Customer Reviews

The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This documentary about the drag legend Charles Busch is a very interesting look at the life of this very entertaining performer. It traces Busch's life from childhood, through his humble beginnings doing raw theater, through the present, in which he has done movies and had more mainstream Broadway ventures.

I have adored Charles Busch and his work since I stumbled across his 2000 film Psycho Beach Party. Since then, I have seen his work on the acclaimed HBO drama Oz as well as his most recent film, Die Mommie Die. Busch is a fascinating persona, larger than life, yet very real and easily understood.

One of the things that surprised me was the fact that this documentary was made at least 2 or 3 years ago, but is just being released now. Therefore, there is nothing very recent mentioned as far as new projects Busch is working on. Also, the clips of his early 1980s stage plays were wonderful, but I really wanted to see more of this rare footage. They do not spend nearly enough time on these aspects of his career. The 90 minute running time of the documentary seems to skip over things it shouldn't and linger on things that aren't as interesting. But overall, it's definitely something I'm glad I have added to my Charles Busch collection.

The extra features include a short black and white film done specifically for the documentary. I was very excited to see this listed on the back of the case, but I was disappointed when viewing it as it is a silent film, made is the style of the 1920s and Mr. Busch is not as captivating when you can't hear his performance. There are also more snippets of his early plays, but not nearly enough of them.

Docurama has done a fine job with this DVD presentation, but it is not the outstanding work I was hoping for.

For anyone who loves Charles Busch (and I do), this documentary about his life and work is absolutely required viewing, especially since as extras it includes some videotaped excerpts from his plays, including VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM, PSYCHO BEACH PARTY, THE LADY IN QUESTION and RED SCARE ON SUNSET (from which I draw my title). The documentary might be a bit puzzling to someone who had not seen the films made from Busch's PSYCHO BEACH PARTY or DIE, MOMMIE, DIE!, given that there are perhaps not enough clips of Busch performing; and the documentary makers use an artificial dramatic arc climaxing with the sudden surgery that Busch had to undergo for a ripped aorta that feels a bit heavy-handed as presented here. (Certainly Busch's life was in serious jeopardy at the time, but he did come through it with flying colors.) yet why quibble, given that over an hour spent in the company of the gifted, funny, and always gracious Charles Busch is like an invitation to heaven? And the film also gives terrific background material about his lonely childhood, his wonderful Aunt Lillian who changed his life, and the many close friends and colleagues who worked with him at theatre-in-Limbo (including Kenneth Elliott, Judy Halston and Andy Halliday, all of whom are interviewed for this documentary, and Meghan Robinson and Robert Carey, both of whom sadly died not long after the opening of THE LADY IN QUESTION). There's also a new silent film short starring Busch, HER ROYAL ESCAPE TO LOVE, shot largely at Belvedere Castle in Central Park, that's intercut with the footage here and also stands on its own as an extra. if you're a fan of Busch, you won't be able to resist; if you're not, you need to see PSYCHO BEACH PARTY so you can become one, and THEN see this documentary.

Charles Busch is a comic genius. This wonderful documentary well serves it's briliant subject. Best of all there are rare clips from the original productions of his plays. The extras include MORE clips from the plays, as well as a wonderful short film. This is the nextbest thing to hanging out with Charles Busch himself.

it may overstate his importance in the theater world BUT he deserves to be recognized for achieving the level of success that he has...letting his freak flag fly.

Charles Busch has a flair that's pure genious. Like all good parody it's rapier sharp with just enough camp to take the edge off. He spoke at the Image Out film festival in Rochester, NY last year where his film had already won the hearts of the audience. You can't loose with him.

I had never heard of Charles Busch until I saw this DVD on Amazon. I have a keen interest in theatre and it looked intriguing so I ordered it and watched it (twice).
This documentary gives you an excellent introduction to Charles Busch - who he is, and what he's done.
I have to say that the old video footage shot in the 1980s and 1990s is PRICELESS. There is a lot of these old video tapes edited into this documentary. The tapes show Charles doing his one man show, and show many of the actual stage productions of the plays he wrote and starred in. This footage is REAL theatre history. It shows an actor/writer go from being a very young man doing a one man show in way way way off Broadway venues, to being the creator of a theatre company in the East Village in New York in the early 80s doing campy movie parodies in drag, to being the playwright of a hugely succesful Broadway comedy and a major stage musical. Intercut with all this archival video footage are interveriews with Charles Busch and the members of his theatre company who were with him from the very begining. It's fascinating and increadible.

This is a fascinating film about an extraordinary and talented man.

I give this DVD a ZERO. Docurama didn't care enough to caption this DVD for hearing-impaired people.

With the DVD being totally useless to us and all, I shouldn't care about saying anything nice about this DVD.

Shame on you Docurama for NEVER captioning your DVDs all these years. :(

Charles Busch is an incredibly talented artist and this film is brilliant!

I can't wait to see his guest appearance in Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell this week in New York at the Minetta Lane Theatre! It is suppose to be great!

I feel sorry for the folks who financed this "documentary." It is merely the "story" of some person you've likely never heard of before and how he does plays in drag. I bought it thinking it was a movie version of the play, also entitled "The Lady in Question" (my local community theater is doing the play in the Spring and I was curious whether it was worth trying out for); instead, it's just this sad interview with those involved in this and other drag plays. Seriously, who cares. By all means, save your money.