Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret

Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret
by Leila J. Rupp, Verta Taylor

Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret
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Book Summary Information

Author: Leila J. Rupp, Verta Taylor
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05-15
ISBN: 0226731588
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press

Book Reviews of Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret

Book Review: Entertaining but needed more complex insight
Summary: 4 Stars

Two profs write 211 pages describing the details including the antics of this fabulous Key West club at the 801 Cabaret. The narratives are descriptive of the relationships between the drag queens, the personal histories of each of them, and vivid descriptions of their performances. You'll be entertained, however, I personally wish they went into more complex detail as to their repeated reiterrations at the end of each chapter that drag queens are questioning gender, femininity, masculinity, etc. We already know this. How about breaking down what all this means instead of quickly glossing over it in the last chapter?

Summary of Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret

It's Saturday night in Key West and the Girlie Show is about to begin at the 801 Cabaret. The girls have been outside on the sidewalk all evening, seducing passersby into coming in for the show. The club itself is packed tonight and smoke has filled the room. When the lights finally go down, statuesque blonds and stunning brunettes sporting black leather miniskirts, stiletto heels, and see-through lingerie take the stage. En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" blares on the house stereo. The crowd roars in approval.

In this lively book, Leila J. Rupp and Verta Taylor take us on an entertaining tour through one of America's most overlooked subcultures: the world of the drag queen. They offer a penetrating glimpse into the lives of the 801 Girls, the troupe of queens who perform nightly at the 801 Cabaret for tourists and locals. Weaving together their fascinating life stories, their lavish costumes and eclectic music, their flamboyance and bitchiness, and their bawdy exchanges with one another and their audiences, the authors explore how drag queens smash the boundaries between gay and straight, man and woman, to make people think more deeply and realistically about sex and gender in America today. They also consider how the queens create a space that encourages camaraderie and acceptance among everyday people, no matter what their sexual preferences might be.

Based on countless interviews with more than a dozen drag queens, more than three years of attendance at their outrageous performances, and even the authors' participation in the shows themselves, Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret is a witty and poignant portrait of gay life and culture. When they said life is a cabaret, they clearly meant the 801.

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