Three drag queens have come to save America, one show tune at a time!
To Wong Foo the Musical is based on the 1995 cult-classic film, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, written by multiple Tony Award-nominee Douglas Carter Beane and featuring an all-star cast including Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing, Robin Williams, and, of course, RuPaul.
Beane had originally written the story for the stage and retained stage rights when the screenplay was produced. The musical adaptation was workshopped by The American Academy of Dramatic Arts’s (aka The Academy) New York Company in 2017, where it was written and directed by Beane, with music by Lewis Flinn. It was originally meant for Broadway but has instead premiered in Manchester!
Set in 90s New York, To Wong Foo The Musical tells the story of three drag queens, Vida, Noxeema and Chichi, who embark on a trip across America to attend the Drag Queen of the Year Finals in Hollywood. When their car breaks down in Middle America, their lives, as well as those in the town, are turned upside down, in this joyous, heartfelt and high-camp musical extravaganza!
It sounds kinda similar to the cult film and hit musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert, right?
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was also released in 1994 and became an international and critical hit. To Wong Foo shares certain plot details with Priscilla, which also concerns two drag queens and a transgender woman on a road trip who manage to win over the locals of a small town.
Despite the similarities, To Wong Foo had already been in production by the time Priscilla was released. The crew of Priscilla had heard about the film while shooting their own, and though a producer was initially worried the films might be too similar, after reading To Wong Foo’s script, producers decided it was sufficiently different from Priscilla.
The success of Priscilla, along with the popularity of drag queens like RuPaul and the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, is credited with helping pave the way for To Wong Foo.
The cast of To Wong Foo the Musical includes Peter Caulfield, whose TV appearances include Cucumber, I Hate Suzie, and EastEnders. Onstage, he is known for shows such as Our House and Enron.
Gregory Haney has starred in lots of notable productions, including the original cast of Bring It On in the US.
Rounding off the central trio is Pablo Gómez Jones, who recently starred in the original cast of In Dreams.
Also in the cast is Carolyn Maitland, known for starring in the musicals Groundhog Day and Rags.
Those that know and love the film can expect all of those brilliant one-liners, supported by a score that is a little bit club, a little bit country, a little bit musical theatre, but a whole lot of attitude!
To Wong Foo the Musical runs at Hope Mill Theatre from October 21 to December 17.
JADAR 