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Lea Delaria Is Naked
Higher Ground
Sun 16 Nov
Season closed
The first openly gay comic to appear on late night American television, Lea Delaria is an unnatural force. Beginning as a standup comic, and then landing supporting roles on television, Delaria went on to Broadway shows and then jazz. Several albums later and staring a Grammy nomination in the face, Delaria has crafted a polished cabaret show that melds the best of her many hats.
Gay or straight, Delaria's material is political, invigorating and deliberately confronting. At first reveling in the demise of George Dubya; "I didn't like being smarter than the President", Delaria then turns liberalism on its head by trashing gay marriage; "Why get married when we get to fuck who we want when we want. It's our perk". Delaria is also wary of soft acceptable gay product packaged for straight audiences such as 'Will And Grace' or 'The ' L' Word'; "There isn't a real lesbian among them".
Lamenting the demise of angry activism, Delaria longs for the day where lesbians were real feminists, reveling in their independence by sleeping with as many partners as possible. Punters were also treated to a fisting demonstration: no audience members were harmed in the process.
However the vocal performance was less assured. Delaria's jazz interpretation of The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd and Blondie's Call Me were inventive and intriguing and she proved a worthy chanteuse on You Don't Know What Love Is. However, there were either pitch or key signature difficulties on Porter's Night & Day and Arlen's The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea. The opener All That Jazz could have also done with a little more sass.
Nevertheless, Delaria is an excitement machine and the scintillating comedy alone was worth the price of admission.
Mal Byrne
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