| Wigs, laughter, and subversion: Charles Busch and strategies of drag performance. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 15132482 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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This paper examines the strategies of drag performer/ playwright Charles Busch. His performance aesthetic is explored and shown to be subversive even though its initial impulse is to entertain. Basing my arguments on the work of Judith Butler, Elin Diamond, and others, I argue that drag queens like Busch can not only entertain but also make audiences question and criticize through drag's power to create a Brechtian alienation effect and historicize the subject. After showing how he can be viewed as a drag queen, I give a brief biography and discuss such contested terms as "camp" and "gay sensibility." I then focus on Busch's staged reading of Ibsen's Hedda Gahler andA Doll's House, both done in one afternoon at Theatre for The New City (6 May 2000). By examining the performance of Busch and his fellow actors, I demonstrate how a contemporary relevancy is achieved by having the roles played by a female impersonator whose acting choices are filtered through a gay sensibility. The ongoing dialectic between spectator and performer creates a historicized moment in performance that underscores the gender dynamics in unexpected and stimulating ways. |
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Authors:
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Richard Niles |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Biography; Historical Article; Journal Article; Portraits |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of homosexuality Volume: 46 ISSN: 0091-8369 ISO Abbreviation: J Homosex Publication Date: 2004 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2004-05-10 Completed Date: 2004-05-17 Revised Date: 2008-11-21 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7502386 Medline TA: J Homosex Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 35-53 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Theatre, Marymount Manhattan College, New York, NY 10021, USA. |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Clothing*
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history Drama Gender Identity History, 20th Century Homosexuality, Male* / history Humans Laughter Male Recreation Transvestism* / history United States |
| Personal Name Subject | |
Personal Name Subject:
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Charles Busch |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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