This October at Vineyard Theatre, Wayne Brady will take on the lead role in Ms. Blakk for President, which is “inspired but not bound by” the true story of a drag queen who ran for President in 1992. Black performer and activist Terrence Alan Smith ran as Joan Jett Blakk with the intentionally cheeky campaign slogan LICK BUSH IN ’92. The play was co-written by Tina Landau and Tarrell Alvin McCraney, whose work I’ve seen and reviewed several times (Windfall, The Brothers Size, Moonlight). At press day, I spoke with both Wayne and Tarrell about  top notch campaign slogans, whether democracy is cool or cringe, and how the country would be different if Joan Jett Blakk had licked Bush in the end.   

Performances of Ms. Blakk for President will begin on October 15. Stay tuned and subscribe to read (or watch) my review when it’s ready!

Many thanks to The Press Room for the invitation.

blacklove 🖤 and starlight 🌟