Gay! Gay! Gay!
Such a gay weekend I had! --Yet I never set foot in a bar nor had sex with anyone. Instead my gay weekend was cultural -- I saw documentaries about my two favorite drag performers at the Newfest -- an NYC gay film festival, and topped it off watching the Tonys.
Saturday night it was "The Lady in Question is Charles Busch" an excellent documentary on the playwright/downtown drag diva. Luckily, because of their own personal vanity (according to the Q&A afterwards) he and his theatrical cohorts videotaped all of their early productions in the East Village at Limbo Lounge. Thanks to this, we have a remarkable archive of the work, and the filmmakers made great use of it. For people who were there, it's a satisfying bit of nostalgia, and for those that weren't, a glimpse of what you missed.
Aside from the video treasures, the documentary also serves as an interesting biography, providing a lot of details that even his ardent fans may not know. It gives us a chance to meet Charles' partner, his sisters and many of the folks who were instrumental in making the "Theater in Limbo" the success that it was. As expected, the film is as funny and as charming as one of Charles Busch's characters, but what was unexpected were the touching moments -- a section on the effect of the AIDS crisis on his company, and a scary emergency heart operation that Charles went through last year gave the film depth and made it more than just the campy drag fest you'd expect -- and that's fitting, as Charles Busch's plays have always been way more than just people clomping around in heels.
A different viewpoint on drag performers was provided by "Kiki and Herb on the Rocks" - a "mockumentary" (God, I hate that word) about Kiki and Herb's London performances last year. Kiki and Herb may be the funniest duo ever to perform in the history of the world. (OK. maybe I'm exaggerating, but I've never laughed as hard as I have at Kiki and Herb shows.) Kiki (Justin Bond) and Herb (Kenny Mellman) take the scary lounge act to places that no one but they could have imagined. Their career culminated (so far) by dying last September at their "final" concert at Carnegie Hall. It was a performance I will never forget. People who saw Judy at Carnegie Hall will tell you that it was the greatest live performance of the twentieth century. -- Well, I was too young for that, but I did get to see Kiki, and now I know how they feel. I can only urge you to pick up the excellent double cd of the concert "Kiki and Herb Die for You."
I have to admit that the movie was not the greatest Kiki and Herb showcase I have seen, it was a bit unfocussed and ocasionally rambling, but mediocre Kiki and Herb are still better than most performers at their best. Please Justin and Kenny -- do a miraculous resurrection. Summer in NYC looks to be a dreary prospect without you.
What Charles Busch and Kiki and Herb share in common (and what, I think, makes me such a fan) is that they're so much more than mere drag queens. Charles, Justin and Kenny are consummate actors and playwrights. Charles' grand dame and Justin's hard drinking lounge singer are not simply drag personas -- they're fully realized people that we grow to love. The reference is a bit obscure, but it's sort of like Leslie Caron in the MGM musical "Lily." She falls unconditionally in love with the puppet characters at the circus where she works, but has a hard time dealing with the puppet master who has created and voices them. Charles' actress and Kiki are such fabulous creatures that you want to believe that they're real. They're so wonderful on their own that it creates a slight fear that the "real" Charles Busch or Justin Bond just won't be able to measure up. Luckily, in these cases, the fear is unfounded -- I have been lucky enough to speak with Charles and Justin briefly on a couple of occasions, and they are as warm and wonderful as you would hope.
Last night's Tony's were drab in comparison. There were few surprises and most of the choices seemed to be apt. (I will admit disappointment that Christopher Sieber didn't win but that's only because I think he's hot.) The cynical moment for me came when "La Cage" won over "Pacific Overtures" for Best Revival of a Musical. The only possible reason that could have happened is that "Pacific Overtures" has closed and they wanted to throw the still-running "La Cage" a Tony Box Office bump. If artistic merit was the only criteria, there is no way that would have happened. I loved the original production of "La Cage" (even though it robbed the Tony from "Sunday in the Park with George") but this current production seems like a watered-down discount tourist version of the show. It's a cheesy affair, designed to let red staters feel good about their tolerance of homosexuals while relieving them of some of that Republican cash. "Pacific Overtures" was intelligent and inventive, and BD Wong should have at least gotten a Best Actor nomination -- but that, as Sondheim would say, "is the state of the art."
