Drag in The Performing Arts
There is a long history of drag in the performing arts, spanning a wide range of cultural as well as artistic traditions.
Drag in the theatre arts manifests two kinds of phenomenon. One is cross-dressing in the performance, which is part of the social history of theatre. The other is cross-dressing within the theatrical fiction (i.e. the character is a cross-dresser), which is part of literary history.
Drag is usually played for comic effect. Examples include the Monty Python Women and Tony and Jack (Curtis and Lemmon) in Some Like It Hot.
Read more about this topic: Drag (clothing)
Famous quotes containing the words performing arts, drag, performing and/or arts:
“More than in any other performing arts the lack of respect for acting seems to spring from the fact that every layman considers himself a valid critic.”
—Uta Hagen (b. 1919)
“Dying smokers sense
Walking towards them through some dappled park
As if on water that unfocused she
No match lit up, nor drag ever brought near....”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“And no one, it seemed, had had the presence of mind
To initiate proceedings or stop the wheel
From the number it was backing away from as it stopped:
It was performing prettily; the puncture stayed unseen....”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“The arts are not just instantaneous pleasure—if you don’t like it, the artist is wrong. I belong to the generation which says if you don’t like it, you don’t understand and you ought to find out.”
—John Drummond (b. 1934)