Sometimes being 'too gay' can be an asset. In a world that celebrates clones and a sheep mentality, there are those who from the get-go march to the beat of their own drum and decide to make something useful of their own existence, even when they may be moving counter-clockwise and well aware of it. THE LADY IN QUESTION IS CHARLES BUSCH introduces us to -- who else -- Charles Busch, a performer I was until DIE MOMMIE DIE unfamiliar with. Without being too self-promoting (even though it's logical that Busch be in nearly every frame of this documentary, being the central subject), the movie details how as a child Busch became obsessed with movies from Hollywood's Golden Age. He quickly identified with the heroines of such features such as NOW VOYAGER, LADY IN BURLESQUE, and THE WOMEN, competed with his siblings for the attention of his father, and later moved to San Francisco to make something out of his life as a performer only to return to New York City at the middle of the AIDS crisis where he became introduced to the Limbo lounge via a performance artist. It would be there where he would create what has now become a massive following, displaying the wild excesses of camp that has been elevated to a near art form. Seeing snippets of "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom", "Kiss the Blood Off My Castanets", and "Theodora -- She Bitch of Byzantium" were immense treats, but in revealing the powerhouse performer Meghann Robinson was in "The Lady in Question", it becomes a mini-tribute to this incredible actress with a voice and personality that went beyond what I've seen in movies.
THE LADY IN QUESTION IS CHARLES BUSCH, despite dragging just a tad with the opening night of "Taboo", doesn't over-stay its welcome but is a fantastic glimpse into the life and times of this great actor and playwright. I only would have wished to have been there when it all happened at the Limbo lounge. At least, with this movie, as with DIE MOMMIE DIE, I can see his mannerisms capturing acting styles from an era gone by (and he has them down pat to perfection, especially seen in a silent-movie clip where he plays the heroine in her dying moments holding a glass ball in a tribute to CITIZEN KANE). It's enormously entertaining to a fault. I loved it.
THE LADY IN QUESTION IS CHARLES BUSCH, despite dragging just a tad with the opening night of "Taboo", doesn't over-stay its welcome but is a fantastic glimpse into the life and times of this great actor and playwright. I only would have wished to have been there when it all happened at the Limbo lounge. At least, with this movie, as with DIE MOMMIE DIE, I can see his mannerisms capturing acting styles from an era gone by (and he has them down pat to perfection, especially seen in a silent-movie clip where he plays the heroine in her dying moments holding a glass ball in a tribute to CITIZEN KANE). It's enormously entertaining to a fault. I loved it.