Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast
The tale of LGBTQ characters in fairy tales is unfortunately not as old as time, even today, representation remains a struggle. If there was a gay character, they were usually closeted, and written as comic relief. The bungling bestie of the prince, or the clownish and deliberately campy valet or manservant to the king.
Those beauties on the stairs of the palace were always fair maidens or princesses. The virtuous heroines, even the strong ones, were written paired with masculine counter parts furthering the heteronormative narrative that artist Richard Rothstien has taken on as a theme within his work this past year.
I have loved featuring Richard's telling of the tales, including his visual re-writings of The Little Mermaid, (Chasing Tail) Little Red Riding Hood, (Basket of Goodies) and even taking on the Shakespeare,(Shakespeare in the Park) a writer who included more than a few campy sidekicks in his works including Feeble the tailor in Henry IV and Osric the courtier in Hamlet.
Look into my eyes!
Don't you recognize
The beast within the man
Who's here before you?
I was excited when I first saw images of Richard's newest re-telling of the fairy tale Beauty & the Beast, first written back in the 1700's by french novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve. The original novel, more than the adaptations and movies that followed, focused on subjects like identity and appearance, and it's role in shaping who we are.
Although the town gushes over the strength and the visual manly specimen that is Gaston, he is not the one the beauty eventually chooses. Romance rules in Beauty & the Beast, and it's the Beast who has the heart, and wins the heart of the Beauty. Richard, along with his beauty, (Sergey) and his beast (Dee Whitt) beautifully capture the stories romance
I think this shoot is one of my favorites from Richard's theme thus far. No one could ignore or deny the elegant beauty of Sergey on the stone stairs. He is like a delegate, yet powerful magnetic force that draws you towards him. He certainly drew the beast, and Dee Whitt's beast cannot neither be ignored or resisted, especially when handing you a rose and inviting you out on to the dance floor.
You can almost hear the music, and feel the electricity as Sergey and Dee Whitt begin their waltz. Richard's images invite the viewer to fantasize about the climatic conclusion after the music has stopped playing. Although Disney captured the romance, it was not nearly as erotically passionate as depicted by Sergey and Dee Witt in Richard's tale of a more open and current time. Check out more from this series, including some behind the scene images on Page 2 HERE:
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