on human emotions and failures.  As far back as Gilgamesh, striking instances of homo-eroticism and same-sex love emerge.

In myth, Geryon is described as a winged monster. And Red is stigmatized by their brother as “not normal.” When Red finally meets “H” (Anthony Doan), their solitary childhood morphs into adolescence and the recognition of another.

Geryon’s energetic monologue flattens when “H” enters. Doan plays multiple roles in hectic portrayals: First “H,” the seducer; then “Mother” in a blonde wig that is truly frightening. Then, he plays Anna, a good-hearted flight attendant in awkward heels hauling a roll-aboard—who takes in Red.  “H” enthralls, then discards Red, hoping to … wait for it …. remain “friends.” Ugh. “Friends”—a term that wounds with harsh negation of the love that went before.

Yet, the interaction between Doan and Channer remains electric, starting with their  sensual dancing in clubs to lovemaking on the bed, which becomes a sacrificial altar. The betrayal and heartbreak are palpable. “H” admits that they were in love. But “H” is a demi-god who considers another’s love a form of deserved worship. Who is the self-absorbed one now?

The hour long play zips by, not overburdened with classical references, but flying on centuries of yearning. Audience members who may not be familiar with Greek myth, or with the labors of Herakles, know exactly what is happening as Red finally arrives at adulthood.

Will Red find redemption and transcendence? Find out in this dynamic adaptation of a queer coming-of-age story as timeless as any myth.

“Red Red Red” by Amelio Garcia, directed by William Hodgson, co-conceived by Hodgson & Lisa Ramirez inspired by Anne Carson‘s Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse, costumes by Kipper Yanaga, lighting by Kevin Myrick, sound by Ray Archie, by Oakland Theater Project, at FLAX Art & Design, Oakland, California. Info: oaklandtheaterproject.org – to May 19, 2024.

Cast: Romeo Channer and Anthony Doan.

Banner photo: Romeo Channer (Red). Photos: Ben Krantz Studio