yr_sissy_toy
Really Experienced
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2009
- Posts
- 156
I missed it yesterday, but one of the oldest and most famous drag queens passed away on Sunday.
Critics may have complained about the quality of his material, but they never denied his likeability on or offstage. To every performance he brought elegance, humour and glamour in an old-fashioned, overdressed style which (for all its mannered femininity) yielded unexpected dignity and charm. With sundry winks and nods and saucy asides, La Rue — all big brown eyes and hands-on-hip camp — took so much pleasure in his appearance and so much trouble to look glamorous that his actual performance could often seem an anticlimax.
Whether he sang, impersonated celebrities such as Marlene Dietrich, Carol Channing or Shirley Bassey (all close friends), or chatted directly to the audience, his costume was apt to swamp his personality. There was no attempt at sexual disguise. “I work in drag,” he used to say, “but I don’t want to be a drag queen. I’m a variety performer, and I never want people to forget that I’m a bloke in a frock.”
Whether he sang, impersonated celebrities such as Marlene Dietrich, Carol Channing or Shirley Bassey (all close friends), or chatted directly to the audience, his costume was apt to swamp his personality. There was no attempt at sexual disguise. “I work in drag,” he used to say, “but I don’t want to be a drag queen. I’m a variety performer, and I never want people to forget that I’m a bloke in a frock.”
