Actor, screenwriter, playwright and drag legend, Charles Busch, brings his eclectic show, A Divine Evening With Charles Busch, to the Red Room Cabaret starting January 5th. New York Times critic Stephen Holden wrote about Busch, “He has the gift of comic gab like few other entertainers. Innately funny, endearing and acutely intelligent, he also has claws. For an audience, the possibility of being scratched, although remote, lends his humor a bracing edge. ”
This show features outstanding comedy along with contemporary and classic songs. Busch is accompanied by his dashing longtime musical director, Tom Judson. Busch combines hilarious personal reminiscence, character sketches and superb storytelling through song into a glittering and glamorous evening of cabaret.
Charles Busch is known for his appearances on stage in his own camp-style plays and in film and television. He wrote and starred in his early off broadway plays beginning in 1978, usually in drag roles, and also acted in the works of other playwrights. He wrote and acted in television and films and on television in the late 1990s. His best known play is The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (2000), which was a Broadway success.
Busch’s style is based on movie star acting rather than naturalistic femininity. He specializes in femmes fatales. “I’m an actor playing a role, but it’s drag. A lot of drag can be very offensive, but I like to think that in some crazy way the women I play are feminist heroines.” Busch said, “I’ve always played a duality. I guess I’ve always felt a duality in myself: elegance and vulgarity. There’s humor in that. I’ve always found that fun on stage, as well. It’s the duality that I find interesting.” Busch generally writes without a political agenda, and he predominantly portrays characters who are white, middle class, gay, and between 20 and 40 years old.
He received the Charlie Local and National Comedy Award from the Association of Comedy Artists in 1985 for “special contributions to the art of comedy.” He also received the Manhattan Academy of Cabaret Award in 1985 and 1993. He has been twice nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor (Shanghai Moon and Die Mommie Die) and in 2003 received a Drama Desk Career Achievement award for his work as performer and playwright. In 2003, he won the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival for his performance in the film Die Mommie Die! For The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Busch won the Outer Critics Circle John L. Gassner Playwriting Award and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. He has been honored with a star on the Playwright’s Walk of Fame in New York City and the Legend Award by the Off-Broadway League of Theatres.
Puerto Vallarta is thrilled to welcome entertainer extraordinaire, Charles Busch, with Tom Judson at the piano, for 4 nights only Jan 5, 6, 7 and 8 at 9:30 pm at the Red Room, with an opening night party Jan 5th at 8 pm.
The Red Room Cabaret at ACT II Stages is located on the corner of Insurgentes and Basilio Badillo on the South side of Puerto Vallarta. Tickets are on sale at the STAGES box office or online at http://vallartatickets.com.
