Christine Jorgensen Reveals
Desperate Housewife or
lonely cowboy, the crossover culture is taking the world by storm,
with all eyes turned to the proliferation of gay and transgendered
characters in blockbuster movies. So, one must gather that the
arrival of CHRISTINE JORGENSEN REVEALS, the one woman show at Dodger
Stages is well timed to coincide.
America’s first
transgendered person, George Jorgensen, Jr., an awkward boy from
the Bronx completed two years of service in the US Army before
flying to Copenhagen where he underwent months of hormone therapy
and finally had his sex organs removed. Returning to New York’s
Idlewild Airport in 1953, the newly-named Christine was greeted
by 300 reporters, all waiting to snap and snip about her. The sheer
number of press in and of itself was record breaking. Not to mention
how it translated in the mind of the newly minted Christine. The
once shy George blossomed in the limelight as a successful nightclub
performer. And as a celebrity in the complacent 50’s, Christine
became arguably the most famous person in the world.
All of this is clearly
presented in Bradford Louryk’s one woman show in which he
creates the persona of Christine with her resolute mouth gestures,
puckering her upper lip like a guppy, and supporting an austere
posture. At 5’6.5” and 120 lbs, this Christine has
a figure to die for.
And the vehicle for the
story is an interactive television interview with a gawking 50’s
TV reporter who appears on a scratchy square box television set
while Christine sits in front of us responding to the interviewer’s
questions. As a devise it’s interesting enough, but the production
never gets beyond that to really compelling insights about Jorgensen
and her deeply rooted psychological need to change gender. Her
answers are predictable: that every person is basically intersexual – both
male and female to varying degrees. (Clearly hers is a matter of
degree.)
Within the 60 minute
interview, Christine delivers provocative anecdotes, responding
to questions about her sex life, her niece’s curiosity, her
relationships with Hollywood stars, but that’s about where
it begins and ends. As an icon who challenged our social perceptions
of sexual identity, this Christine now seems passé, and
the production, just another drag show with a sexy looking woman,
or in this case her imitator.
That’s This Week Off Broadway. I’m Isa Goldberg.
