“I would encourage people to go to plays, to support live theatre in our
community. What happens in the interaction between audiences and perform- ers is a special thing.”
COMES BACK TO CYGNET THEATRE
DAVID MCBEAN RESERECTING THE CROWN
by lisa lipsey “Clang, clang, clang went the Old Town
trolley…” Its caboose painted with the charming, pageant-perfect smile of Miss Deep South (David McBean). Cygnet Theatre’s 12th season kicks off with the Bill Russell, Frank Kelly and Albert Evans musical comedy smash, Pageant!
Just in time for Pride’s season of fun, James
Vasquez (Director/Choreographer) and Don LeMas- ter (Musical Director), present the show Pageant, which follows the battle of six beauty contestants who face off to claim the Miss Glamouresse tiara. The evening’s zany host, Frankie Cavalier, starts the ball rolling with the classic beauty question: “Who will it be?” Each of the show’s contestants, all played by men are: Miss Bible Belt, Miss Industrial Northwest, Miss Deep South, Miss West Coast, Miss Great Plains and Miss Texas. Each must compete in several categories including swimsuit, physical fitness, spokesmodel and beauty crisis counseling. Pageant’s judges are hand-picked from the audience nightly and that pretty much guarantees a different winner and out- come for every performance. It’s a hoot! Cygnet Theatre last did this show in 2005 under the
direction of Sean Murray. At that time, Vasquez, who has since done quite a bit of directing, starred in the production with David McBean. As for McBean, this is his third time working with the script of Pageant and his third time cast as Miss Deep South. “The hardest part, is that I remember certain words and tie them to the old choreography, so in our early rehearsals, I kept getting it wrong. The other five contestants are much better dancers than me.”
24 RAGE monthly | JULY 2014
McBean is an equity actor and a resident actor
at both the Cygnet and Diversionary Theatres. In between his acting gigs, he is a teaching artist for San Diego Junior Theatre and is also the music director for Mission Hills United Methodist Church. Reflecting on his experiences, McBean says, “I would encour- age people to go to plays, to support live theatre in our community. What happens in the interaction between audiences and performers is a special thing. Attend a show and be inspired, use theatre to con- tinue to grow and allow artists to share their stories with the world. I feel very blessed that I get to do this work. I love it.” For this production of Pageant, Vasquez has asked
McBean and his fellow cast members to do some serious studies of contestants—look at their cadence and the way they present information to ensure it is a true ‘pageant’ delivery. For those who have never seen the show before, McBean notes, “It is such an entertaining commentary of what women have to deal with in terms of expectations and societal rules. It is an amusing, hilarious performance with satiric elements that force us to think about the nature of pageantry and stereotypes. Having men play each of the contestants really does highlight the ridiculous nature of pageants. Yet, these are things we just
accept, they are still happening today, as far as the way women are supposed to behave. There are still double standards in place in our society. There are still disparities in income and violence happening to women, it’s a good reminder.” He concluded, “But ultimately, the writing is very funny and the actors are great and we are having a blast.” As a final note on Pageant, McBean commented
on the difference between being cast as a female character versus being a man in drag, “The idea of drag and drag queens, it doesn’t have to do with being a woman, but rather with being a fabulous gay man. Being fiercer than fierce. Drag queens dress as icons in entertainment rather than as real women. A gay man in drag is the penultimate expression of entertainers. In Pageant, these characters are women in real life. We have to transform and think, ‘What does this character want?’ Her super objective is to win the title, be good at pageantry, speak clearly and effectively, always be smiling and impress the judges. To be her best at every given moment.” Pageant runs from Thursday, July 10 through Sunday, August 31 at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. LGBT Out Night is Wednesday, July 23, at which you can enjoy a pre-show mixer just before the performance. For tickets and more information call 619.337.1525 or go to
cygnettheatre.com.
photography by ken jacques
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