This review is by our guest contributor, Kirsty Buchanan. For more from Kirsty follow her on Twitter by clicking here.
Venice
The much anticipated launch of the new web series, Venice, was released on Saturday at 3pm AEST. Venice stars Emmy Award winning actress Crystal Chappell, who also co-created and co-wrote the series with long time friend and writer Kim Turrisi. Venice promises to show a positive representation of the lesbian and gay community.
The series was created after Crystal Chappell received such an overwhelming response to her character on the long running US day-time soap opera Guiding Light. The now famously known ‘Otalia’ storyline followed the love story of two single mums who fell in love in a small town despite all the odds against them. Although these two women were clearly in love, the CBS network would not allow the drama series show a kiss scene. And thanks to that bad decision, we have Venice!
Turrisi and Chappell are hoping to bridge the gap between the gay and straight community, break the stereotypes of gays and lesbians and develop a series that they are not labeling as gay, (because they don’t like labels) but a soap opera full of characters from all walks of life and whose main characters just happen to be gay. There are straight people in the show too because they are part of our lives just as much as we are part of theirs. It’s full of the struggles that everyone goes through with family, friends, careers and lovers.
After months of teaser campaigns via Twitter and the Venice website, the crew of Venice, including director Hope Royaltey, promised fans a kiss within the first 30 seconds between Gina and Ani (played by former co-stars of the Otalia love story, Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia on the America’s CBS network soap opera Guiding Light) and they certainly didn’t disappoint with a morning after love scene for an opener, the first episode, although a little short, certainly did deliver fans (especially the Otalia fans who finally got to see these two kiss) an amazing first look at what is sure to be a very exciting and successful series.
Such is the enormity of the fan base and Venice’s popularity, the website was down and inaccessible for some fans until the last minute and even them some were diverted to Venice’s You Tube Channel .
Twitter has been the main source of promoting Venice and it is here that most Venice fans met to watch a comment on the first episode:
@MadMonza ‘Venice delivered what the fans have been asking for. A real demonstration of 2 grown women in love’
@sweetiehouston ‘Bloody Freakin Fantasic’
@PharmV ‘Holy Smokes’
@KimmyT22 ‘Amazing night. Loved meeting so many Venice peeps. Best night ever xo’ (This is Kim Turrisi, head writer of Venice)
@nycwriterchick ‘Woo Hoo there are thousands & thousands online’ (This is Hope Royaltey, Director of Venice)
@oliviagotjokes ‘Is anyone still alive??!” and ‘Crystal and Kimmy are SO happy’
@HotMessMandy ‘Venice was amazing. Crystal and Kimmy put into 6 minutes all their blood sweat and tears...and we all saw that real love... @meljaho ‘If the rest of the season is half as good as that & then put on DVD I could need to double my medication’!
After an awkward discussion about “what exactly last night” (so lesbian!) we soon learn that Gina and Ani are old lovers and that what just transpired clearly meant a lot more to Ani than Gina. Gina jumps out of bed to answer her phone, avoiding the conversation. She seems immediately distant as she moves to her laptop. Ani snuggles up behind her but it is clear that Gina doesn’t want to talk about it.
Later we see the Ani and Gina meet Gina’s brother Owen at the local café for coffee. Owen is shocked to see Ani and asks Gina ‘what the hell’? Gina explains how she has never really been able to get her out of her head and it is here that we start to see the complexities of the dysfunctional Gina. After a frank brother and sister discussion and Owen warning her not to hurt Ani because ‘she never stopped loving you’, we are left with a longing to learn more about these characters and the other residents of Venice Beach.
With a talented cast and just a taste of the brilliant Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia, not to mention great writing from Kim Turrisi, this first taste of Venice has given us just a hint of what is to come from a clearly talented cast and crew. Episode 1 down and 11 more to go for season 1.
Whilst the first episode was free, Venice is available on subscription only via the website for $9.99US and it is here that you can keep in contact with other fans, buy merchandise, and read about the cast.
photos: venicetheseries.com
