If you’re easily offended, then I wouldn’t bother reading on, because you’re not going to want to see this show. RuPaul’s best friend – soz, Michelle – drag veteran and wearer of wigs that are approximately as high as Trump Tower, Lady Bunny, is back in town with a second run of Trans-Jester, a tirade against issues of political correctness being prioritised over actual issues.
A legend who has inspired the shadier side of drag – Bianca Del Rio, we’re looking at you – the queen has got has got a bee in her beehive about political correctness and she’s not afraid to bang on about it. In the lady’s own words, ‘are we going to make Dick Van Dyke change his name to Penis Van Lesbian?’
Lady Bunny is problematic, but proudly so. There’s nothing that’s off limits; with four scourges of the earth – rape, diarrhoea, Oscar Pistorius, and of course Caitlyn Jenner – all punchlines. But underlying the foul jokes is the argument that the LGBT+ community shouldn’t be divided by linguistics, because there are bigger things to worry about than labels and pronouns, things like being able to use a loo in North Carolina.
Famously foul-mouthed, she makes brilliant use of the pop canon of Prince, Katy Perry, Britney and Adele by rewriting their lyrics to sing home her message, and insult everyone in the process. And that includes herself – she even wheels out a brutal message recorded for her birthday by the great Joan Rivers, aiming to prove that she can take it as well as dish it out.
The issue is that she spends too much time defending her right to be offensive – it’s a little ranty and reminiscent of an irritating pub landlord who would tell you that it’s ‘all political correctness gone mad’ and then preface his next sentence with ‘I’m not racist but…’ A lifelong activist, she doesn’t want you to think badly of her, but if you’re going to be a cunt, then you should own your cuntiness.