Be Their Guest

Roy Gloecki, QBurgh, July 8, 2022

Once upon a time, in a not-so-faraway land, an eclectic assortment of fairies, bears, and other magical folk gathered for a musical celebration: It was Pride month karaoke night at P*Town Bar. A young man stepped up to the microphone to sing a classic tune from an animated feature about a fishy gal with a hoarding disorder who just wants to hang with humans. The late Howard Ashman, gay lyricist on a number of Disney classics, would have been so proud to witness what came next: An entire gay bar singing along to “Part of Your World” so loudly that the performer on stage could no longer be heard. A song that Disney executives originally wanted to cut, from an animated movie over 30 years old and yet, it was still bringing people joy.