Friday, August 31, 2007
Beauty pageant season might be over with, but it’s not stopping the theater department from bringing back one of its most popular shows. “Pageant: The Musical,” which features its six leading male stars in drag, began a second go-around Thursday night after a successful summer run. The show will run through Sunday.
“Over the summer, we sold out every performance; we just knew people wanted to see it,” said Charla Jenkins, public relations director of the theater department. Thursday night’s performance sold out, and tonight’s show has sold out as well.
KANSAN
Spencer Holdren, Topeka senior, and Robbie Gordy, Omaha, Neb., junior, prepare for last night's sold-out performance of "Pageant" at Murphy Hall. The show will run Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Bill Russell, director and cowriter of “Pageant,” said he hoped the second run would give people who haven’t seen the show during the summer a chance to watch.
“I was thrilled when it was decided to bring it back,” Russell said. “Over the summer, we turned away a lot of people at each show who wanted to buy tickets. We knew there were a lot of people who still wanted to see it and this gives students who weren’t here over the summer the opportunity to see it as well.”
Russell said the idea to make “Pageant” was something he wasn’t interested in at first, but he was inspired by friends in theater who were touring with the show “42nd Street.”
“They got bored and put together this pageant where they were in drag,” he said. “Someone suggested making it into a show. So they sent me a videotape and I was on the floor laughing — I thought it was hilarious.”
The cast consists of six males who will dress in full drag as beauty pageant contestants. The show picks a different “Pageant” winner each performance, so the ending is always different from the last show.
“These men are dressed entirely like women,” Jenkins said. “From makeup, wigs, fishnet stockings, they make for good looking women. And they all get into character so well — when I see one of them with a baseball cap on around the building, it’s hard to think it’s the same person who was a Miss Texas throwing a fit during the show.”
Russell said that the show was more than just men in drag, and it took a great deal of skill from the performers.
“This show is very demanding for the actors,” Russell said. “They all have to sing and act in high heels, which is hard if you’re not used to it. The show was challenging, but all of these guys have risen to the occasion.”
“Pageant” tickets have been on sale for the past few weeks and have been selling well so far. Linda Hope, theater department audience services manager, said ticket sales had been brisk since the show was announced.
“This summer every show sold out because it’s such a delightful show and now the word is out,” Hope said. “This time, we’re seeing people coming back who saw it over the summer, and I don’t remember that ever happening before.”
Limited seating is still available for the shows on Saturday and Sunday in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall. Tickets cost $10 for students and $15 for the general public, and they are available from the University Theatre, the Lied Center and Student Union Activities.
—Edited by Jeff Briscoe
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