Of all the menin New York City who occasionally don women's clothes and make-up, John Epperson is likely the city's most famous. As Lypsinka, Epperson has created a multitude of award-winning stage productions. Still, he has a difficult time explaining his craft.
â┚¬Å”I don't like the term â┚¬Ëœdrag queen' because it sounds amateurish and Halloween-ish,â┚¬Â says Epperson. â┚¬Å”It is often used disparagingly. And I'm a little afraid of the term performance artist because it sounds a little brainy. I have gotten a reputation as a drag performer, whoâ┚¬â€Âwhen you go to see the showâ┚¬â€Âyou're going to be expected to think. And I see no problem with that, but a lot of people don't want to think!â┚¬ÂÂ
At least his latest show, The Passion of the Crawfordâ┚¬â€Âwhich makes its Florida debut at Sarasota's Asolo Theater for a one-night-only performance Monday, May 9â┚¬â€Âis somewhat easier to describe.
WATERMARK: The Passion of the Crawford: is it an artistic tribute to Joan Crawford?
JOHN EPPERSON: It is not exactly an impersonation of Joan Crawford, although I am made up and gowned and bewigged to look like her. The show is entirely lip-synched. I created the name Lypsinka because I wanted the audience to know I had a sense of humor about what I was doing. I also wanted the name to sound like an exotic one-named fashion model.
Most of the show is a re-creation of an interview Joan did in 1973 that came out as a vinyl record in 1978. There was a man named John Springer who was a publicist for lots of movie star ladies. He had a series, â┚¬Å”Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen.â┚¬Â The audience would first see lots of film clips of the actress, and then she would come out on stage live and he would interview her. He did it with Bette Davis, Lana Turner and Myrna Loy. Joan Crawford's was the only one that came out commercially. Most of the show is recreating that, but we do dice and splice the recording. There are also some dramatic readings Crawford did that we recreate.
I don't want people to think the show isn't funny, because it is. But if you want to look for any deeper layers than just funny, they're going to be there.
I'm guessing you've long been a JC fan before you developed the show.
That's true. I was fascinated by her at some point when I was in college. But I would be hard pressed to tell you exactly why she fascinates me. Maybe it's her face, there's something very graphic about it. Her features are very bold. After she died came the book Mommie Dearest, and the movie, which only added to her legend. Now with Turner Classic Movies there's practically a Joan Crawford Channel. She's one of the most fascinating people of the 20th Century; she's up there with Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. They all represent the best and the worst of the American Dream and how it can go awry. But with those three, all of their personal problems were right on the front page of the newspapers while they were alive. With Crawford no one knew about her supposed dark side until after she died.
How do you explain the appeal of Joan Crawford to a younger generation?
The first thing is that they'd have to get over the fact that it's a black-and-white movie, and not fast-edited the way movies are now. Growing up in Hazlehurst, Miss., seeing something unusual like an old black and white movieâ┚¬Â¦well, I was riveted because it was something I couldn't normally see. I'm hoping there are little gay boys like me who are watching Turner Classic Movies with the same fascination that I did.
How do you explain the appeal of Lyspinka to a younger generation?
A friend of mine who teachesâ┚¬â€ÂI think it's art historyâ┚¬â€Âshowed his class one of my YouTube clips. Apparently one of the students is good friends with Lady Gaga and told his teacher, â┚¬Å”That's the greatest thing I've ever seen!â┚¬Â So if the Gaga Generation wants to come to the show I think they'll like it!
There is a young man from Orlando on YouTube named Craigery Morgan who lip-syncs to various people. Craigery's performance to Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live has gotten over 5 million hits. Seeing Lypsinka is like seeing Craigery Morgan live, but with more glamour, and for over an hour!
