August 18, 2006 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

eveningsout

A real drama queen

Fans of Charles Busch have a one-night treat

by Anthony Glassman

In many cultures throughout history, prevailing sexist beliefs have kept women off the stage.

In Europe in the Middle Ages and in Japan until Western incursion, it was mandated that men would play the roles of

women.

The stories of those men who performed as women have graced the stage, screen and page, most recently in the film Stage Beauty. Their tales are fascinating anthropological time capsules of bygone days when women's reputations and sensibilities were to be protected.

This ain't one of those stories.

The Lady in Question is Charles Busch is coming to the Cleveland Museum of Art (more or less) for one night, and it will be a doozy.

The film, directed by John Catania and Charles D. Ignacio, chronicles the life of playwright, female impersonator and allaround drama queen Charles Busch, who first made his name writing and starring in plays with titles like Lesbian Vampires in Sodom and Theodora, She-Bitch of Byzantium.

Performing with his troupe of friends as the artists in residence at New York City's Limbo bar, they quickly outgrew their small venue and began looking for bigger fish to fry.

Busch eventually began writing roles for himself that didn't require high heels and a wig, eventually taking the plunge and writ-

Proud member of:

Sponsored by:

V/A*

VIA Rail Canada www.viarail.ca

TM The VIA logo is a trademark owned and used by VIA Rail Canada Inc.

» j

...

ing a play that not only had no part in it for him, but went on to be nominated for a Tony Award after playing successfully on Broadway: The Tale of the Allergist's Wife.

The documentary examines Busch from childhood past a recent health scare, when doctors fixed a congenital heart defect that killed his mother when she was in her early 40s. He went in for a check-up and the doctor sent him for some more tests immediately. As the examination room filled with more and more physicians, Busch realized something was wrong.

It turned that he should have died a month before when he had a heart attackthe damage to his heart was extensive, and the doctors were more than surprised that he was still walking around! He was scheduled for immediate open-heart surgery, and was soon back on his feet.

Of course, the directors touch on his film successes with Psycho Beach Party and Die, Mommy, Die! as well as his role on the HBO series Oz, but what really sets this film apart from the regular "Look at how cool this guy is!" documentary is the inclusion of footage from those early plays.

Apparently, Busch and his friends videotaped everything from the mid-1980s onward, giving later fans a chance to at least glimpse the genius that created Busch's "drags to riches" story, as the Village Voice put it.

Because of museum construction, the film will be shown at Strosacker Auditorium on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland on Wednesday,

August 23. The screening is at 7 pm, and tickets are $7, $5 for Cleveland Museum of Art. members, $4 for seniors and $3 for students. For more information, go to www.clevelandart.org or call 216-421-7350.

Those who cannot make it to the Cleveland screening (and even those who are there) can take heart, however, because the DVD will be released on September 26 from New Video.

The release will include a plethora of extras, including extended sequences of old performances, a

section on the East Village in the early to mid-1980s, and another part on Busch's influences.

According to director Catania, while the documentary already stands at 90 minutes, the DVD release has an additional 90 minutes of material to enjoy. For more information, go to www.theladyinquestion.com.

Buton up or Duron down? King steer or Queen Streets Afternoon or after-hours? Comfortable or kinky? Caloriecounting or diet-destroying? Getting hitched or hooking up? High art or high camp? Tapas or tiramisu? Guest list or wine list? Spotlight or candlelight? He or she? Campy or classy? Modern art or modern dance? Rousing or relaxing? Hot or mild? Committing or cutting loose? Gnocchi or nachos? In or out? Boxers or briefs? High fashion or low price? Ballgame or ballroom? In the parade or in the crowd? Staying out or staying in? Chopin or show tunes? Give or take? Glammedup or dressed-down? Talk or listen? Rock or jazz? Lipstick or leather? Uptown or downtown? Love or lust? Tasteful or tasteless? Day at the spa or day in the sun? Steakhouse or sushi bar? New hat or new heels? See or be seen? Rock or jazz? High art or high wire? In the

Toronto. Unlimited possibilities.

parade or in the crowd? Star-spotting or stargazing? Dress up or dress down? Sweet or sour? Button-up or button-down? King Street or Queen Street? Strip clubs or strip malls? Sashimi or souvlaki? Tied up or fied down? East end or west end? Marriage or mayhem? High-end or low-brow? He or she? Waterpark or waterfront? Commitment or carousal? Prude or tattooed? Martini or margarita? Calm or chaotic? Raw or cooked? Day or night? Cut or uncut? Restful or rip-roaring? Rough or refined? Playing nice or playing dirty? Together or whatever? Mall or market? Sunlight or moonlight? Fab or flannel? Chopin or show tunes? Afternoon or afterhours? Comfortable or kinky? Calorie

Charles Busch

Your Toronto experience is whatever you want it to be. Visit www.torontotourism.com/pride

to start exploring.

DToronto

unlimited

www.torontotourism.com/pride

O/TM 2006 Toronto Convention & Visitors' Association