theatre
by lisa lipsey
COCO PERU
MOVE OVER “DEAR ABBY,”
HAS ARRIVED! Writer, producer, director and YouTube star sensation Coco Peru
(aka Clinton Leupp) is ready to answer life’s biggest question: What is the secret to a happy life? Coco has been asked time and again to reveal this secret. In her latest show, A Gentle Reminder—Coco’s Guide to a Some- what Happy Life, Mz. Peru offers a step-by-step guide, through songs and stories. And if you ask her, why just a “somewhat happy life?” Peru says, “Well, let’s face it, you wouldn’t want to be happy all of the time, because always remember, ‘happy people’ make such a racket.” For those who have yet to experience Coco Peru, her
alter ego and creator, Clinton Leupp, says their roots run deep in the Bronx, “I’ll give you my honest opinion. My mom did a good job and it comes out through me now, that no nonsense, Bronx attitude. I am very happy with the response the show has gotten so far. People leave feel- ing good about themselves and that is really satisfying.” This new show is a celebration. It marks Leupp’s 25th
“AS A WRITER TELLING AN AUTOBIOGRAPHI-
year of working in performance drag. “This is my fiftieth year on earth, I’ve spent half my life doing this and I am very lucky to still be working. People should take the opportunity to see me while they can, because you never know... I will retire one of these days,” said Leupp. Audiences should make time to properly “Ooh and aaah” over Coco. “It takes two and half hours to get ready—from shaving all the way to finishing with my nails. Nails are important—I can’t stand a fabulous drag queen with no nails—it is one of the final points that makes a character. One of the nicest compliments I’ve received was [to be asked] if I had been a dancer in the past, because my hands were so beautiful and expressive,” said Leupp. Peru will plead the fifth regarding presidential election advice. “Coco
keeps her politics private. I believe and I want to live in a world that I am creating. Most people feel that way; the people in my life feel that way. Coco is very funny and people take politics and voting very seriously, as they should. I try not to mix Coco and politics. I try to include everyone.
CAL STORY, YOU WANT PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR WORK. IF THEY REJECT YOUR
Of course, I am that Democrat and liberal that the other side is terrified of,” quips Leupp. When asked how much of Coco is Leupp, it becomes clear the two are inseparable, “The main things I wanted to do in drag, was talk about my life through a heightened, hyper-me. I was picked on for being effeminate. Coco is that part of me, owning the damaged parts of me. It’s really me, I am telling my story... I am not trying to be a girl. It is really fluid, Coco talks gay marriage and about my husband, Rafael. As a writer telling an autobiographical story, you want people to connect with your work. If they reject your art, they reject you as a person. The wonderful and great thing... Is people leaving this show tell me how much they relate, or how much they needed to hear this message. A couple in San Francisco asked me if they could have a copy of the script. That felt great,” said Leupp. Coco won’t be shy with audience members, especially
ART, THEY REJECT YOU AS A PERSON.”
those with disruptive behavior. “In a recent audience, I had a woman with one of those laughs, crazy and loud, it kept stopping the show. Everyone was turning and looking at this woman, so I asked her, well I reprimanded
her. She was very proud of herself, because the only other show she stopped before mine was Lily Tomlin’s. Things like that drive me crazy. But, most of all, I can’t stand people sitting with their phone, taking pictures or videotaping. Can’t they be in the moment? The last time I was in Vegas, seeing that fountain show, there were so many phone and tablets in the air that I could not even see the fountains. People, be present, put it down and experience something richer.”
Coco Peru will be at Martinis Above Fourth Table + Stage Wednesday and Thursday, March 9 and 10. For tickets and more information, call 619.400.4500 or go to
ma4sd.com. Peru will also appear at the Purple Room in Palm Springs on Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12. For tickets and more information, go to
misscocoperu.com.
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RAGE
RAGE monthly | MARCH 2016 monthly | MARCH 2016
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