Saturday night it was "The Lady in Question is Charles Busch" an excellent documentary on the playwright/downtown drag diva. Luckily, because of their own personal vanity (according to the Q&A afterwards) he and his theatrical cohorts videotaped all of their early productions in the East Village at Limbo Lounge. Thanks to this, we have a remarkable archive of the work, and the filmmakers made great use of it. For people who were there, it's a satisfying bit of nostalgia, and for those that weren't, a glimpse of what you missed.
Aside from the video treasures, the documentary also serves as an interesting biography, providing a lot of details that even his ardent fans may not know. It gives us a chance to meet Charles' partner, his sisters and many of the folks who were instrumental in making the "Theater in Limbo" the success that it was. As expected, the film is as funny and as charming as one of Charles Busch's characters, but what was unexpected were the touching moments -- a section on the effect of the AIDS crisis on his company, and a scary emergency heart operation that Charles went through last year gave the film depth and made it more than just the campy drag fest you'd expect -- and that's fitting, as Charles Busch's plays have always been way more than just people clomping around in heels.
A different viewpoint on drag performers was provided by "Kiki and Herb on the Rocks" - a "mockumentary" (God, I hate that word) about Kiki and Herb's London performances last year. Kiki and Herb may be the funniest duo ever to perform in the history of the world. (OK. maybe I'm exaggerating, but I've never laughed as hard as I have at Kiki and Herb shows.) Kiki (Justin Bond) and Herb (Kenny Mellman) take the scary lounge act to places that no one but they could have imagined. Their career culminated (so far) by dying last September at their "final" concert at Carnegie Hall. It was a performance I will never forget. People who saw Judy at Carnegie Hall will tell you that it was the greatest live performance of the twentieth century. -- Well, I was too young for that, but I did get to see Kiki, and now I know how they feel. I can only urge you to pick up the excellent double cd of the concert "Kiki and Herb Die for You."
I have to admit that the movie was not the greatest Kiki and Herb showcase I have seen, it was a bit unfocussed and ocasionally rambling, but mediocre Kiki and Herb are still better than most performers at their best. Please Justin and Kenny -- do a miraculous resurrection. Summer in NYC looks to be a dreary prospect without you.
What Charles Busch and Kiki and Herb share in common (and what, I think, makes me such a fan) is that they're so much more than mere drag queens. Charles, Justin and Kenny are consummate actors and playwrights. Charles' grand dame and Justin's hard drinking lounge singer are not simply drag personas -- they're fully realized people that we grow to love. The reference is a bit obscure, but it's sort of like Leslie Caron in the MGM musical "Lily." She falls unconditionally in love with the puppet characters at the circus where she works, but has a hard time dealing with the puppet master who has created and voices them. Charles' actress and Kiki are such fabulous creatures that you want to believe that they're real. They're so wonderful on their own that it creates a slight fear that the "real" Charles Busch or Justin Bond just won't be able to measure up. Luckily, in these cases, the fear is unfounded -- I have been lucky enough to speak with Charles and Justin briefly on a couple of occasions, and they are as warm and wonderful as you would hope.
Last night's Tony's were drab in comparison. There were few surprises and most of the choices seemed to be apt. (I will admit disappointment that Christopher Sieber didn't win but that's only because I think he's hot.) The cynical moment for me came when "La Cage" won over "Pacific Overtures" for Best Revival of a Musical. The only possible reason that could have happened is that "Pacific Overtures" has closed and they wanted to throw the still-running "La Cage" a Tony Box Office bump. If artistic merit was the only criteria, there is no way that would have happened. I loved the original production of "La Cage" (even though it robbed the Tony from "Sunday in the Park with George") but this current production seems like a watered-down discount tourist version of the show. It's a cheesy affair, designed to let red staters feel good about their tolerance of homosexuals while relieving them of some of that Republican cash. "Pacific Overtures" was intelligent and inventive, and BD Wong should have at least gotten a Best Actor nomination -- but that, as Sondheim would say, "is the state of the art."
posted by dps | 6:50 AM
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