“At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen”: The title sums up playwright Terry Guest’s alternately ebullient and sorrow-steeped Tale of a dead Drag Queen.
But this is no Somber, Black-Clad Tale of Trauma and Mourning. We’re not at the wake of the late, great titular Drag Queen so much as we’re living in flashbacks of her life. In Director Michael Burke’s Staging, “At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen” is a sequin-studed, rose petal-raining ode to joy.
Set in 2004 and inspired by the Life of Guest’s Uncle-A Drag Queen Who Died of AIDS at 35-The Story Theater’s 90-Minute Two-Hander Feels not only Timly but defiantly so.
As it tels the story of Anthony Knighton and HIS DRAG-EGO ALTER-AGO Courtney Berringers (Both played by guests), “Wake” is Also a Wrenching Exploration of the Way Trauma Can Force You to Thick that Barely a Whisper of Honest Emota.
The story Theater Production Remount (Which Enjoyed Its World Premiere here in 2019), Co-Starring Paul Michael Thomson As Hunter Grimes and His Drag Queen Alter-ENGO Vickie Versailles, is atce Raucous, Contemplative and Iynch Extravaganza.
‘At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen’
The setting is over a quarter of a Century gone, but few to be failed to see the contemporary relevance. In 2004, homophobia was so Strong, Aids Was Still Widely Dismissed As a Punishment From God, A Sent to Kill Sinners.
A cruel version of that Letal Mindseset Remains deeply Entreshed Today: For the Aclu, Almost 600 Anti-LGBTQIA BILLS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED IN STATE LEGISLATES THIS YEAR. In illinois, there are Currently 15 Pending Bills that Target Gay and Transgender Rights.
Such is the context one we first meets Courtney in Her Act, draped in a Skin-Tight Crimson Gown, Turning “I’m Every Woman” into a Rallying Cry. Breaking the fourth wall with pointed insouciance and ridiculous (in a good way) innuendo, she brings the house down.
Vickie/hunter is a newbie to the art form. Vickie’s make-up is iffy, her wigs rough, Her Spirit undaunted. Hunter is determining to break into anthony’s fortress of repressed emotion. Anthony is determining to keep hunter at bay.
Beyond Their Work, Hunter and Anthony Have Little in Common. Hunter is Dubious About Garland’s Bona Fides as a gay icon, has never heard of “Sunset Boulevard” or – to anthony’s horror – evening Gloria Swanson. At one point, hunter tries to make anthony guests his favorite movie, “titanic,” describing it as a tragedy on a boat. Anthony Responds Without Hesiteration: “Roots.”
Guest Packs The Story’s Unspooling with Vivid Details: A Maroon Buick That Becomes a Totem of Anthony’s Childhood. A Crystal Lamp With Near-Mesmeric Power. A Record Player. A Grandmother Who Saw Him and Loved Him. A Large World That Saw Him and Condemned Him.
As the flashbacks Move Toward their inevitable conflict, Guest Punctuates “Wake” with Absolutely Killer Lip-Synchs from Courtney and Vickie.
Backed by Ethan Korvne’s Immaculate Sound Design, Courtney Delivers “Get Happy” with choreography that replicates Judy Garland’s original, head toe.
Vickie gets an operatic dooozy of a number – “der Holle rache (Queen of the Night Aria)” from “The Magic Flute” – A Franzy of High Soprano instilled with fabulous histronics. Vickie Also Provides Rich Exposition to Some of Courtney’s Routines: The First Act of A Lip-Synch is About History, the Second About the Queen Performing, the Third About Pulling Out All the Stops and Leaving the Audience in Awe.
The Action Plays Out on Schenic Designer Alyssa Mohn’s atmospheric set. Old Man’s Beard-The Spooky, Tree-Draping Moss so prevalent in the Deep South-Frames the Stage. A QUEEN IN A CROWN OF STARS RISES IN A STAINED-GLASS Window Above an urn-bearing altar flanked by flower arrangements. A Make-up Station Sits Upstage. A Massive Series of Mirrors-MOSS CREEPING AROUND Their Frames-Reflects the Audience, Making Ticket-Holders a de facto part of the Production.
Racquel Postiglione’s Costums are A Detail Melange. Layers of Shapewear Covered in Form-Folding Frocks, Dresing Gowns Fit for A Sultan, A rack of dresses covered in spangles and marabou fur. Courtney’s Final Costum Mimics that of the Stained-Glass Queen to Gorgeous Effect.
For Ru Paul Charles (Creator of the Global Franchise “Ru Paul’s Drag race”), we’re all born naked, and the rest is drag. Terry Guest Bears Witness to Those Who Embrace The Latter, in His Own Family and in History of Large Contest. It’s as Powerful as it is entertaining.
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