>> Mado celebrates 10 years of her drag
extravaganza, Mascara

by MATTHEW HAYS

The drag impresario Mado has become such a Montreal institution that it’s difficult to imagine Village nightlife without her. Her hilarious routine, which often involves jokes about life in a bilingual city, has thrilled local audiences and tourists alike, so much so that five years ago she opened her own club, Cabaret Mado.

Passing the five-year mark as her own cabaret hostess and co-owner is but one of the anniversaries Mado celebrates this year. It’s the 20th year that she’s been performing in the Mado persona, and the 10th anniversary of Mascara, her dragapalooza event that’s staged annually as part of Divers/Cité. This year’s Mascara will again be hosted by Mado and will include Miss Butterfly.

Mado has worked to keep her act fresh over the years, has also proven her chops as a newspaper columnist and has worked to support new cross-dressing talent. Mado put on a fresh coat of lipstick to sit down and talk about her unique act, John Travolta channelling Divine, and the fact that the more things change outfits, the more they stay the same. A true charmer, Mado was thrilled to learn that she was being recorded on the same tape as Joan Collins. “Just don’t get us mixed up,” Mado warned.

Mirror: Montreal has spawned a lot of drag queens. But you have had real staying power. What’s your secret?

Mado: I think the fact that I’m not simply doing the drag queen thing. I’m as much a comedian as anything else. I’m always renewing the material, all the time. I’m not just dressing and partying. A comedian plays the same role for many years, but they change it slightly to keep it fresh. It’s sort of like the movie Sybil, where that girl had 20 different personalities. You can’t just be a go-go dancer on a speaker—it’s got to be more than that.

M: Your show is often a very funny play on words, in particular bilingual double entendres. It’s basically franglais shtick.

Mado: Montreal is very unique, in that two languages are spoken here. I like to take a word that means something in English but sounds like a dirty French word. I like the way people switch between French and English in Montreal, it’s quite natural to people.

Working girl

M: What’s the main way that attitudes towards drag have changed in 20 years?

Mado: Drag queens are more recognized as artists. They’re not referred to as freaks of the night anymore. My job is recognized as a job now, not just partying and acting crazy. I think writing for the papers and doing a fair bit of television brought me some more notoriety. For me now, people come to Cabaret Mado the way they would a comedy show.

M: Did you ever think that you’d see John Travolta doing a role originated by Divine?

Mado: Never! Since Pulp Fiction, he’s been doing a lot of macho movies. I haven’t seen Hairspray yet, but I’ve seen photos and clips. I think it doesn’t work. He looks like a big plasticine doll. It’s basically just a star in a fat suit. His name will help sell the movie, but I don’t think he fits with the rest of the cast.

M: Watching Travolta reminded me of what a great actor Divine was. He really understood burlesque.

Mado: He was great at burlesque and he also understood parody. In the original Hairspray, he had two roles, a male and female one, and he was parodying himself. He was very good.

M: What makes Quebec drag distinct?

Mado: You know, I’ve been around the world, and a drag queen is a drag queen. The difference here is that the Montreal drag scene remains very strong. In other big cities, the scene is dwindling. Our TV in Quebec is very, very boring, so people need to get out if they want to see something fun or different. In Germany and Holland, you have drag queens on TV, many of them as talk show hosts. Here, the TV is very straight. It’s like it’s 10 years behind, or Kosovo TV or something. If people want to see something a bit different, they have to go out to get it

Mascara takes place this Saturday, Aug. 4 at the
Berri/Ontario stage. Doors open 6 p.m., show
starts at 8 p.m. The photo exhibit Mascara In Your
Eyes, which features images from Mascara’s past
decade, is now at the Terrasse Ste-Catherine until Aug. 5