Jay Gatsby is hosting a party. Tommy can see, feel, and hear again. Alicia Keys is a girl on fire, and Eddie Redmayne is slinking around the Kit Kat Club. All of these major musicals are happening on the mainstem of Broadway. Further downtown however, actor Edu Diaz just wrapped his bold and often funny solo, show, A Drag is Born at the Frigid NYC Fringe Festival.
Diaz, who wrote, starred, and produced the show, premiered his piece on Saturday April 6th. It ran through Saturday April 20th. With no dialogue, Diaz masterfully navigated the open stage at the 14th Street Y with hilarious antics involving a man who pushes through his fears by performing drag for the first time in front of a live audience.
While his performance could easily spin out of control, Director Rachel Resnik and Choreographer Tinna Hoffmann carefully ensure that the humor is always organic and never forced.
For a 45-minute Fringe show, Diaz deftly dons more costumes by one performer than are often seen in a full scale Broadway show by a full cast. They are dazzling and undeniably impressive.
The Fulbright scholar, originally from the Canary Islands, received three Fringe awards for his creation: The extension award, best solo clown, and hummingbird favorite. It’s been a long journey given all the workshops and shorter iterations that have preceded his April Fringe Debut.
It might be a literal drag for those who missed it, but it’s a safe assumption, given the momentum of awards and enthusiastic audiences, that Diaz will be appearing on a New York stage again soon. In the meantime, he’ll be bringing his unique and endearing show to the Orlando Fringe next month. Yaaaaaaasssss kweeen!
For more information on A Drag is Born and Edu Diaz, visit his website.