Forced to darken the flames, the boy discovers a local beauty pageant that sparks him again. For a particular striped gay man who creates a tenacious pop diva and a glamorous Grande Dam icon, it’s a story as old as Broadway. The self-proclaimed unicorn is now unlikely to be a competitor in the contest, but he is determined to win both the crown and the heart of the townsfolk.
At “Mr. Miss America” at the Rattle Stick Playlight Theater on Monday night, writer and performer Neil Didane is behind the scenes with the confidence of Derector Taylor, a glamorous and fast-paced pioneer. I will take you. In his mid-twenties, Derek participated in the old-fashioned Virginia Pageant’s first men’s contest. The rules are bent enough to allow him to compete, but the degree of his welcome remains uncertain.
D’Astolfo talks about hopes for other beauty pageants in this solo play produced by All For One Theater, but hasn’t been seen, so the audience is a Derek confessor and a personal cheerleader. I’ll change it. He gets excited and enters the dressing room, but it soon becomes clear that not everyone is excited about Derek’s participation.
If the beauty pageant is just a dog show for people, this is a “top-to-bottom full of complaints,” says Derek, who works as Petco’s assistant manager. His competitors include top-seeded rivals whose prejudice and ultimate hypocrisy represent obstacles to the journey of a crouching hero.
Derek’s unfriendlyness is, of course, the cover of his sorry wounds. When he learned to bottle himself, his mom at least stopped throwing things at him, he jokes. Like other savvy pageant participants, Derek is calm and in control, even when he reveals a bruise under his bravery. At the toy dog zoo, Derek is a sapphire black tie wolf with the greedy will of Patti LuPone, who devours “Rose’s turn”.
Like many gay culture touchstones in “Mr. Miss America,” Derek’s elaborate obsession with LuPone isn’t exactly the original realm. Indeed, his hints and intimacy as a gay man are almost as clichéd as Derek cut out a rebellious figure on a small town stage.
Still, D’Astolfo’s writing crackles in the order of fun phrases that slip through before registering. “I didn’t know it would be so much of a fuss to reach out to Gaga and take part in this tournament,” he swear. But will anyone who is so wonderful be abominable? “No way, Mary J!”
D’Astolfo is also a very positive performer. As Derek, he’s an arrogant but defenseless, unconscious and sure storyteller, whether he tears his enemies or remembers an unlucky bus trip to see LuPone play in “Gypsy.” He can land the punch line with just his eyes.
Under the supervision of Tony Speciale, productions easily switch between behind-the-scenes confessions and frontal confrontations. There, Derek’s talent is lip-sync’s beloved gay art. Lighting by Travis McHale did the scene transport work in tidy gray set by designer Se Hyun O, and Hunter Kachorovsky’s outfit shimmered beside the rack, Derek’s do-it-yourself flash. And give a sense.
It may be as up-to-date as D’Astolfo’s pop reference, but it has retro qualities in both the setting and the character that feels one step behind the times. If a country boy was looking for inspiration, the only relevant beauty pageant he found on television in the last decade was specially made for people like him and hosted by RuPaul. Thing.
Turning trauma into a gorgeous self-expression has long been a favorite form of queer artists and is more popular than ever. The global “drag racing” franchise has transformed the act of violating gender norms into mainstream entertainment through sophisticated performance and the discovery of personal hardships. This means that shows like “Mr. Miss America” have a lot of desires and more to measure than backwater dog and pony shows.
Mr Miss America
Until August 7th at the Rattle Stick Playlight Theater in Manhattan. afo.nyc.. Execution time: 1 hour and 15 minutes.
