I could have watched a show about Candi’s (Kandi?) life for, like, an hour. Call it Inglourious Bitches and you’ve got a full piece (and an inkling of its premise). The show’s strongest with witty dialogue, delivered by a top-notch cast of seasoned comedians. It hits with one liners and an ability to play up absurd situations. Along with Lackos, Johnson, and Schneider the cast is rounded out with Sarah Hoffman, Michael Jordan, Erin Lann, and Eric Oren who all perform double duty as secondary characters, extras, and foils for Peter and Brooke. Lackos comes from the sketch world - he has been writing and performing in Chicago for four years, recently with the group Delirious Confetti, and met Director Jen Ellison through the writing program at Second City - and it shows at times. The writing is clever and punchy and the scenes feel a little isolated from each other, at times quilted together, which is why I found myself occasionally asking why drag? Why now? Instead a better why is asked: why place yourself in the target of ridicule for your art? Why, and how, are you initially moved to the extremes of your creative field when all of societal norms ask you to please refrain? While the question isn't fully answered in Don't Be A Drag, it’s clear that the playwright is cognizant of these issues and I’m looking forward to future works as he grows as a playwright.
Forget why for a moment, who should go see this? You, you 20 somethings. You quirky persons and you safe souls. For anyone who’s still figuring out the best way to express themselves, come find one person who found it in drag.
