Charles Busch on abandoning face lift tape, Cole Escola’s star turn, and Joan Rivers’ famous clapback
A Doll’s House and Ghosts among them — pushed the boundaries of social mores. And nobody knows how to do that better than actor, playwright, cabaret performer, and drag legend Charles Busch.Busch has written and starred in more than 25 plays, including the long-running Psycho Beach Party, Die Mommie Die, and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.
But he’s also fascinated with the classics and currently turns his gaze on the Norwegian poet and dramatist in Ibsen’s Ghost, imagining what life might be like for his widow Suzannah.
Busch reunites longtime collaborators, including director Carl Andress and a colorful ensemble adept at chewing scenic designer Shoko Kambara’s parlor room setting.
Exquisitely dressed to mourn and beguile in Gregory Gale’s costumes, he’s a master of the raised eyebrow and titled chin — a drag original that has laid the foundation for RuPaul alums like Jinkx Monsoon and Bianca Del Rio.
