Out comedian, singer and actor Lea DeLaria is staring alongside Tony-nominated Broadway actor Andrea McArdle in the classic musical “Mame,” through May 19 at Media Theatre.
Starting in the roaring 1920s, “Mame” follows the eccentric and unconventional life of its titular character when she is entrusted with the care of her recently orphaned nephew. The story proceeds through her ups and downs through the Great Depression and World War II.
Amid the comedy and music, the story deals with that era’s issues of class warfare, economic crisis and bigotry.
Oh, how will modern audiences relate?
“It’s interesting that it was written so long ago and still every issue that they talk about is prevalent today,” DeLaria said.
DeLaria plays Vera Charles, the alcohol-fortified friend and frequent party guest of Auntie Mame.
“I think every gay man will be able to sing every line that she utters in the show,” she said. “It’s one of the great comedy roles in musical theater, and I’m really excited to portray her.”
She added that she and McArdle have known each other for years and are excited to be working together on such a classic piece of musical theater.
“Andrea and I have been friends for years,” she said. “We first met in ‘Broadway Leading Ladies’ at Carnegie Hall back in 1998. We’ve done many different benefits like that. It was really exciting when the idea occurred to us that I should play Vera. We made a couple phone calls and made it happen. So it’s great working with Andrea, I just adore her. We’re sort of the bad girls of Broadway as it is, so we’re really having a good time.”
The roles of Vera and Mame have been portrayed on stage and screen by many iconic actors, including Bea Arthur, Lucille Ball and Angela Lansbury.
Still, DeLaria said she has no reservations about stepping into Vera’s shoes.
“What’s difficult is trying not to try to be an imitation of that person who is just world-renowned in this role, which is Bea Arthur of course. I’m known for putting my own stamp on whatever musical-theater character I do. I always try to bring my own thing to it and make the role my own. I did a lot of research on it. I’m trying to look very ’20s and sound very east-side Manhattan in the way that I talk. It’s coming along really well. It’s more about not imitating them and being your own person. It’s an interesting challenge for me.”
But DeLaria is always up for a challenge. Besides being a successful stage and television actor, she also maintains a thrivingcareer as both a jazz singer and comedian. Aside from her role in “Mame,” she has a few new projects on the horizon.
“I have a new show that I’m working on very strongly called ‘The Last Butch Standing: Chronicles of an Old-School Butch in a Post-Ellen Modern Queer World.So I’m doing a lot of work standup-wise. Because of the kind of performer I am, I have to do a lot of things and I have to do them very well or I’m not going to make my bills. I love doing all of it and I have to say right now, knock on wood, I’m sought after. I’m doing well. I’m in a television series that will make its premiere in June. It’s a Netflix original series that takes place in a women’s prison called ’Orange is the New Black.’ And I’m doing ‘Mame.’ What I find is, I love being downstage center, belting a big song. The pure joy of having the real audience there clapping and laughing really drives me as a performer.”
When asked about “Orange is the New Black,” DeLaria assured us the TV will have people talking.
“Let me put it this way, we have a fisting scene in the pilot,” she said.
OK, we’re listening …
“Everyone talks about ‘L Word,’ ‘L Word,’ Schmel Word — we have a fisting scene in the showers in the pilot. That’s how we roll,” she said. “It’s sort of a comedic ‘Oz.’ It’s got fantastic writers. It’s got A-list stars: Jason Biggs, Laura Prepon and Kate Mulgrew are in the show. It’s gritty. It’s real. It’s honest. It’s hilariously funny. They’ve gone out of their way to get the best character actors in New York City, and we are having a ball. I play Big Boo; she’s so called because she’s got a lot of girlfriends. Any insane thing they want to do, they gave to my character. I had the best seven months doing it.”
DeLaria added that Netflix is poised to be the new frontier for cutting-edge television.
“This is the wave of the future of television. Everyone in this industry knows that. They know what they are doing. This is where television is going.” She said that knowing who you are as a performer and how the industry works, for better or worse, is the key to being successful.
“I’ve been a comedian for 30 years. When I started, there was maybe four openly gay comics. Now there’s a lot more. What made it hard for me was the sort of gay comic I was. I’m not Suzanne Westenhoefer. I’m not Ellen [DeGeneres]. I’m something else entirely, and that was kind of what got in my way, but it’s also the thing that made me stand out. It is also the reason why producers will pick me. If you spend a lot of time trying to appease the powers-that-be by not being who you are … I did that a little bit in the 1990s after I was the first openly gay comic on television. I tried to become what they wanted. I wore lipstick. I kept it up for about a year-and-a-half, and I was still only getting the roles of PE teachers and police lieutenants. I thought, Why the fuck am I doing this if they keep treat me like a butch dyke? I’m going to be who I am. The minute I went back to being who I was, I got millions of roles. That’s when I got [the role as Hildy the cab driver in] ‘On the Town,’ and that changed everything for me.”
For more information on Lea DeLaria, visit www.delariadammit.com. The Media Theatre presents “Mame” through May 19, 104 E. State St., Media. For more information or tickets, call 610-891-0100 or visit www.mediatheatre.org.