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A CurtainUp Review
Sisters, Such Devoted Sisters
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I was in the back of a halal butcher's meat truck, covered in offal. . .—Russell Barr
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Russell Barr in Sisters, Such Devoted Sisters
(Photo: George McLaughlin) |
Barr plays a Scottish drag queen, and the show is basically a long soliloquy about his strange and terrible life. Much of the life he describes is indeed terrible. Abusive ex-boyfriends, alcoholic parents, gay-bashing and drugs consume most of his young life.
Fortunately, Barr knows to carry along the momentum from the opening scene and he isn't self-pitying or self-aggrandizing at all. In fact, even the drag plays a smaller role than you would think. His story telling is straightforward and neither flamboyant or histrionic. He spends most of the play stripping off his drag outfit (created with panache by Studio Dante's costume and scenic designer Victoria Imperioli) and makeup, ending up in comfy pajamas and a pair of old socks. Every so often, Barr interrupts himself to engage with the audience. This is not so much audience participation as it is Barr drawing out key moments, by engaging in a staring contest or by sitting in someone's lap. (Warning: don't sit on the aisle if you want to avoid that sort of thing.) Toward the end of the play Barr turns that attention on himself, and draws out his physical reactions to bad memories with a shaking hand or a nervous itch.
The main weakness of this piece is that it lacks a larger context. To be sure, here's a character has led an eventful and interesting life, , but there's no real sense of character development or plot momentum. There isn't even a real ending. The play just stops, without closure or purpose. As directed by Michael Imperioli and performed by the author, it nevertheless makes for an interesting 70 minutes. Besides, it's not often you encounter a show about a non-dramatic drag queen —a Scottish one, at that.
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Sisters, Such Devoted Sisters Written and performed by Russell Barr Directed by Michael Imperioli Set & Costume Design: Victoria Imperioli Lighting Design: Tony Giovannetti Sound Design: David M. Lawson Running Time: Seventy minutes, with no intermission Studio Dante, 257 West 29th Street; 212-868-4444 Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm Tickets $35 From 1/23/08; opening 1/26/08; closing 2/16/08 Reviewed by Jenny Sandman based on January 23rd performance |
Try onlineseats.com for great seats to
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Wicked
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The Playbill Broadway YearBook
Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide