The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch

The Village Voice calls John Catania and Charles Ignacio's The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch a “drag to riches story,” which perfectly sums up this valentine to Charles Busch—playwright, director, drag queen, and late 1980s fixture of the New York downtown theater scene, who ultimately found mainstream Broadway success. From his underground off-Broadway campfest Vampire Lesbians of Sodom to his popular play The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, this loving look at Busch's life on the stage starts out with poignant anecdotes about a lonely little boy who found solace only in old movies, and then turns celebratory, as Busch transforms his powerful obsession with classic Hollywood into, ironically, a cliquey kind of fame and fortune. Theater buffs will love the exploration of what fuels one of the most creative minds at work on the stage today, while movie fans will be tickled by Busch's channeling of the grand dames of celluloid in his drag performances. DVD extras include featurettes on the East Village scene of the 1980s, the Broadway opening of Taboo, influences on Busch's work, and Busch as playwright, as well as the short film “Her Royal Escape to Love,” a profile of Busch from the newsmagazine In the Life, and more. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Johanson)