Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Transporting solo shows: Guy Masterson in A CHRISTMAS CAROL and Wade McCollum in MAKE ME GORGEOUS

• By drediman
• December 27, 2023
• No Comments

This holiday season, I had a chance to take in two vividly acted solo shows that transported me into their respective worlds. Here are my thoughts on them.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
SoHo Playhouse
Through December 30

First up at SoHo Playhouse, you’ll find Guy Masterson taking his crack at a one man stage rendition of A Christmas Carol (RECOMMENDED) — recent notable solo turns of the Dickens holiday classic include John Kevin Jones’ intimate performance at the Merchant’s House Museum and Tony-winner Jefferson Mayes’ more elaborate presentation on the Great White Way. So what distinguishes Masterson’s version — written and directed by Nick Hennegan — from those and other endeavors? First and foremost, Masterson (who also happened to direct The Shark Is Broken on Broadway earlier this season) and Hennegan make sure that the storytelling unfolds organically and takes care to focus on the details of Scrooge’s gradual existential shift — rather than simply honing in on the tale’s iconic scenes to appease theatergoers. Even if Masterson doesn’t quite have the same ease shapeshifting between the work’s myriad of characters, his is a muscular performance whose emotional payoff is well-earned. The production also distinguishes itself for its austere presentation, which places the focus more squarely on Dickens’ text.

MAKE ME GORGEOUS
Playhouse 46 at St. Luke’s
Through December 31

Then at Playhouse 46 at St. Luke’s, there’s Triangle Productions’ presentation of Make Me Gorgeous (RECOMMENDED) by Donald “Donnie” Horn and Wade McCollum. Performed with charisma and sass by McCollum, the solo show chronicles the rollercoaster life of one Kenneth/Kate Marlowe, a queer pioneer of the 20th century with whom many of us may not be familiar (I myself wasn’t). Throughout, the writing is entertaining and accessible, weaving in elements of cabaret, burlesque, and drag to both add variety to and comment on the parade of events of Marlowe’s busy life. As performed by McCollum, the audience is in imminently good hands. Indeed, the multi-talented actor gives a virtuosic, meticulously calibrated performance that threatens to tip the balance of the play. But not quite. In the end, Make Me Gorgeous — which has been given an immersive cabaret inspired staging — comes together as a compelling portrait not only of Marlowe, but also the generation of gays that he/she very much likely influenced with their irrepressible fabulousness.