Many think of the Roaring ’20s as being filled with flashy clothes and cars, glamorous parties, and the story of “The Great Gatsby.” But what was happening with the queer culture during such an idolized era?
EgoPo’s production of “The Drag,” which will run Jan. 31-Feb. 9 at the Christ Church Neighborhood House, retells the story of gay life and the enforcement of power dynamics between men and women during that era.
Mae West created the original show, but the story was done in collaboration with the queer underground to more authentically tell the story of the queer community during the 1920s. In the retelling, tradition follows and cast members Eli Lynn and Max Vasapoli told PGN about their experiences in having their stories reflected in a piece of history.
“We want the performance to show resilience, that we want to live authentically and have rights, be humanized, we want it light but with a heavy message,” said Vasapoli, an Indigenous Latiné nonbinary artist who takes on dual roles as Barbara and Kate.
Lynn — a trans nonbinary actor — plays the role of Rolly, a closeted gay cisgender man, in their EgoPo debut.
“Rolly makes toxic and damaging decisions in an attempt to protect himself,’ Lynn said. “I had to look back at the younger version of myself, since I was also making similar decisions [as Rolly did] at any glimpse of visible danger of exposing my identity.”
Since “The Drag” reflects the life of the queer community in the 1920s, Lynn spoke about how the show will also reflect modern-day queer culture.
“The adaptation is more stylistic and less modern,” Lynn said. “We’re still vulnerable and real with our stories but it includes the heightened styles of the ’20s.”
Vasapoli added that the play also unpacks the “truth about the power dynamics of men and women,” in particular when it comes to the character, Barbara.
“Barbara is about figuring out details and having a great sense of knowledge but can’t be forthcoming,” Vasapoli said.
In modern times, we like to think about how far we’ve come from the treatment of the queer community in the Roaring ’20s. But through revisiting West’s classic story, it became evident that not much has really changed — many people still think about and treat the queer community in much the same way. Lynn and Vasapoli both highlight the importance of reconceptualizing the performance during this time.
“It brings up a lot of self-reflection on queer ancestry [and] our lineage,” Lynn said. “For the audience, [it shows] complicated people doing their best and doing it fabulously, and of course, evokes empathy and leaves the audience to contemplate the performance.”
“The Drag” will run Jan 31-Feb. 9 at the Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.egopo.org or call 267-273-1414.