Drag 3 Review

(L-R) Noah Beemer as “Dominic” Carl Haffner as “Alexander” and Christopher Lawrence-Menard as “Nicholas” are photographed on stage at the Kordazone Theatre. Photo courtesy of Christopher Lawrence-Menard

Madness, mayhem and fake identities. The Stevens family is right at home in Drag 3.

 

After receiving a letter stating their adopted son Dominic’s “bio dad” wants to meet him complete with social worker in tow, Alexander and Nicholas Dunn-Stevens fear their family may be torn apart. It doesn’t help that the social worker thinks Dominic is being raised by two straight parents.

 

Alexander, acting as the voice of reason, wants to correct the misunderstanding immediately. His husband Nicholas has another idea: give the social worker what they’re expecting to find.

 

Nothing could ever go wrong, right?

 

The result is unexpected unless you are a member of the Stevens’ family. Nicholas dons his drag attire to play the part of Dominic’s “mother” Alexandria and his brother Phillip wears a wig to play the part of Nicholas. Their father takes on the role of social worker when the real one winds up drugged with pills and pot brownies and Dominic’s stand-in principal and fellow Drag star Marissa turns bio-dad when the social worker finally comes round. Subplots appear until the whole Stevens’ performance begins to unravel.

 

All in all, Drag 3 is the definition of the word “unexpected.”

 

It’s also the definition of the word “family.” All of the Stevens’ mayhem wouldn’t have occurred had they not all been concerned about losing a cherished son.

 

“Drag 3, like the shows that preceded it, is about the bonds of family and love,” said writer and director of the Drag trilogy, Christopher Lawrence-Menard. “It’s about how far people will go to protect what they cherish, and how much farther they’ll go to try to understand something they can’t fathom when it’s affecting someone they love.”

 

Although Drag 3 is the concluding chapter on the Stevens’ family, Menard said you do not have to have seen the first two shows to understand or enjoy the third.

 

“Mostly, people say they wish they had seen the first two shows because they want more of this family, not because they didn’t understand what they were watching. Indeed, from the second the curtain opens this show is its own animal,” said Menard.

 

The 12 actor ensemble has changed a little over the course of the Drag trilogy’s three show run, but the message remains the same.

 

Pam Heil played the role of Rachel Stevens for all three Drag shows. She said it has been “fabulous” to work with the cast over the past three years.

 

“Everyone gets along really well and I think, as a cast, we have built a rapport with one another both on stage and off stage,” said Heil.

 

It is down to this family dynamic that Drag 3 comes across as so familiar and believable. Though we may not all resort to donning drag attire or drugging social workers in order to protect the ones we love, we can all relate on some level to the sense of trust and love that the Stevens family exudes. Menard said he wrote characters with traits and qualities he experienced in the people around him.

 

The script is awash with well-placed jokes, most of which are subtle. Although considered a comedy, Drag 3 has some well-written dramatic elements that tie in well with the theme of the play and leave the audience with a better understanding of the characters. In turn this winds up making them even more relatable.

 

Drag 3, like its predecessors, is part of the Windsor-Essex Pride Fest. Heil said the show has huge support from the gay and lesbian community.

 

The Kordazone Theatre itself is a homey space. Laid out like an old drama classroom, it features art work on the walls, dark curtains over the long windows and an assortment of various chairs, futons and couches.

 

The set design consists of two basic sets: that of the Stevens’ home, which doubles later as the Drag group’s dressing room, the front half of which is used for additional scenes in front of the curtain, and the runway which is featured as part of the club. The runway itself, which extends into the audience, is a great addition as it brings audience and actor together in the theatre experience.

 

“Korda is the home of Drag. We could do it on another stage, but this is ‘home turf’ for most if not all of the Drag 3 cast/crew,” said Clinton Hammond, who plays Phillip. “What I like best about performing Drag at Korda is the long thrust stage. I’m a fan of performing theatre in the audience’s faces, or even, in their laps so the closer I can get to them the more I like it.”

 

When it comes to the message that Drag 3 delivers to the audience, Hammond says the message is Live and let live, love and let love, be and let be.

The cast and crew of Drag 3 are photographed on stage at the Kordazone Theatre in Windsor. Photo courtesy of Christopher Lawrence-Menard