CCOCO by brad hart
MARTINIS ABOVE FOURTH brings to its stage the fabulous and talented Miss Coco Peru, for her very first live performance in San Diego on Thursday, May 24. A part of their exciting new Cabaret Series, featuring some of the best acts from San Diego, Los Angeles, New York and beyond. Coco took a little time between touring, dress fittings and wig styl- ings to chat with The Rage Monthly about her San Diego debut.
It’s been a while since we last chatted Coco, what have you been up to lately? I’ve been doing well, working and touring a lot!
I’ve reunited with Evie and Varla and filmed the sequel to Girls Will Be Girls to be released in 2013. Hopefully, Evie’s animatronics will still be function- ing so she’ll around for the premiere and I’m pray- ing Varla can fit in the theatre, I mean, she barely fits on the screen! Having said that, we’re all like sisters! No, really! We were very excited to hear about your upcoming appear- ance at Martinis Above Fourth. Will this be your first time performing in San Diego? YES! It’s about time someone invited me! My first
visit to San Diego was for a screening of the film TRICK back in 1999 and I fell in love with the city. Ever since then I have wanted to perform there. Martinis Above Fourth is well known here in San
Diego for their selection of specialty martinis—well over 100—from “classics,” to “exotics,” to “over the top.” Does Coco have a favorite? And we’re not talking iced tea with free refills here! (As she mentioned in our last interview)! I can’t believe you remember that I love iced tea!
If I had to pick my favorite martini, I guess I’d have to say the Cocotini, which I hope Martinis Above Fourth will have on their menu, at least while I’m there! I’ll never have any grandchildren named after me, so I might as well have a cocktail bearing my name. Free refills? Can you give us a little sneak peek of your San Diego shows? Since this is the first time I am performing in
San Diego I am bringing my “best of” show. It’s always been difficult to describe what I do, I guess
60 RAGE monthly | MAY 2012 RAGE monthly | MAY 2012
ONQUERS MARTINIS COME SLURP HER UP!
you can call me a drag queen/monologist/world savior. Well, maybe not the world savior part, but it’s important to have goals. It’s also been said that Coco Peru is a drag show you can take your mother to and I completely agree. Having said that, I’m not sure if it’s because people want to share the gift of Coco with their mothers or if it’s their way of saying, “Mom, you may not be happy with my being gay, but look at that queen on stage. You see? It could’ve been a lot worse. A lot worse!” What do you enjoy most about performing live? As I said in one of my first shows 20 years ago,
“Think of my show as group therapy session, and it’s my turn to talk.” All these years later I’m still talking— still inspired by everyday things—I grew up in the Bronx around a lot of funny people and alcoholics! Not that being an alcoholic is funny, but they were survivors and still found humor in their pain. I would listen in awe to my parent’s friends tell hilarious stories about their lives. I really believe that was my introduction to good storytelling. I also get to say a lot of things other people are thinking and it is so satisfying to get a live reaction because you know people are relating to you and I guess in
some way, it makes me feel less alone. In fact, I had a straight woman in N.Y.C. come up to me after the show and say “I am so jealous of you.” When I asked why, she answered, “Because you get to say all the things I want to say.” I really took that as a compli- ment; although secretly I was hoping she was gonna say, “Because you’re so fucking gorgeous!” Oh, I also love that when you pay to see Coco Peru,
you’re helping a drag queen pay off her mortgage! Any big plans this summer? Well, this year I will go back to Vegas, Provinc-
etown and Rehoboth Beach for work and then I am off to Spain again with my partner, Rafael… he’s from Spain. Sadly, there is no iced tea in Spain. Still, we go every year and basically sit on a nude beach, eat, siesta and count our blessings. Oh, and stare at naked Spanish men—it would be rude not to, right?
Miss Coco Peru Live In San Diego onThursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Martinis Above Fourth. Advanced ticket purchase is required. For tickets and more details on this and other MA4 Cabaret Series shows call 619.400.4500 or visit
martinisabovefourth.com
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