at the Renberg Theatre
"Drag queen–monologuist–world savior" Coco Peru has been around the block quite a few times and wears her experiences well, able now to embrace the transcendent and the petty, often within the same heartbeat. She still wears her classic little A-line frock and signature red wig, the latter of which is looking sleeker than ever. Actually, Kathy Griffin's current hair looks very similar, which is no doubt one of the downsides of having an unerring sense of personal style and a modicum of fame: You become a template for others.
Clinton Leupp, the man beneath the mascara, has created an enviable life through Coco, but sometimes it's not quite clear which of the two—creator or creation—had all these experiences. Of course it's fun to think that it was brash, slightly vulgar Coco who married Rafael "in a castle in Spain on the Mediterranean" or first tried sushi at the behest of Bea Arthur, but one tends to picture Leupp unadorned in these situations. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Coco accompanying Liza Minnelli to see Barbra Streisand's concert and being introduced by Liza to Barbra backstage, which seems like the sort of event that should at least qualify for a footnote in gay history.
Michael Schiralli's direction is seamless. There's nothing about the production that doesn't look as if it springs directly from Coco. The night reviewed, Derek Kojak's sound design was a bit loud, which works against the performer's vocal limitations. Coco isn't a bad singer, but she's more about styling than quality, and when it's overmiked one tends to focus on the latter. Perhaps the most successful aspect of this show is the writing. Leupp has a way of tossing out about a million ideas and stories, and at first it looks like standup in heels. As the performer continues, however, first one thread and then the other are deftly picked up and woven together, and by the time it's over, elements as disparate as the Peter Pan ride at Disney World, drag as a calling, and a favorite stained-glass window at St. John the Divine synthesize into something that hearkens to the very root of theatre: storytelling as immanence.
Presented by the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center at the Renberg Theatre, The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Pl., L.A. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Oct. 5-21. (323) 860-7300. www.lagaycenter.org.
Reviewed by Wenzel Jones