So off off Broadway that it’s in Toronto; Loverboy was invited to take a peek of the modern pavement of the yellow brick road in a sultry adaptation of The Wizard of Oz entitled ‘Ruby Red Burlesque’. We sat, we drank, and we watched as our childhood was revamped and queered-the-house-down-boots.
Writer/Director Cameron Chase’s rehashing of the L. Frank Baum story has explored many new facets of the colourful Land of Oz, taking some of the well-known characters and viewing them through Queer-coloured glasses. A genderless Scarecrow replaced with a Ragdoll, an S&M Tin Woman, a sexually charged Cowardly Lioness and a buxom Dorothy. These characters, married with the classical notions of Burlesque, offered a very left-skewed take on a story that is so staunchly right.
Much like midnight viewings of ‘Rocky Horror’, ‘Ruby Red Burlesque’ enticed audience participation. The public were invited onstage to assist in game show-like skits where you could become Dorothy’s new BFF. Loverboy was even hoisted onstage and attempted to give a sexy growl, only for it to turn into a hacking bingo cough…truly erotic. The only issue with setting a show requiring audience participation in a space as grand as The Randolf Theatre was that you really want somewhere more intimate. A cabaret would have done wonders and leant itself to the grittiness of the show.
The staging was well thought out – keeping it perfectly minimal yet projecting clever video elements onto the screen at the back of the stage. A smart way of creating new environments without having to rely on stagehands running in and out of the wings. The soundtrack was fantastic, consisting of both popular songs and original pieces. It was all performed live wonderfully onstage, only adding to the cabaret vibe of the show. If there were a soundtrack available to buy at the interval I would have gladly picked up a few.
Although the dialogue in the show was a little clunky and the story seemed to be unclear at times, time was spent focusing on the important things. The most notable aspect of the show was how body inclusive it was. There was no need to rely on the Hollywood trope of the ‘perfect’ body to put asses in the seats. A rainbow of ethnicities, sizes, genders and sexual orientations as bright as Oz filled the stage, which was refreshing; a smart and no doubt conscience effort made by the director that paid off. The absolute stand-out moment was the introduction to the Emerald City, presented as a snooty ‘It’ club for the ‘who’s who’ of Oz. Upon arrival we are greeted with a desperate, social climbing, Glenda The Good Witch, trying to sweet talk the bouncer – we’ve all been there, honey. It was only upon entry of the City that we realized Oz was not a giant metropolis but a pansexual disco featuring a stand out performance from a sexually adventurous, queer OZ.
On the whole, the show was entertaining and a fun viewing experience. Fun costumes, a fantastic cast, great production and fab music. With a bit of rewriting to the script it could become a classic. Ruby Red Burlesque reminded us a lot of queer cinema – it has the ability to be a bit more polished but the bravery in the experimentation and the heart behind it is what truly come through in the end.
Oh, and they made a Mariah reference, instant bonus point! Ker-ching!
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Photos shot by: Roman Laufer
