Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Wig Out by Tarell Alvin McCraney? Wig Freakin' Tastic!

After Google imaging Tarell Alvin McCraney, I realize I was sitting directly in front of the young playwright himself during last night's tremendous debut performance of his new play, Wig Out! Wig Out lets the audience inside of the fascinating sub-culture of drag and the importance of the Drag Ball, the origins of which can be traced back to Harlem in the 1920s and 30's. The playbill included a handy glossary of drag ball terms, and here are a few:



photo by Carol Rosegg for the New York Times

Chop: To disqualify or eliminate
Star: An up-and-coming Legend; a frequent winner that is making a name for themselves.
Vogue: A style of dance which seamlessly combines a diverse range of movement disciplines, including modern/jazz dance, ballet, martial arts, gymnastics, yoga, and more.
Walk: To compete in a ball category, which entails walking on the runway; to enter a category.
Shade: Underhanded dealing(s) or disrespect. To "throw shade" is to take a superior attitude, to criticize, demean, or insult; to diss or derogate.

Moving monologues by several of the show's characters began with "My grandmother wore a wig," or "My mother wore a wig," or "My father wore a wig," as they described pieces of their life with their original families before they join the family of the House of Light (what this particular drag house is called). But the incredible set-- which is literally a catwalk--the dazzling makeup, fierce wardrobes, wigs, music, singing, and dancing aside (prime for fantastic photos I could've snapped had I not dropped my camera into the ocean last weekend), the beautifully written, touching and funny show is really less about gender and sexuality and all about family--as non-traditional as it may appear--and the roles played within.

Read a fancy pants review of the show here by Ben Brantley for the New York Times. I hear he's one tough cookie to please, and he loved it too.

Special thanks to artmeetscommerce.