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Entries in Drag Queens (178)

Thursday
May092019

Stage Door: The musical adaptation of "Tootsie"

by Nathaniel R

“I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man.” So went the famous arc-completing line in Tootsie (1982) that resonates backwards through the movie, and carried you out of the theater, not just on a comic high but with zeitgeist capturing depth. Though it’s little remarked upon today in the now-now-now of popular culture, the early 80s were a cinematic time rife with the questioning of traditional gender roles just like our culture is today. Hit films like Victor/Victoria, Yentl, Mr. Mom,  and Tootsie all arrived in quick succession, though the then preferred vernacular was androgyny and gender-bending, as opposed to today’s non-binary and genderqueer designations.  It’s not surprising, then, to see Tootsie come round again to popular culture in 2019 in the form of a Tony-nominated musical comedy. What’s more surprising is that that resonant quotable capper is one of the few famous lines to be lifted directly from the movie.

As shocking as it is to type, they wrote new jokes!  This is, as you may have guessed given Broadway’s strange new role as a regurgitator of old movies, not the norm…. 

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Wednesday
Jan092019

Soundtracking: Dumplin'

by Chris Feil

Much to our surprise when Dumplin’ arrived on Netflix last month, the film is stealthily a Dolly Parton jukebox musical. The heartwarming film is a collection of Dolly songs old, new, and (crucially) reimagined, shot straight out of the heart of its heroine. Add in a few appearances by drag queens, and the film is the kind of unassumingly big-hearted self-love anthem to make the music legend proud.

And its no mere cashing in on a famous songbook either - Dolly’s music anchors the emotional backbone of the film...

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Friday
Oct122018

Links: A Star is Born obsessions, Scarlett's big payday, Aladdin Teases

Broadway World Anthony Ramos, of Hamilton fame and currently onscreen as Lady Gaga's bestie in A Star is Born, will headline the film version of Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights
Variety Steven Yeun, Wong Kar Wai and Awkwafina are VIPs at the Hawaii Film Festival. Zhang Yimou's Shadow will open the fest.
/Film John Carpenter is NOT happy that Dwayne Johnson is remaking Big Trouble In Little China
/Film Guy Ritchie lines up stars for his next film Toff Guys including Henry Golding

More after the jump including Marvel superhero updates, Scarlett Johansson's payday, Willam and Shangela in A Star is Born, and the fresh teaser to Disney's next billion-dollar grosser Aladdin...

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Saturday
Jun302018

RuPaul's Drag Race season 10 ends with a flutter

by Nathaniel R

Months on end of turning looks and stunting pretty have now ended with Season 10's queen crowned. So why lead with a picture of Season 9's winner Sasha Velour? It's not just that she served the season finale's best look, but that her appearance was hardly necessary. Her long shadow was already blocking out all the light on this particular finale...

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Wednesday
Jun132018

Drag Race: "The Evil Twin Ball"

by Nathaniel R  

Asia and her evil twin North Korea

Oopsie. When Drag Race took a week off we took two weeks off of watching it. It's almost time for the new episode and we forgot to watch it last Thursday (!) so herewith very very quick notes on the 11th episode of the season in which the Queens were tasked with exposing their inner saboteur...

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