You may know Lea DeLaria as a comedian. Or, you may know Lea DeLaria as a brassy musical theatre belter. Either way, DeLaria is a memorable presence however you encounter her. And on June 27, she will combine both of her loves (comedy and music鈥攁nd also social commentary, so make that three loves) for a cabaret evening at the .
It's been a busy year for DeLaria, who boarded the Ship of Dreams earlier this year in the Off-Broadway hit 罢颈迟补苍矛辩耻别. Below, she discusses performing at the Carlyle during Pride Month, making art during outrageous times, and the most memorable note Stephen Sondheim ever gave her.
Many people know you as a comedian. Others know you from your theatre work. How do you hope to surprise these groups?
I will answer this by telling you a short story. I once performed at Carnegie Hall as a part of a jazz tribute to Stephen Sondheim. I did two tunes, 鈥淟osing My Mind鈥� and 鈥淪winging Sweeney,鈥� both of which are on my first Album, Play It Cool. After the concert, Steve came backstage and said this to me,"The thing about you Lea is that when you speak you are so funny, people forget you can sing. Then when you sing you are so great, people forget you are funny.鈥� That is one way to keep them guessing.
How do you plan to queer the Carlyle?
By showing up darling. Trust when I walk into a room, they enter my world.
The show is called Out Rage, which is the current vibe, but what鈥檚 your way of harnessing your own outrage productively?
In the same way I have been doing since I began in 1982. Speak my truth. Don鈥檛 let anyone tell me that I can鈥檛 do that. In other words give no fucks.
What is the set list? One of 半岛体育鈥檚 staffers has watched your performance of on repeat since college, will you perform that?
Tell your staffer to buy a ticket, and I will.
You had a career breakthrough in On the Town鈥攄o you see this concert as coming full circle back to your Broadway roots?
On the Town was certainly the beginning of the Broadway stage of my career, but I was a very successful stand up and singer touring the world, winning awards and acting in film and television before that. The Carlyle is going to include a lot of my hit music, including some new tunes, and then followed by a lot of screaming about the current regime we find ourselves governed by.
You鈥檝e sung such a mix of music over your career, who are your vocal idols?
Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRea, Betty Carter, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Mel Torm茅, Carol Burnett. I love to belt. But I also love a genuine moment on stage. That still moment in a room where you just have that audience. We all live for that.
You're a and scatter, which is not easy. What鈥檚 your tips for being a good scatter?
Learn music. Seriously. Learn music.
You played Eddie in The Rocky Horror Show, before actors playing across gender became more widely accepted. What lessons from then can you give to today鈥檚 performers, in the face of the government trying to enforce strict gender norms?
To be honest, Miriam Shor was doing Hedwig before I was cast in Rocky. AND I did Marryin鈥� Sam before Rocky, both for the same director, Christopher Ashley. I鈥檝e been lucky throughout my career to be allowed to cross gender as well as queerness. I鈥檝e played almost as many straight women as I have lesbians. Nobody even thought twice about me playing Eddie or Dr. Scott or Sam. Here鈥檚 the thing鈥� allow me to shout this: THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT ART. THEY ARE THE DEATH OF ART. My advice to anyone who wants to pursue their passion by any means necessary is to raise your middle finger in salute鈥� and perhaps鈥� in homage to my last Broadway production POTUS, maybe a blow torch.
Would you want to do Rocky Horror again?
I would love to!! I really wanna do The Narrator. Especially after doing Titanique. The idea of being able to read a room and ad lib is very appealing to the insane stand-up comic that lives between my ears.
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