Truck in high-femme drag brings performances to Philly neighborhoods
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Performer Virgil Gadson rehearsed with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret on April 28, 2021. Gadson is one of the featured performers for the first show performed with the Beardmobile, a mobile stage. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
John Jarboe tends toward the prurient when talking about trucks. The founder and artistic director of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, a drag-oriented performance company, recently bought a 2006 Isuzu NPR box truck. At 15 years old, it’s a bit worse for wear. Now its grill is painted with thick red lips, the fenders are marked with red beard stubble, and pink eyelashes are fastened to the headlights.
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret Company is, quite literally, taking the show on the road this spring.
The Philadelphia-based performance troupe will take to the city s streets for a series of outdoor, socially distanced, pop-up performances in the Beardmobine. The 15-foot box truck will act as a roving performance space.
“The Beardmobile was born to facilitate collaboration, activism and performance in the city we love,” said artistic director John Jarboe in a statement. “Who would have thought a queer cabaret company would pull out wrenches and wheel grease? That s adaptation for you.”
We know
when the shows will be happening all May long, but we can only tell you
Bearded Ladies take cabaret to Philadelphia streets for spring pop-ups mycentraljersey.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mycentraljersey.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.