Whitney seen on Silom!
Almost every gay man in my Facebook friends list logged on to express sorrow the day Whitney Houston passed away.
But not me. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel sadness at the loss of this great diva and gay icon, but the wedding between two gay men in Trang and the screening of “It Gets Better” were events that needed to be discussed. Then, she slipped from my memory, until a recent visit to a celebrated dance club in Silom.
The cabaret show that night delivered a live version of “The Greatest Love of All”, one of her big hit singles. The transgender performer appeared as Whitney – simple but luxurious make-up, hairstyle, and outfit. When she moved, I saw that she had studied the diva’s movement and eye-play closely. Her gestures and eye contact showed she knew precisely the weight and timing with which Whitney loved to caress her audience. And when she opened her mouth to lip-sync, she really made me believe that Whitney was performing live in front of me. She had Whitney inside herself. She understood the diva’s feeling and timing from deep down inside.
It wasn’t just me who felt like this that night. The whole bar was held spellbound and silent as “Whitney” sang, every gaze drawn to the stage. Loud applause and screams of satisfaction shook the place as the song ended.
But at the same time, there must have been many gay men weeping a little tear in the dark like me.
I’ve watched many lip-synced cabarets, but in my unbiased opinion, nobody does it better than katoey and gay men. This is doubly true when the singer being mimicked is a gay icon, which brings out the best in the performers.
Meanwhile, the great mass of support for these shows comes from the gay community.
There is a special reason for this special relationship.
Most people know that gay men and katoey enjoy a close bond with “diva culture”. When they step up to perform their diva’s music, it’s more than just a show. “Tribute” is a closer word for it. They put all of their adoration into the show.
The motivation is different from merely cross-dressing, because the diva they are recreating on stage is not just “any woman”. They must “become” the diva when they perform.
The audience, too, knows and remembers the characteristics and distinctiveness of each diva. When they watch the show, they aren’t watching the lip-syncing actress, but the gay icon she is bringing back to life. Passion for the diva is the secret!
On that night in Silom, Whitney was resurrected through the magic of a lip-sync cabaret and the belief of its gay audience. She may be gone from the real world, but the gay community’s love for her will keep her heart beating strong, up there, on the stage.
