You might know it as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but to Huntington Theatre Playwright Fellow, Ryan Landry and his Gold Dust Orphans theater troupe, it’s Pussy on the House.
The Orphans, if you don’t know, are a theater troupe of drag queens who during the winter operate out of The Machine, a gay bar in the Fenway and the Crown and Anchor during the summer in Provincetown. Landry writes spoofs of the classics with drag twists. Past Orphan shows include Of Mice and Mink, Willie Wanker and the Hershey Highway, and Phantom of the Oprah.
Orphan shows are bawdy, touching, over-the-top, and embrace all the tradition of drag. From the Brown Paper Bag site:
… But mostly there’s the story. William’s brilliant, heartbreaking story, (sent through The Gold Dust Orphans glitter filled strainer of course!). It’s the same story of love unrequited, the same story of greed and avarice. The theme may be as old as time and yet none can deny that “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” remains full to the brim with life’s most valuable lessons. The kind hard learned by those who dwell in William’s story and here … within Big Mamma’s house. … For this too, is a house filled to the rafters with mendacity.
The first Orphan’s show I saw was a Christmas show, Silent Night of the Lambs. I’m not a big fan of the holidays, and this was exactly what I needed. I spent most of the show doubled over, holding my sides laughing.
You can get tix here.
One Comment
manders1 posted on February 10, 2011 at 1:35 pm
This sounds absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing.