Lady Bunny is an old-school drag queen in the very best of ways. Shimmying onstage in a sixties-inspired orange and pink sequin mini trimmed in tulle, she drops one-liners, shade and political truth bombs with aplomb. She is utterly fearless. This queen knows who she is and what she stands for, pulling no punches in her gleefully transgressive show Hot Troll Summer.
A rant about the proliferation of drag queen story hours leads into a parody of "Adele's Rumor Has It" – with the hook "Drag queens aren't the people you're kids need to watch out for." The best drag queens aren't those with the most designer labels or showiest death drops but those who have something to say. Bunny has a lot to say. She does it with intelligence, wit and style. Much of the show is hysterically, unprintably filthy. Her version of Cardi B's WAP is too dirty to quote here but left us gasping with laughter. This was not a family-friendly show, and that's just the way the audience wanted it.
The penultimate number is a mega medley throwing epic shade at old Pal RuPaul and most of the queens who found fame on Drag Race. From Bianca Del Rio to Evie Oddly to Todrick Hall, no one is safe from her sharply observed musical jabs.
Hot Troll Summer is a blessed relief from our 24-hour news cycle, pointing up the insanity of times in which we live while giving us much to laugh about along the way.
"Hot Troll Summer"
Performed by Lady Bunny
June 19, July 2,July 5-6,2024
The Green Room 42 (570 Tenth Avenue at 42nd Street)
Wendy Lane Bailey has a powerful classic pop voice and a rather cavalier attitude towards the idea of genre. Wendy-Lane’s debut solo recording, Breathing, was produced by composer/arranger/pianist Michele Brourman. Her performances in venues across the country have earned critical praise for versatility and sophistication. She has appeared as a guest artist on multiple recordings, including Leslie Gore’s and Susan Egan’s. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, HB Studios and the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. Off-stage Wendy Lane is a creative advocate for artists. While living in Washington, D.C., she founded a regional networking organization for musicians and for five years, was the Associate Director of the Cabaret Conference at Yale University. She received a 2007 Bistro Award for outstanding achievement and was nominated for a Washington Area Music Association Award. While serving on the board of NJ’s Pioneer productions, she produced, directed, and appeared in several theatre pieces. She is currently developing Hot Coffee, MS, a solo theatre piece with music in collaboration with Michele Brourman & Gretchen Cryer. In 2020, she accepted the position of Assistant Artistic Director of the United Solo Theatre Festival. In addition to her performing work, she teaches and consults privately and in master classes for singers of all genres.
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