The plays by Plautus (Roman Comedy, often lifted by Roman playwrights from Greek playwrights, and later by the Bard of Avon for his works) that Sondheim, Shrevelove, Gilbert used to meld together 'Forum' had drag to confuse and gender bend as intricate details in their plots. It is important to know this in modernizing such historic works and that inclusion of this theatrical ploy (in Forum, done with Hysterium to throw off Miles Gloriosus and try to retain Hero and Philia as a couple) is legitimate theatre and must be retained, else 'Forum' need be retired to the 'lost musical' graveyard. (Which it does not deserve)...
Even now, hitting Broadway big time is an adaptation of Billy Wilder's classic drag/gender bend comedy, 'Some Like It Hot'.... must that work equally be scrutinized? Or the importance of an earlier work, 'Charley's Aunt' by Brandon Thomas - 1890 (later to become Loesser & Abbot's Tony Winning 'Where's Charley' - 1948 - launching Loesser's career and netting star Ray Bolger a Tony)... now, sadly, sent to that same graveyard of older shows...
And, what of 'Victor/Victoria' that relys on drag as the main plot motivator... going from a artistic female portraying a male female impersonator to the final burlesque ... drag and gender bending are the key elements of the plot...
'La Cage' - mentioned - relies heavily on drag to provide a tool for acceptance - from the art form of Albin to the burlesque of the Dindon's escape as the climax (netted several Tony awards)...
No, even though drag has become a "high art", the use in classic theatre is still legitimate and gender-bending in such a sense is valid in musical comedy and regular theatre... it plays on many levels and, depending on level of use, be it burlesque or class, helps to further broaden audience perspective into redefining what are real gender roles, and, hopefully, to break judgemental societal standards gently in the process.
In my early morning (west coast) rambling I also left out the equally important gender-bending and drag using classic 'Cabaret'..... and I am sure there are many more prime examples worthy of being explored.
Personally, I've never found drag for-the-sake-of drag to be particularly funny. However, I've certainly seen it used as a device in specific shows when it succeeds marvelously and is quite funny, indeed. I believe, as in any genre comic fare - whether drag or slapstick or class warfare - it works when it is used in a sincere and honest way. I've seen (as I'm sure all have) productions of Forum in which the Lovely sequence is really not that amusing (even if we laugh because we know the cast members involved lol). But, when the scene is played with honesty and realistic intent, it's knee-slappingly funny. Seeing this man being coerced into drag, and watching him transition from disgruntled and embarrassed by the entire situation to beginning to enjoy the sensations he's feeling and falling in love with - himself. However, just because a guy puts on a dress and a wig does not make me laugh - I don't know how many people it does, but I doubt many; it's simply too commonplace in entertainment today.
I certainly do not believe in Forum that there is any reason for a transgender woman to play Hysterium. If there is any derisive and mocking laughter at Hysterium, it not due to his being in a dress - it's because he's so imminently unattractive as a woman but finds himself 'lovely.' Although I've not seen it yet, I understand that the two men who play the drag roles in the new Some Like It Hot musical on Broadway are terrifically funny - and these have been reports from people who are about as 'woke' as they can be lol. But, their being in dresses is never the REASON for the laughter; the humor comes out of the situation(s) that the drag characters find themselves in, not because they're in drag.
The plays by Plautus (Roman Comedy, often lifted by Roman playwrights from Greek playwrights, and later by the Bard of Avon for his works) that Sondheim, Shrevelove, Gilbert used to meld together 'Forum' had drag to confuse and gender bend as intricate details in their plots. It is important to know this in modernizing such historic works and that inclusion of this theatrical ploy (in Forum, done with Hysterium to throw off Miles Gloriosus and try to retain Hero and Philia as a couple) is legitimate theatre and must be retained, else 'Forum' need be retired to the 'lost musical' graveyard. (Which it does not deserve)...
Even now, hitting Broadway big time is an adaptation of Billy Wilder's classic drag/gender bend comedy, 'Some Like It Hot'.... must that work equally be scrutinized? Or the importance of an earlier work, 'Charley's Aunt' by Brandon Thomas - 1890 (later to become Loesser & Abbot's Tony Winning 'Where's Charley' - 1948 - launching Loesser's career and netting star Ray Bolger a Tony)... now, sadly, sent to that same graveyard of older shows...
And, what of 'Victor/Victoria' that relys on drag as the main plot motivator... going from a artistic female portraying a male female impersonator to the final burlesque ... drag and gender bending are the key elements of the plot...
'La Cage' - mentioned - relies heavily on drag to provide a tool for acceptance - from the art form of Albin to the burlesque of the Dindon's escape as the climax (netted several Tony awards)...
No, even though drag has become a "high art", the use in classic theatre is still legitimate and gender-bending in such a sense is valid in musical comedy and regular theatre... it plays on many levels and, depending on level of use, be it burlesque or class, helps to further broaden audience perspective into redefining what are real gender roles, and, hopefully, to break judgemental societal standards gently in the process.
In my early morning (west coast) rambling I also left out the equally important gender-bending and drag using classic 'Cabaret'..... and I am sure there are many more prime examples worthy of being explored.
Personally, I've never found drag for-the-sake-of drag to be particularly funny. However, I've certainly seen it used as a device in specific shows when it succeeds marvelously and is quite funny, indeed. I believe, as in any genre comic fare - whether drag or slapstick or class warfare - it works when it is used in a sincere and honest way. I've seen (as I'm sure all have) productions of Forum in which the Lovely sequence is really not that amusing (even if we laugh because we know the cast members involved lol). But, when the scene is played with honesty and realistic intent, it's knee-slappingly funny. Seeing this man being coerced into drag, and watching him transition from disgruntled and embarrassed by the entire situation to beginning to enjoy the sensations he's feeling and falling in love with - himself. However, just because a guy puts on a dress and a wig does not make me laugh - I don't know how many people it does, but I doubt many; it's simply too commonplace in entertainment today.
I certainly do not believe in Forum that there is any reason for a transgender woman to play Hysterium. If there is any derisive and mocking laughter at Hysterium, it not due to his being in a dress - it's because he's so imminently unattractive as a woman but finds himself 'lovely.' Although I've not seen it yet, I understand that the two men who play the drag roles in the new Some Like It Hot musical on Broadway are terrifically funny - and these have been reports from people who are about as 'woke' as they can be lol. But, their being in dresses is never the REASON for the laughter; the humor comes out of the situation(s) that the drag characters find themselves in, not because they're in drag.