Theater department’s “Tucked” wasn’t a drag
Crites Hall was filled with drag queens strutting coquettish behavior, dramatic eye makeup and extravagant performances for an important cause this past Saturday night.
The seductively comical “Tucked,” hosted by Ashley Prince and Hope Hargrove, is a charity drag show composed by students from the SCAD theatre fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega, aiming to raise money for “Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids Foundation.”
“Broadway Cares” is a nonprofit organization fundraising to ensure further research and medical treatment for those affected by HIV/AIDS. Founded in 1988, the foundation has already raised more than $225 million for the cause. The theater department took it upon themselves to contribute to the organization’s growing success by putting on “Tucked.”
They raised more than $800 in ticket sales.
After being welcomed into the improv stage room by dapper men wearing only leather shorts and bow ties, the crowd was excited to see the show that’s been buzzing across campus. As the stage was showered in red light, five effeminately dressed fellows clacked onto the stage, popping into their flirtatious characters to perform the show’s opening number, Bob Fosse’s “Hey, Big Spender.”
Theater students Erik Hauk, Joshua Moser, David Bahgat, Kris Byrd and Steven Glen Diehl graced the stage with sassy skits personifying some of the iconic females of show business.
Black-haired beauty Kathrine Reeve-Jowski (Hauk) paid tribute to Amy Winehouse with her impression of the intoxicated fallen star singing “Rehab.” This reenactment was followed by the muy caliente Kiki Elculo (Moser) shaking her tail feathers to Suessical’s “Amazing Maisy.”
The group then put on a comical skit to the “Girl on Fire” parody “This Boy is a Bottom,” filled with quirky puns. The gals then two-stepped and jitterbugged into a whimsical Monique Lapoore (Bahgat) act, enacting Julie Andrews chanting “I Have Confidence” from “The Sound of Music.”
Shortly after, the crowd turned their heads to witness Ms. Giselle (Byrd) being carried by leather-clad servants onto the floor where she performed a fierce dance number to Beyoncé’s “Who Run the World.”
The crowd was tickled pink for cutesy, blond bombshell Bitch Puddin’s (Diehl) fan-girl routine to Hairspray’s “Good Morning Baltimore.” That act then took us into a sass session with the ladies powersinging “My Body” from the musical, “The Life.”
Throughout the show people were hopping out of their seats to tip the entertainment. Every dollar and roar of theatrical approval encouraged the casts to heighten the energy in the room.
“Tucked” ended up being an exemplary success for the theater department. As the night came to a close, friends, family and fans were anxious to know if there would be another show in the future. “This was actually our first time doing this,” said Diehl to his fans, “we are hoping to make this a permanent show at SCAD so we can do it every year.”
