Mixed Reviews on Mayors Decision to Dress in Drag During Charity Event

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Dressing drag: 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical'

What's it like to sashay on stage in heels with pink feathers coming iii feet out of your head — for a guy?

"It'southward fun. Briefly, at the showtime, but rehearsing for hours in heels, it takes its price on the feet," says Thom Allison, an role player who non just dresses the office of drag queen, merely dances, sings and has exceptional lips for the job. And his eyebrows, plucked and perfectly-shaped, would have vocalizer-siren Kylie Minogue giving him a double-take.

"Women practise this all the time, the deviation is, though, women don't have as much trunk weight, so you add an extra 80 pounds barrelling into the balls of your anxiety — oh, they're non made to accept that kind of weight, so it took time, and patience and Epsom salts and foot pads. And vodka."

Allison, 39 (simply with good moisturizing habits looks 32), is every bit derisive off-stage as on, sitting down for an interview in a dressing room at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. He's an ensemble cast member in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical

, the story of two drag queens and a transsexual who take their show to the Australian Outback. Risqué? Well, there is a saucy in-house newsletter posted on a dressing room mirror about birthday treats beyond cake that are less calorie-heavy.

Every bit the Australian 1994 movie on which the musical is based, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

, made headlines and received an Oscar for its incredible costumes, the phase show is one feel-skillful spectacle of plumes and glitter. The pre-Broadway product in Toronto has 495 costumes. Ten of them vest to Allison.

"The sense of drag in the show is not the aforementioned every bit the Northward American sense of elevate in terms of dressing up and trying to be ladies and the cleavage," Allison says, although squeezed into a corset for the showgirl number, he'due south convincing enough. He says and then himself: "I've got falling star legs, merely I'grand the Jane Russell of boob. I'1000 the total-figured gal."

Aussie drag, however, is not but wearing dresses that are custom-tailored for wide shoulders.

"Their sense is so much more fun and kooky and off the wall. We're paintbrushes and iguanas, so it'south a whole dissimilar globe of drawing glamour which is fun," Allison says. "It goes a step or two or eight beyond."

He grew upwards in Winnipeg and moved to Toronto at 17 for Ryerson's theatre plan. He has taken a few turns in heels and gloss before Priscilla

. He played a transsexual in the flick

directed past Canadian playwright Brad Fraser and based on his hit play

. He had to wax and shave off all his body hair, including his caput. Now he prefers to go baldheaded-headed.

"Every bit far as the feminine side goes, it's an interesting matter. What I've institute in a career where I've been hyper male and hyper female person is that that line is much finer than one would think. In one case y'all realize there is a person at the core of every grapheme, a real thinking, feeling human being, it becomes and then much more than well-nigh what shoes you're wearing."

The illusion of turning a beautiful human into a beautiful woman benefits from the forgiveness of distance for a stage production, along with a crew of wardrobe dressers and hair and makeup personnel. For a National Post

sampling of Allison's costumes, which include male characters with trucker hats and beer guts, at that place are two women from wardrobe, supervisor Meghan Carsella and dresser Gail Nolan, hustling to get him outfitted, and the hair and makeup supervisor taking him from "hyper male" to glitterized.

"It's a curious process to get someone from non just male person to female person, but exaggerate a brow and to block things out in the negative and positive infinite on the face," makeup artist Justen Brosnan says, dipping brushes into pots of colour and applying heart shadow for Allison's next transformation.

"This goes slightly beyond a traditional drag makeup, moving into something that is precise and artistic. Elevate tin can be put on some lipstick, try to expect like a woman, add a wig and you're good to go. We have to create a stronger illusion."

The final costume for our preview happens to be Allison'southward favourite, a dramatic blackness two-piece gown with a built in mermaid girdle, white wig shaped like a towering crucifix, extra-long false eyelashes, veil — the works — for a funeral scene.

"This one, information technology'south so beyond being a woman, it's this brute of mourning," he says. "It's so intentional, I love it, I love it. It's like what is she … he … information technology'southward so spectacular."

khawthorne@nationalpost.com

martingrout2001.blogspot.com

Source: https://montrealgazette.com/arts/dressing-drag-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-the-musical

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