Charles Ludlam Lives!: Charles Busch, Bradford Louryk, Taylor Mac, and the Queer Legacy of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company

by Sean F. Edgecomb

Playwright, actor and director Charles Ludlam (1943-1987) helped to galvanize the Ridiculous style of theater in New York City starting in the 1960s. Decades after his death, his place in the chronicle of American theater has remained constant, but his influence has changed. Although his Ridiculous Theatrical Company shut its doors, the Ludlamesque Ridiculous has continued to thrive and remain a groundbreaking genre, maintaining its relevance and potency by metamorphosing along with changes in the LGBTQ community.
Author Sean F. Edgecomb focuses on the neo-Ridiculous artists Charles Busch, Bradford Louryk, and Taylor Mac to trace the connections between Ludlam's legacy and their performances, using alternative queer models such as kinetic kinship, lateral historiography, and a new approach to camp. Charles Ludlam Lives! demonstrates that the queer legacy of Ludlam is one of distinct transformation--one where artists can reject faithful interpretations in order to move in new interpretive directions.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer, Theatre

245 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2017

Reviews

[Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction sets the stage for the incredibly dynamic and engaging queer performative style of the text itself which continues throughout the book. Edgecomb traces the queer legacies of Ludlam through the works of Charles Busch, Bradford Louryk, and Taylor Mac and in true queer fashion also invites readers to continue to build on these queer legacies. I appreciate that the work is accessible while still expertly weaving in theory and that as a newcomer myself to these artists I was able to envision their work as I "chose [my] own queer adventure" through the text. A must-read for anyone interested in performance, theatre or queer theory!