Date: Thu, 14 Sep 1995 13:54:05 -0500 X-Sender: kevyn@pop.ksu.ksu.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 To: Kansas Queer News From: kevyn@KSUVM.KSU.EDU (Kevyn Jacobs) Subject: (WICHITA, WONG FOO) Local crowd laughs, hoots at drag movie Sender: owner-kqn%vector.casti.com@KSUVM.KSU.EDU Precedence: bulk FROM THE WICHITA EAGLE SEPTEMBER 10, 1995 ======================== Crowd laughs, hoots at movie on drag queens By Susan L. Rife The Wichita Eagle Have drag queens gone so mainstream that movie audiences don't even blink an eye? Apparently so, if Friday evening's audience at "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" is an indication. The 45-seat theater at Northrock was perhaps half-full of what appeared to be a Middle America crowd. The audience laughed and hooted at the antics of Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo in full glamazon drag. No drag queens were in evidence in the audience, either at the early or late evening shows on the day the film made its Wichita premiere. That's not surprising, said one man who works at Our Fantasy, a south Wichita nightclub catering to drag patrons and asked that his name not be used. But, he added, "I think you'll see nearly all the drag community here eventually." Both audiences Friday evening were peppered with same-sex couples, possibly drawn by a story about three gay men--stars of the New York drag-queen circuit -- who embark on a cross country journey to Hollywood in a 1967 Cadillac convertible, only to find themselves stranded in Snydersville, Neb. The tiny population of Snydersville apparently is so naiv, that, despite the men's feminine attire, the residents can't recognize Adam apples, deep voices and overdeveloped biceps as male traits. The three, known as Vida, Noxeema and Chi Chi, treat the community to a wild weekend of flash and glamour as they heal broken hearts, open eyes and tease hair. For the mainstream crowd, the chance to see action-adventure stars Snipes and Swayze tricked out as goddesses was enough of a lure to pop for six bucks. "Hilarious,'' said Steve Martin. "What brought me out was Snipes and Swayze. And I wanted a good laugh tonight." Barbara Martin agreed. "It looked like it would be a lot of fun," she said. "You think of Snipes and Swayze and you think of toughness and action," said Steve Martin. "It was marvelous to see them go that much against type." Bart Flickinger said the contrast between the action-adventure actors and the material is what attracted him to the show. "I get tired of the mainstream action-adventures always being the predictable storyline," he said on his way in to the 10 p.m. showing. Ken Warner and Matt Barr saw last year's drag extravaganza, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," and were ready to compare it with "To Wong Foo ... " "I think 'Priscilla' was a little wittier and a little more geared toward more humor," said Warner. "This was more lifelike," said Barr. The employee at Our Fantasy said "To Wong Foo" appealed to him specifically because the characters were openly gay men. And, he said, "I have friends that do female impersonations. This looked like it was going to be fun."