Our Lady of Wayward Sissies
As a fellow clown I had a soft spot for the "Sissy" character. Sissy knows that clown goes hand in hand with dark subject matter (spoiler: not all clowns are interested in laughter). In this case it’s a combo of homophobia and sexual abuse and also being imprisoned for his “gender-bending.” The premise isn’t as absurd as you might think considering crossdressers were put in jail in NA up until the 60s, Putin’s Russia, MAGA-land, Nigeria, Uganda, Afghanistan, Iran… the list goes on. Does "Our Lady" give a complete picture of lgbtq+ persecution? No. But "Sissy" does tell a fragmented tale of his (gender) identity and expression that's intriguing to watch . In 40 minutes this play does a fine job of taking us into another world that inspires thought and doesn’t condescend with a cliched happy ending.
Dark clown with a queer bent. Not for the faint of heart. It's a rabbit hole type of show. Alice in Wonderland meets Kiss of the Spider Woman maybe? But you might never hear birds chirping the same way again!! It was smart, funny at times, quirky, sad, but also bright in its darkness.
There's a lot of heart and a need to tell this story for the writer/actor. They are engaging, with surprising moments. It's funny at times and sad at other times. The videos add to the theatricality.
It was well acted and interesting. And funny at times. Just not my cup of tea. Would recommend to someone whose cup of tea it would be
“Our Lady of Wayward Sissies is an intelligent, well executed cross-genre (and cross/gender) piece.”
Indeed. But it is not even what really matters!
The core of this deeply moving play is the genuine ingenuity of its main character: Sissy (the Queen, not the Empress). I met them today at Soulpepper and let me tell you about them.
Sissy is a clown: to them, everything is pure, simple and tasty. They are neither cynical nor furious. They are not your exuberant June-Pride-Queen. They have child’s eyes open to the world. The clown - with their wide and expanded feelings - is the perfect character to reveal the sincerity of this human caught in a world that would not bend like they do.
But Sissy is not an idiot either. They understand, they remember, they see through. They are just too pure to choose to lie to survive. It seems that, to them, it is not even an option.
“They are a fighter then!”, I hear you say. “The Che Guevara of the fishnet stockings!” Well, they are not. They are not posing, there is no stance or intellectual posture here. Their farting body is as hart felt as their swearing. This gender-bender is not faking it. They are natural and clear: no fainting, no faux-cils, no faux-semblants.
Are they a victim, or rather, a survivor? Could be. Maybe Sissy is a martyr… but it is not for me to say.
Anycow, nothing I write here could say more or better than the poetry of their last scene… So go and feel for yourself!
Raw, powerful, must see. An unapologetic human being in a not-so-distant future (this could also be many present-day countries) reminds us the moral climate can easily change for the worse - but that, no matter what, you should just stay true to yourself.