Men have been dressing as women on stage for hundreds of years,
dating back to the thirteenth century when the Church forbade the
appearance of female actors but condoned that of men and boys
disguised as the opposite sex. Forms of travestism can be traced
back to the dawn of theatre and are found in all corners of the
world, notably in China and Japan.
In recent years, of course, drag has witnessed a dramatic and
widespread revival. Newsday recently observed, People are talking
about all those fabulous heterosexual film idols who now can't seem
to wait to get tarted up in drag and do their screen bits as
fishnet queens. Drawing on a cinematic tradition popularized by
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot, Dustin Hoffman
(Tootsie) and Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire) have each delighted
mainstream audiences with their portrayals of women. Even former
drag queens have experience newfound fame; witness the recent
popularity of the late Divine, renowned for her oddly compelling
appearances in underground John Waters films.
Music, too, has been profoundly influenced by drag sensibility,
from David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Rocky Horror Picture Show
to Boy George and RuPaul (the self- proclaimed Supermodel of the
World).
Tracing drag tradition from the Golden Age of stage transvestism
during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I in England to the
current quasi-drag inclinations of American grunge bands, Drag is
an entertaining overview of this popular and complex medium.
General
Imprint: |
New York University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
1995 |
First published: |
1995 |
Authors: |
Roger Baker
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 27mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
312 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8147-1253-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Arts & Architecture >
Performing arts >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8147-1253-3 |
Barcode: |
9780814712535 |
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