While drag queens have been popular recently -- from La Cage to Priscilla -- drag "kings" are still a rarity on the film and theatre circuit. Shelly Mars hopes to change that with her solo show, Whiplash - A Tale Of A Tomboy, opening at Off-Broadway's Grove Street Playhouse Jan. 15.
Whiplash expores gender and political identity and covers Mars' life, from her Ohio upbringing as a member of the only Jewish family in town, to fending off rapists, dealing with Elvis impersonators, hitchhiking in South America, and appearing in "exclusive engagements" at San Francisco gay bathhouses.
Previews begin Jan. 8 for the show, which was originally workshopped Off-Off-Broadway at The Kitchen.
Janice Deaner directs Mars' autobiographical piece, which runs to Feb. 16. For tickets ($15) and information on Whiplash, call (212) 631-1000.
--By David Lefkowitz
