By Michele Markarian
Wig Out – Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Directed by Summer L. Williams. Presented by Company One Theatre, in collaboration with American Repertory Theater as part of the Oberon Presents Series, at Oberon, 2 Arrow St. Cambridge, MA through May 13.
There’s nothing worse than the feeling of world-weary, convinced that life at large has no more worlds to offer up, after the first flush of youth. For those convinced they’ve seen and done it all, and even for those who haven’t, “Wig Out” is an electrifying and eye-opening glimpse into the world of queer color and drag that as a cysgender white female, I knew little about. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, co-writer of the Oscar-winning film “Moonlight” and superbly directed by Summer L. Williams, “Wig Out” is not only a theatrical event, but an experience.
The families, or Houses, of Di’Abolique and Light have been furiously competing forever, through their midnight drag Balls. The House of Di’Abolique, comprised of Loki (the fiery and flexible Shawn Verrier) and Serena (the imposing and very funny Nick Dussault) has been accused of cheating, always challenging the House of Light to a Ball at the last minute, when they themselves have been preparing in secret for weeks. Much is at stake with the Balls; for example, a contestant can be “chopped” at any given moment, meaning they are disqualified. When once again, the House of Di’Abolique challenges the House of Light, last minute, to a midnight Ball, the House of Light is thrown into a tizzy.
Emotions are running high. Venus (Dev Blair) or “Venus with a Penis”, as her grandmother proclaimed, and Deity (Trinidad Ramkissoon) are broken up, much to Deity’s dismay. Wilson/Ms. Nina (Miles Jordan) has a burgeoning relationship with Eric (Deen Rawlins), who is attracted to Wilson but unsure about Ms. Nina. Rey-Rey, the Mother of the House of Light, is being undermined by the Father, Lucien (Juan Carlos Pinedo). The Three Fates, Fay (Krystal Hernandez), Faith (Ally Dawson) and Fate (Aliyah Harris) echo the emotional tone of the House with song, and underline it by reciting stage directions.
It’s a fast-paced, provocative and sexy piece of theater, peppered with lines like, “Not until you act your age. Or at least your penis size”. Or the phrase, “FPT” (Faggot People Time. Which means late). What’s terrific is the staging – Williams has a lot of the dialogue taking place across the large room at Oberon, which gave this reviewer the sense that we were in the middle of the piece, sandwiched by the action. It’s an exciting way to bear witness. The acting is also terrific. Pinedo is charming malevolence himself – his nefarious, dysfunctional Lucien delivers the nastiest lines with a tight little smile. Monroe’s Rey-Rey is dignified and splendid. Blair is gorgeous and haughty as Venus. Jordan gives a sensitive performance as both Wilson and Ms. Nina. Ramkissoon has an open, likeable charm. Rawlins is affable as the confused Eric. Dussault has some scene-stealing numbers as Serena – his demeanor, and Verrier’s physicality, set to “White Rabbit”, is well worth the price of admission. And his opening monologue to Act II, much of what seemed improvised, is hilarious. The vocals of the Fates throughout are beautiful.
The drag world of “Wig Out’ has a vocabulary all its own, which is very helpfully located in the show’s program. A House, it turns out, can be another word for family, and the House of Light is both a comforting and cruel one. Lucien is the manipulative ringleader. When he scolds Ms. Nina for having sex with Eric as Wilson, telling him that he had to be Ms. Nina full time, I thought, “Wow, this is as narrow as expecting someone to be heterosexual”. Wilson/Ms. Nina is admittedly undecided; why not let Wilson surface on occasion? Isn’t that the point of acceptance? And Lucien’s treatment of Rey-Rey, is cruel, sacrificing her dignity for youth and beauty. That said, each member of the House of Light is committed to being there, so who am I to judge?
Many of the audience members seemed to know this world and its language well, laughing at words and phrases that were foreign to me. “I don’t understand a lot of this. But I like it,” said my theater companion. I liked it, too. And if you’re looking for new worlds to discover, look no further than this spectacular piece of theater. For more information and tickets, go to: https://companyone.org/
