From ancient Greek drama to Chinese opera, from the era of Shakespeare to the reign of the Italian castrati, throughout the world and for most of history women did not appear on stage. This gave rise to a revered theatrical tradition of what might best be called "female illusionists"--male artists who specialized in the performance of female roles and who were capable of making an audience believe a woman stood on stage before them. Such artists are still very much with us today. But you won't find any of them in WIGSTOCK: THE MOVIE.
The high-end performers here are RuPaul and Lypsinka. RuPaul is essentially an entertainer who plays with gender and racial iconography to create an enjoyable stage persona, and as such is very well known to mainstream audiences; although lesser known, Lypsinka is the more talented artist, creating considerably more subtle and wickedly camp caricatures. Both are very enjoyable--but the vast majority of the performers on stage might best be described as "tacky barroom drag queens." Some of these are very, very good at what they do, with "Lady Bunny" a case in point, but most are of a type: toying with a mix of 1950s-1960s-1970s female fashion brought up to a ludicrously "glamorous" degree and mixed with 1990s punk-and-funk styles, these are the drag queens you might find on stage in any mid-size city's gay bar of note. But because they are so common, viewers familiar with the drag world will be unimpressed: we've seen it again and again and again. They aren't particularly original, and therefore they aren't any more interesting on stage than the acts you've seen a hundred times before.
On the other hand, they are VERY interesting off-stage, and this documentary works best when it contrasts the preparations of the performers and their on-stage performances--giving us glimpses into the lives, motivations, and complicated preparations of the performers. And the audience itself is fascinating, a huge array of gay, straight, costumed, and (sometimes considerably) uncostumed people who are all bent on having a good time and don't mind showing that in front of the camera. Unfortunately, these backstage glimpses and audience shots are too few to make WIGSTOCK: THE MOVIE more than merely tantalizing, and the film in general eschews the "politics of drag" (for drag has always been to some degree a political statement) in favor of a "happy party" tone that wears thin well before the film comes to an end. Recommended, but primarily for those who know absolutely nothing about drag queens, their performing styles, and their backstage lives.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
The high-end performers here are RuPaul and Lypsinka. RuPaul is essentially an entertainer who plays with gender and racial iconography to create an enjoyable stage persona, and as such is very well known to mainstream audiences; although lesser known, Lypsinka is the more talented artist, creating considerably more subtle and wickedly camp caricatures. Both are very enjoyable--but the vast majority of the performers on stage might best be described as "tacky barroom drag queens." Some of these are very, very good at what they do, with "Lady Bunny" a case in point, but most are of a type: toying with a mix of 1950s-1960s-1970s female fashion brought up to a ludicrously "glamorous" degree and mixed with 1990s punk-and-funk styles, these are the drag queens you might find on stage in any mid-size city's gay bar of note. But because they are so common, viewers familiar with the drag world will be unimpressed: we've seen it again and again and again. They aren't particularly original, and therefore they aren't any more interesting on stage than the acts you've seen a hundred times before.
On the other hand, they are VERY interesting off-stage, and this documentary works best when it contrasts the preparations of the performers and their on-stage performances--giving us glimpses into the lives, motivations, and complicated preparations of the performers. And the audience itself is fascinating, a huge array of gay, straight, costumed, and (sometimes considerably) uncostumed people who are all bent on having a good time and don't mind showing that in front of the camera. Unfortunately, these backstage glimpses and audience shots are too few to make WIGSTOCK: THE MOVIE more than merely tantalizing, and the film in general eschews the "politics of drag" (for drag has always been to some degree a political statement) in favor of a "happy party" tone that wears thin well before the film comes to an end. Recommended, but primarily for those who know absolutely nothing about drag queens, their performing styles, and their backstage lives.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
