For those of you who don’t know, Rod and I are frequent visitors to one of the best drag queen shows around, MADO. The other night this fact got me wondering... When did my fascination with drag begin? And as I thought back, beyond RuPaul and her recent Drag Race, I remembered my first contact with drag, and would you believe it, it was a Brit film! The movie is called “Kinky Boots” and was released in 2005. Wow, what a little kid I was back then! So young and innocent... And yet already paving a future of cabaret shows at Mado ;)
For those of you who stick your noses up at British cinema, I say “move over bitches boys and girls, there’s a new diva in town, and her name is LOLA”. The plot revolves around two characters, Charlie Price (played by Joel Edgerton), whose family has always owned a prestigious shoemaking factory in Britain, and Simon, whose alter ego is the fabulous and one-of-a-kind Lola (both played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a drag queen. When Simon’s father dies, he is at a loss to figure out how to save his family’s company, until a chance encounter with Lola opens up a drag-sized closet of possibilities! Through the traditional drama and the spectacular performances by Lola and her queens, the whole cast ends up on the catwalk in none other than Milan! Can you say “Ooh la la Lola”?
Chiwetel Ejiofor received a nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical by the Hollywood Foreign Press, but unfortunately the award went to Joaquin Phoenix for his portrayal of Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line”. “Kinky Boots” was not his first film however; his extensive filmography includes Okwe in “Dirty Pretty Things” (2002), Peter in “Love Actually” (2003), Bill Mitchell in “Inside Man” and Luke in “Children of Men” (2006), Adrian Helmsley in “2012” (2009) and Peabody in the awful “Salt” (2010).
The unexpected fashion icon also posed for King Magazine in 2008, and let me tell you that brotha’ cleans up good! I love the Lenny Kravitz-ish look, don’t you?
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| the steamy Chiwetel Ejiofor (his name is hard to pronounce, at least I only have to write it!) |
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| Lenny Kravitz himself |
