My mate Dean in Australia has kindly sent me a link to an article in Bnews, a gay / lesbian magazine based in Melbourne, which features Deano himself. I have been searching for reviews of the 2 shows that Dean is involved with to no avail. Read for yourself at the site or in the copy below a brief interview with the Deanster himself.
At last year’s Comedy Festival, Dean Arcuri dipped his toe in the pond as an openly gay performer in the controversial show, Who Needs a Vagina Anyway.
For this year’s Midsumma Festival the writer/performer is plunging himself in the deep end fully clothed producing his own play along with a new stand-up comedy cabaret.
Arcuri wrote Rewind in response to gay-themed theatre that he feels is obsessed with sex. The play explores the coming out process from a straight perspective and was inspired by a friend who waited three years to disclose his sexuality.
For this year’s Midsumma Festival the writer/performer is plunging himself in the deep end fully clothed producing his own play along with a new stand-up comedy cabaret.
Arcuri wrote Rewind in response to gay-themed theatre that he feels is obsessed with sex. The play explores the coming out process from a straight perspective and was inspired by a friend who waited three years to disclose his sexuality.
“To this day I’ll never understand why,” says Arcuri.
“After I’d come out to him and he’d seen me out at clubs, he would just leave – for some reason he had a fear of telling me.” Rewind marks Arcuri’s foray into serious script writing. In the story, two straight guys stumble across their friend’s gay pornography shortly after his death. Arcuri says he wanted to explore the dynamic of straight/gay friendships along with feelings of awkwardness and deception.
“We’ve all got secrets that we hide,” he says. “For these guys, the immediate reaction is to question whether or not they really knew their friend and why he has not been honest with them.” The play is performed by Ross Farrell (‘Roscoe’ – former JOY presenter) and Steve Sparks. The two actors are gay and straight respectively, providing an interesting subtext to the on-stage drama. Arcuri says his intention was to write a play that both gay and straight people could relate to. 
“It’s about opening our culture up to all of society,” he says. Arcuri studied contemporary dance and dramatic arts at Deakin University. After a stint in children’s theatre he travelled to the UK to pursue acting and along the way picked up skills in scriptwriting. But while Arcuri maybe flexing his writing skills in Rewind, he’s certainly not giving up on the comedy cabarets. Now Boarding, directed by Deborah Langley (A Tragic Diva, 2005 Comedy Festival) is the follow-up show to Who Needs a Vagina Anyway. The show is accompanied by Anastasia ‘Starz’ Russel-Head, who worked with Arcuri on Who Needs a Vagina Anyway. Now Boarding sees Arcuri completely embrace his sexuality on stage.
"It’s set on a plane with me as a Trolley Dolly talking about my ex-boyfriend – you can’t get more gay than that,” he says. 
Rewind
Vibe on Smith, 123 Smith Street, Fitzroy
Until February 7
Now Boarding
The Artery, 87-89 Moor Street, Fitzroy
February 8 and 9
by DAREN POPE
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