Leslie Jordan: My Trip Down the Pink Carpet

Emmy-winning comedian Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace) performs his one-man show—an adaptation of his titular memoir—in this enjoyable production directed by Amanda Bearse and filmed live in Atlanta. Reminiscing about his favorite show business moments, Jordan talks about the time his mother took him to see Darby O'Gill and the Little People (Jordan is 4-foot-11-inches tall), as well as the day he arrived in Hollywood from Tennessee. Unfortunately, 1982 wasn't the best time to disclose one's homosexuality, and Jordan is, as he puts it, “the gayest man I know.” In talking about his childhood, Jordan focuses on life in the closet, how his imagination helped him make the situation more bearable, and the difficult search for role models. Jordan recalls, for instance, finding the television appearances of Truman Capote and Paul Lynde both fascinating and repulsive. Other stories feature Rue McClanahan, Boy George, Faye Dunaway, and the TV series American Dreamer with Robert Urich, Bodies of Evidence with George Clooney, and Reasonable Doubts with Mark Harmon (Jordan admits he had crushes on all three actors). The comic also talks about a decades-long problem with drugs and alcohol and how it made being openly gay easier—until it didn't. Although Jordan jumps around chronologically, he keeps returning to the same threads, and the connections eventually become clear. Along the way, the audience is also treated to dance moves, dirty jokes, and favorite song lyrics. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)