Mae West: Cat Fighting

On Monday, 10 July 2017 in England, "The Drag" written by MAE WEST was given a concert reading at London's National Theatre.  A few British theatre critics attended.
• • This is Part 2 of Tom Finch's very thorough stage review.
• • Stage Director:  Polly Stenham
• • Tom Finch wrote:  Watching this rehearsed reading, it is sometimes hard to remember this play is 90 years old. The bitchy cat fighting between the drag queens is straight out of an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. It is likely that this show had something to do with the largely male sold-out crowd that attended this one-off performance. Any good Drag Race fan will remember one queen’s impersonation of the late great Mae West, which reverberated her name and legacy throughout the gay community once more. Her play clearly shows how fiercely she believed that one’s sexuality was no more a choice than one’s eye colour. Something quite remarkable for the age.

• • Tom Finch wrote:  Director Polly Stenham assembled a great, diverse and occasionally gender-bending cast. Standouts included Tom Edden as a camper-than-Christmas servant Parsons and Yolanda Kettle as the beleaguered new bride Clair.  . . .
• • This was Part 2.  Part 3 will be posted tomorrow.
• • Source:  "The Drag" reviewed by Tom Finch; on Monday, 10 July 2017 in England.
• • On Sunday, 1 August 1971 • •
• • Mae West was featured in Parade Magazine in their issue dated for Sunday, 1 August 1971.    
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Frank Wallace, the man Mae West wed in April 1911 but ditched soon after, seemed to have the best memory in the world. Or so he convinced the Los Angeles reporter who sat down with him for a lengthy interview published in Singapore.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said:  "I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • An obituary mentioned Mae West.
• • Alexander Hall returned to Paramount, first as an assistant director and then as director. He moved on to RKO, Columbia and Universal Studios to direct many films, including “Little Miss Marker,” which presented Shirley Temple in her first feature role, and “My Little Chickadee,” which starred Mae West and W. C. Fields.   ...
• • Source:  Desert Sun Obit: "Alexander Hall Dies; Noted Movie Director"; published on Wednesday, 31 July 1968 
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 13th anniversary • •  
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past eleven years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 3,700 blog posts. Wow!   
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started thirteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 3756th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • her play "The Drag" 1927 • •
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