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Regional Reviews: Chicago At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen Also see Christine's review of Berlin
And even then, the drag numbers here are still fabulous in ways that range from the sentimentally satirical to the brutally betrayed. Those stylish musical routines, played for keeps, and sharp and fun and playful, also contain a startling psychological structure, thanks to director Mikael Burke and his two performers on stage. And near the end, the greatest of gay icons becomes a bizarre literary device. The 90-minute show first appeared, with the same two actors, at The Story Theatre in 2019. And now they are presenting a "re-imagined" revival starring playwright and actor Terry Guest, who recreates a version of his own uncle Anthony on stage. Paul Michael Thomson plays Hunter, his devotee, and both are nuanced and dynamic in performance. Mr. Guest's "Courtney Berringers" teaches us how to "stand up straight in a crooked room." And, like Hunter ("Vickie Versailles"), we too become novices, learning all over again why the most interesting drag is sometimes hilarious, or even awful. The story follows them both on a search for dignity and the fulfillment of their dreams, even when the path is strewn with ego and jealousy. We feel caught in Anthony's own arc-light of doom, born of poverty, defiance, and a distrust of healthcare. And, in what may be the show's most profane recollection of all, we watch as they wonder if their shared disease is some kind of punishment from God. One character takes his HAART medication, and the other does not. As part of the play's dramatic structure, drag is broken down into a three-step process: part history; part high kicks; and finally "something for you"–though the meaning of that changes through the course of the play. Anthony has several fine stories of growing up gay in spite of the stern rebuke of his mother. And Hunter has fantasies of moving up to New York City. But theatre is always about maintaining some kind of impossible balance on stage for as long as you possibly can. And when this play's balance finally comes apart, the look on Mr. Guest's face, of having trapped himself so perfectly, is all too real. It's often very hard being a Southern gay, and the loneliness and contempt of that milieu opens wide here. References to IV drug abuse, and to verbal abuse within families, and even the abuse that occurs in the privacy of the onstage dressing room (by scenic designer Alyssa Mohn with the assistance of Stina Taylor) all come together, balanced by a drag runway that becomes their venue of protest, desire and completion. At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, produced by The Story Theatre, has been extended through May 18, 2025, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark Street (at Granville), Chicago IL. For tickets and more information, please visit www.thestorytheatre.org. Cast: Production Staff: * Denotes The Story Theatre Governing Ensemble Member |
