Great musicals even better as drag spoofs
Perhaps it was the sky-high stilettos, but when the statuesque Cruzin d’Loo greeted me as I entered “Tuberculosis: The Musical,” I felt like I was meeting a sequined version of the Salesforce Tower. The top of her blond wig nearly scraped the ceiling, and her handbag could’ve rested on my shoulders. I’m 6 feet tall, and I felt dainty, so as far as I was concerned, “TB: The Musical” was a hit before the lights dimmed.
Cruzin d’Loo is one-half of the creative and producing team of the Drag Experience, a quarterly theatrical spoof of a famous musical — done nearly all in drag. The team’s underground popularity is undeniable. The Drag Experience has sold out every single show that d’Loo and her co-creator Sugah Betes have produced since opening night of their version of “Hamilton” last fall.
“We were worried Lin-Manuel (Miranda) wouldn’t like it,” confessed d’Loo of the creator of the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical “Hamilton.” “But everyone we talked to that knows Lin-Manuel said he would love it.”
How could he not? D’Loo and Betes’ shows are far more loving satire and guffaw-worthy spoof than just a lipsynced drag version of the real deal. Their musicals are presented in just an hour and a half, and interpreted very loosely. Most people who attend have seen the original more than once and are ready to rip it to shreds while singing along to every word. It worked for the Drag Experience’s productions of “Hamilton,” “Hairspray” and “Chicago.” And it worked for two shows of “Moulin Rouge” until PianoFight, the Tenderloin bar and performance space hosting the show, got a cease-and-desist letter from the actual Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris.
Scrambling, d’Loo and Betes changed the show’s name from “Moulin Rouge” to “Tuberculosis: The Musical.” “Catchy, isn’t it?” d’Loo said, grinning.
The Drag Experience’s take on Baz Luhrmann’s musical film “Moulin Rouge” is close enough to the original to make as much sense as the original, which is admittedly little.
Vanilla Meringue takes on Nicole Kidman’s role as the near-death Satine, albeit a plus-size version brought back to life with Twinkies, and Dina Isis plays Christian, a role originated by Ewan McGregor. Isis’ version, however, dons heels and purple eye shadow. Songs and dialogue are still lip-synced like in drag shows, only this version of “Moulin Rouge” involves a few rubber dildos and a cameo from Disney’s “Mulan.”
When Mulan (dressed in full geisha drag) left the stage, a narrator screamed, “Wrong Moulin, you stupid bitch!” The audience went wild.
“As a theater person,” d’Loo said of the company’s productions, “this is much more fulfilling than doing a two-minute drag performance.”
A few rows back, d’Loo’s 12-year-old daughter and husband sat in the Main Stage Theater of PianoFight surrounded by drunken ladies celebrating a birthday and a lot of men in statement accessories. Events like this are nothing new to the family of three from Piedmont.
“I’ve been performing since I was 9,” d’Loo told me, crossing one pantyhosed ankle over the other. “My first role was performing poems written by children who survived the Nazi concentration camps.”
An hour later, d’Loo was tossing Twinkies to members of the audience, managing to bean a birthday girl in the face. It was easy to hit folks with desserts — there wasn’t an empty seat in the theater. “Eighty-eight is sold out,” d’Loo whispered. “We’re at 102 tonight.”
PianoFight seems to be thrilled with the Drag Experience, with management already peppering d’Loo for a 2018 lineup. D’Loo and Betes aren’t sure of next year’s plans yet, but they do know that their version of “Hamilton” will be back in September, followed by “A Dolly Parton Christmas” in December.
“It’s been really exciting,” d’Loo said of working with PianoFight, home to all sorts of live music and theatrical events. “They want to support underground funky theater. And that’s where all of the really good stuff comes from anyway.”
Outside the Main Stage, the bar was three deep with folks waiting for designer cocktails and quick plates of food. An aggressively loud rock band performed for tables of attentive fans, and servers quickly bused halfeaten plates of burgers. At 11 p.m., PianoFight’s crowd showed no signs of slowing.
D’Loo was ready to head home and kick off those heels. “Tonight went great,” she said, with two Friday night shows in the can and two more to go. “The audience was singing along and going wild. And that’s when I love it.”
Vanilla Meringue takes on Nicole Kidman’s role as the near-death Satine, albeit a plus-size version brought back to life with Twinkies.