by Amy Barratt

 

The first thing many readers may want to know about Vampire Lesbians of Sodom is “Will there be nudity?” but all this interviewer really wanted to know was, “Will Paul Van Dyck be wearing a dress?”

 

MainLine Theatre’s latest offering can certainly promise scantily clad beauties of all genders and persuasions. Also, to my delight, Van Dyck is playing the role originated by playwright Charles Busch and that means: full drag! Theatregoers who caught this actor’s turn in Cuthbert’s Last Stand (the full-length version) will understand my obsession: Van Dyck (whose name was previously misspelled Van Dyke in this space—wishful thinking, no doubt) is a total babe in a dress. The actor also frequently entertains local audiences in masculine attire, most recently in his solo show, Sahara Crossing. He will be seen in March in Centaur’s Romeo and Juliet.

 

In the Montreal premiere of the play that was an Off-Broadway cult hit, Van Dyck’s character, is—two words you don’t often see together—a virgin Sodomite. A resident of the Biblical city that’s synonymous with sin, she is sacrificed to a female vampire (Patricia Summersett) and becomes a vampire herself. Thus begins an epic rivalry between the two bloodthirsty bombshells that continues down through the ages, with notable stops in 1920s Hollywood and 1980s Vegas.

 

When I met with Van Dyck and co-stars Stephanie Breton (who plays a 1920s starlet), Dan Jeannotte and Patrick Goddard (various spear carriers and chorus boys), everybody seemed to be having a very good time.

 

“We all enjoy doing stuff that’s serious and thought-provoking—well, some of us do,” said Jeannotte, who moonlights as a member of the Uncalled For improv troupe. “But let’s face it, the theatre audience needs to be cultivated in Montreal. We need shows like this where people are having so much fun, they don’t even realize they’re in a theatre.”

 

What? You mean Vampire Lesbians of Sodom isn’t a serious historical drama? Afraid not. What it is, according to the New York critics, is a laugh riot. You could do worse on a miserable February night. And if it sounds like just the ticket for a Valentine’s date, you’re in luck: the February 14th performance is two-for-one.

 

We know that the closing night party (Feb. 17) will feature a performance by Uncalled For, but there will apparently be added attractions every night, although no one would get into specifics. Vampire Lesbians itself runs about an hour, “but let’s just say,” offers Goddard mysteriously, “we’re making an evening of it.”

 

Artistic Director

AssaulTED

 

Davyn Ryall, Artistic Director of Village Scene Productions and Harvest (the GLBT theatre festival), was assaulted on January 17 at his Longueuil home. Responding to a knock at the front door, Ryall expected to see his downstairs neighbour. Instead, he was met by a stranger’s fist in his face. Ryall was knocked to the ground. The assailant then ran away and jumped into a waiting car. Although Longueuil police are apparently not treating it as such, Ryall is convinced the attack was motivated by homophobia. Still, he is defiant, saying, “I didn’t spend the past 30 of my 50 years out of the closet just to be pushed back in.” On a happier note, Ryall married his partner Ricky, “after a 10-year engagement” on Dec. 30 in Toronto.