Tender and upbeat, THE LADY IN QUESTION IS CHARLES BUSCH is the affectionate and entertaining tribute to actor, writer, drag performer, and glamorous leading lady Charles Busch. From a tragic, lonely childhood lived through classic Hollywood films, to writing and starring in the riotous and raw Off-Broadway hit "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" at a gloriously rundown theater in theEast Villate, to giant success on Broadway and Hollywood with such hits as Die Mommy Die!, the film wonderfully casts Buschs fascinating life as a turbulent and triumphant "drag to riches story" (Village Voice). Expertly cut with awe-inspiring performances of Busch channeling the great female actors of classic Hollywood, the film also intertwines interviews with admirers and renowned colleagues who are charmingly eccentric characters themselves, and an original short film made by Busch about his near-death experience. Directed by award-winning directors John Catania and Charles Ignacio, the film roars as an informative, graceful, and energetic reflection on themes of success and failure, gender, sexuality, and the magic of theater. A must-see for theater fans and the uninitiated alike, THE LADY IN QUESTION IS CHARLES BUSCH makes for a worthy tribute to a true gay icon. DVD Features: Featurettes: 1980s East Village Scene" & "Taboo Broadway Opening"; Photo Galleries: Fabulous Fashions & Set Design, East Village Stage & Streets; Theatre-in-Limbo Clips; Short Film Her Royal Escape to Love (2005); In the Life Backstory; Filmmaker Biographies; Charles Busch Biography & Filmography; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection
Playwright and drag grand dame Charles Busch had a classic showbiz life: After early tragedy (his mother died when he was seven) and a bit of floundering, a play begun as a lark--Vampire Lesbians of Sodom--becomes a camp sensation, moving from a hole-in-the-wall club in New York's East Village to an off-Broadway run, launching a vital gay theater with a close-knit family of performers who produce wild comedies with names like Theodora, She-Bitch of Byzantium and Pardon My Inquisition, or, Kiss the Blood Off My Castanets. This adoring documentary mixes video of Busch's stage successes with interviews with Busch and his cohorts, tracing the rise and decline of Busch's troupe (including the deaths of core actors from AIDS), and reveling in Busch's mainstream success with the non-camp play The Allergist's Wife and movie versions of his stage hits Psycho Beach Party and Die, Mommie, Die!. Busch delivers performances that simultaneously mock and celebrate the raging egos and stylized emotions of old Hollywood glamour queens like Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck. Though theater translates poorly to video, The Lady in Question is Charles Busch communicates a whiff of the madcap inspiration of Busch's stage work and provides a detailed, affectionate portrait of this ingenious writer/performer. --Bret Fetzer
