Charles Ludlam Lives!

In the 70s and 80s Charles Ludlam was the incomparable out gay actor, director and playwright of the fabled Ridiculous Theatrical Theater in New York. He defined a template of queer aesthetics, with biting social satires, epic tragedies, comedia delle arte buffoonery and a large dose of avant garde gay camp. His troupe of players busted down every convention of the theater with a kaleidoscopic queer lens. Nothing was sacred. Ludlam was our Moliere.

Ludlam was also becoming a mainstream success in demand as an actor (The Big Easy, Miami Vice) and as a director, he was slated to direct Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" for Joseph Papp's Public Theater and had already directed two productions for Santa Fe Opera. When Ludlam died of AIDS related complications at age 44, his obituary ran on the front page of the New York Times.

His legacy is the subject of Sean Edgecomb's book "Charles Ludlam Lives!" Edgecomb explores Ludlam's his impact on this generation's accomplished queer theatricals -- Charles Busch, Bradford Louryk and Taylor Mac -- proponents and innovators in a new era of GLBTQ cultural visibility.

Edgecomb is professor of theater at the College of Staten Island, New York (CUNY) and he is authoritative, as he articulates from a theater lit standpoint, largely undiscovered country.

The main chapters (presented or Acts) "More Excitement! More Glamour! More Wigs!" "Not Just Any Woman" and "The Determined Trickster" examine the careers and artistic goals of Busch, Louryk and Mac, highlighted with interviews with them. At its best, it is lively discourse about their 'genderfuck' theatrics as powerful artistic and reflection of GLBTQ diaspora.

It is also a fun homage to the great Charles Ludlam, a brilliant dramatist and actor who refined his craft in many genres -- From his virtuosic multi-roles in "The Mystery of Irma Vep" (playing opposite his lover Everett Quinton) to "Galas," his portrait of a doomed diva ala Maria Callas, not to mention his most legendary performance as Camille, in which he channeled Greta Garbo. Camille was often mischaracterized in the straight press, diminutively, as drag act, but his performance was more comparable a classical actresses tackling Hamlet. His performances, playing men or women,were completely naturalized as full characterizations.

Ludlam's indelible legacy continues to be creative inspiration with a new generation of queer theatricals. For students and professionals who like to discuss acting and performing, this is a feast, as it focuses on aspects of genderfuck drag theatrics with three master practitioners. For others, be warned that Edgecomb can get bogged down with academic terms and circular analytics that can get nuanced that the main point is lost. Some of the material in his lengthy introduction, for instance, might have better served his thesis in a cross-referenced appendix.

"Charles Ludlam Lives!"
Charles Busch, Bradford Louryk, Taylor Mac, and the Queer Legacy of the Ridiculous
Sean F. Edgecomb
University of Michigan Press | www.press.umich.edu
$24.95