Men in Tights

Who were the damned fools responsible for the evolution of men's fashions that took (dashing young) men out of tights and put them into trousers? Carlos Lopez, in the role of Mercutio in American Ballet Theatre's production of "Romeo and Juliet", is poetic, playful, mercurial, and my new heartthrob.

Romeo, Romeo... wherefore art thou Romeo? Oh what a feast today of men in tights. And what a shame that ballet has little draw for American boys and men. A startling large percentage of the male leads came from foreign regions. Women of America should take note of this fabulous display of all that is beautiful in the human male.

Romeo (Jose Manuel Carreño), Mercutio, and Benvolio were powerfully engaging as young men full of spirit and fun. They exuded an erotic magnetism in exhibitions of raw athleticism, challenging each other in competitive displays of virtuousity. They were delightful, teasing, romantic, angry, desperate, lovesick, and tragically human. Oh yes – and the bods! Mmmmmm... to watch all those muscles ripple, flex, and tighten in those wonderfully revealing tights was a sight to behold.