“It honors the last show that we did and it is a completely different show. I asked Joosten if the show has changed much since. The first run of Queer Eye: The Musical Parody played to sold-out audiences in a pre-pandemic 2019. Everybody there is just trying to find the happiest version of themselves.” “The villain is societal expectations, and trying to just find the true person within that gets to shine. This particular show to me made a lot of sense to parody because there is no true human villain (in it),” Joosten explained. “I believe in musical theater that you are obligated to tell an honest story.
I would suggest that anybody that’s comfortable turning on their radio is going to find something to like about the music in this show.”īut: “Can the pleasure of watching gay men crush the patriarchy one makeover at a time be enhanced with music?” I asked, clearly just unable to let this go. We make fun of many musical theater tropes, but the music does not feel like Rodgers and Hammerstein 2.0. “In the same way that we set out to honor the people that we are parodying, the music for this show is meant to honor lots of people’s different tastes. One question I asked myself, and then, somewhat rudely, asked talented composer/music director/lyricist/orchestrator Heidi Joosten was, “Can my love of the Fab Five (and their relentless shenanigans) override my fight-or-flight urge when that first actor belts out a tune?” Joosten politely described her faith in the show’s ability to win me over. Why not angrily journal or call a friend instead? So you see, this is why Queer Eye: The Musical Parody is the perfect conundrum for me. Yes, it is ironic that I accept the blithe Queer Eye story line, yet can’t suspend my disbelief during musicals long enough to imagine how folks might opt to express their feelings in song. With a few exceptions ( Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Grease), my avoidance of musicals is palpable for a theater critic. Unless you happen to know my opinion on musicals. I have seen every episode of Queer Eye, in all iterations, from the somewhat directionless Queer Eye: We’re in Japan!, to Queer Eye: Germany (where all of the experts were swapped out with actual German people).Īnd so when I heard that Second City was mounting Queer Eye: The Musical Parody right here in my hometown, and in time for Pride Month, picture my joy. That is why I have loved Queer Eye, uncritically accepting its absurd premise-the one where five visibly queer people turn up in American towns, pop up in the life of their subject like a storm front, cheerfully ignore stunned locals, and joyously improve the confidence, setting, and curb appeal of an individual who may have voted for the limitation of their human rights.ĭo I sound cynical? Let me assure you I am not. Taken in correct doses (binged), the Fab Five can act as a balm against the relentless news cycle or any feelings one might catch about humanity as a whole sucking.
The show embraced its mission with the same corny if joyous earnestness, and also added a layer of diversity (and made many of our hopes come true) by inviting in non-cis and queer people for makeovers at last. The even more popular reboot of the show (2018) was almost a parody of its former iteration, all while taking things further in a good way by modeling emotional intelligence, radical acceptance, and owning trans identities. Through 8/28: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 7 PM Second City UP Comedy Club, 230 W. The idea was to gently hug and shoo away toxic masculinity in favor of a friendlier, rowdier, albeit more organized-and often more gentrified-life experience.
The trope of gay men who really have their shit together (around grooming, decor, emotional regulation, and cookery) was played out as a fantasy that challenged historically cis-male obliviousness on a case-by-case basis.
One straight guy at a time,” hence offering up some skills to thrive on their reality TV show. This divide is certainly not new-the original Queer Eye cast tried to bridge the gap between queers and straights back in 2003 by being “Out to make over the world. One polarity being heightened not just in social media, but also in government chambers and around dinner tables, is the divide between LGBTQ+ people and the cisgender straights.
If you spend any time breathing, you may have noticed polarities everywhere these days, most emanating from a belief gulf that is exponentially widening between conservatives and liberals with every Twitter post.
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