“I was thirteen and madly in love with that boy,” Barry says frankly. “We spent a lot of time in the woods, exploring each other’s bodies. It was the first time I saw a body that excited me. I smelled and tasted another, it was tasting the forbidden fruit.”
In the end, Alan eloped with a woman. “I was so jealous, I felt so betrayed,” continues the choreographer. “In retaliation for him, I stole his Bible and tore it into a thousand pieces.” His father finds out and forces Barry to buy Alan a new one. “I chose the most beautiful one, much nicer than what Alan already had. It took me seven months to do odd jobs and hand pocket money. But Alan thought of me every time he looked at his bible.”
Barry added that it was a tough time in the UK. “I mistook gays for being criminals, I lived in a culture of fear. Everything had to be a secret, everything I did was a secret.” The singer, dancer and choreographer will celebrate his 55th birthday on stage on April 14. He does this through a special performance of his solo performance I’m an Artist at the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam. In the show, the artist frankly looks at his work and life.
The site is for the artist. He debuted on the same stage 55 years ago when he was allowed to play in the musical Delicious lasts longer by Annie MJ Schmidt and Harry Bannick. The premiere of this performance was held at the DeLaMar Theater.
Barry had another great news on the podcast: he’s going to be an ambassador for Pride Amsterdam. In this way he hopes to be “a kind of inspiration” for gay youth who find it difficult to accept themselves. “It took me sixty years to see the full acceptance of my homosexuality. To see how I dared it, and how slowly it increased. I now also see a lot of young people, people of the future, who for some reason have been a crazy problem. I hope I can help these people in some way.”
