The Changing Room: A Lesson in Fierceness!

Clifton Oliver, foreground center, and,

above from left, Angela Grovey, Rebecca Naomi Jones

and McKenzie Frye in “Wig Out!”

Gather round boys and girls, I have a little story to tell you all… Once upon time there was a little boy who used to love playing in his mother’s dresses, high-heels and make-up…

Come on now - can you imagine me ever doing anything like this?

"Drag above courtesy of Daily Makeovers"

But seriously, the guys starring in the new play, “Wig Out!” could perhaps teach all of us a thing or two about being fierce and strutting around in a pair of heels. “Wig Out!” is a new play currently unfolding every evening on the stage of the Vineyard Theater here in New York City. Today the New York Times gave this play a glowing review which, as you can imagine, say’s a hell of a lot these days.

Stars Erik King, left, and Nathan Lee Graham

"Wig Out!" focuses on an underground gay culture called “The House Balls” which originated here in New York City in the late 70’s / early 80’s and has recently begun to spring up across the globe. I know this first hand as I too in my youth belonged to one of these gay houses – The House of Xtravaganza. And as you can imagine, I was quite fierce and shady (for those of you who are unfamiliar with gay slang I will upload a mini-dictionary in a later post).

It was the fierce young members of The House of Xtravaganza that taught me my take no prisoners attitude as well as my die-hard loyalty to family and friends. Who cares that this make-shift family was comprised of a drag queen mother, a rough-trade father and a bunch of screaming homo-thugs, trannies and butch dykes for brothers and sisters… But we were the "shit" and fiercely loyal and loving. But fortunately time has a way of changing us all and eventually we all leave the nest to fly on our own.

(WIG OUT! By Tarell Alvin McCraney; directed by Tina Landau; sets by James Schuette; costumes by Toni-Leslie James; lighting by Peter Kaczorowski; sound by Robert Kaplowitz; hair, wig and makeup design by Wendy Parson; production stage manager, Barbara Reo; associate director, Kim Weild; production manager, Ben Morris; general manager, Reed Ridgley; associate artistic director, Sarah Stern. Presented by the Vineyard Theater, Douglas Aibel, artistic director; Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell, executive director. At the Vineyard Theater, 108 East 15th Street, Manhattan; (212) 353-0303. Through Oct. 19. Running time: 2 hours. )

Homework: Rent the movie “Paris is Burning” and submit your quick review