Charles Busch doesn't willfully intend to mislead audiences.But some people anticipating the legendary playwright/actor/drag artiste's return to Chicago will surely grumble if they spy the publicity shot he provides for the one-night-only show "An Evening with Charles Busch and Julie Halston."
"Unfortunately the only publicity photo we have together is where I'm in drag. I'm afraid it gives the wrong impression," Busch said, confirming that he had no plans to get wigged up for Victory Gardens Theater's Freshly Squeezed series.
Busch "won't be in drag, but I probably will be," joked Halston, Busch's close friend and frequent artistic muse. Halston promised that she'll do all she can on stage to compensate for Busch's lack of big hair and makeup.
This is, shockingly, Halston's very first time performing in Chicago, despite the fact that her husband, Ralph Howard, once worked in the Windy City radio market ( or for Busch's Chicago ties of attending Northwestern University and first earning his Equity card at Victory Gardens ) .
"I've been all over this country, but I've never played Chicago," Halston said, tempering her enthusiasm by saying that she and Busch will only be in town for about 36 hours. "At least 36 hours is better than no hours."
If you're not familiar with Busch and Halston's celebrated place in modern American theater, then rent the 2005 film The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch. This acclaimed documentary by John Catania and Charles D. Ignacio is not only a must for any aspirant drag artists, but for theater fans in general.
Throughout the film, there's amazing video footage that charts the rise of Busch and Halston from their 1983 friendship as performance art newbies to respected performers and writers.
"It is kind of fun to watch some of that stuff because it was such a wild and heady time and we were just having fun," Halston said. "But it's also so wild to watch because Charles has become a really fantastic playwright and I think we all knew that this guy was onto something."
Both have gone on to have credits on Broadway ( Busch's hit 2000 comedy The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Halston's featured roles in Gypsy, Hairspray and The Women ) , on TV ( Busch's memorable turn as Nat Ginzburg the HBO prison series Oz; Halston as Bitsy Von Muffling in HBO's Sex and the City ) and on the Hollywood big screen ( both have cameos in the 1993 film Addams Family Values, while Busch's own 2003 screenplay adaptation and starring role in Die, Mommy, Die! remains one of his proudest artistic achievements ) .
But what first put both Busch and Halston theatrically on the map was his wildly campy play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom ( first performed at a seedy New York performance art venue before triumphantly transferring off-Broadway in 1985 for an acclaimed 344-performance run ) . As rival vampires who have catfights throughout history, Busch and Halston were able to channel their love ( and lifelong obsession ) with old Hollywood films with a distinctly gay camp sensibility.
"An Evening with Charles Busch and Julie Halston" will take place Monday, Dec. 7, at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30-$35; see www.VictoryGardens.org .