ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The first performance of “Hamlet” called for men to dress in drag, because there were no female players at the turn of the 17th century.
Fast forward a couple hundred years, and a modern retelling returns to men in drag with “Fat Ham”, winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for drama, at St. Petersburg’s American Stage theater.
Behind the scenes, actor Mykail Cooley gets into character from the ground up.
“My first encounter with high heels,” Cooley explained, strapping on a pair of glittery shoes, tying himself to his character, Larry, in “Fat Ham”.
The characters are drag queens. The setting is a backyard southern barbecue.
Hence Cooley’s warm-up in heels and the stage setting.
The backyard grass has realistic patterns. Somebody spent time on this.
In fact, there is a team of pros making sure it’s all as it should be.
Consultant Joe Condon is a drag queen — making sure performances on stage like Cooley’s ring true, from walking in heels to posing.
Assistant costumer designer Jenna Jamison created a flowing robe for Larry’s finale moments.
And before said finale, Jamison and her colleague Macy Smith transform “Soldier Larry” into “Drag Queen Larry” in a 14-minute quick change.
The first thing that happens is Cooley quickly taking off military pants and shirt and putting on his finale dress.
He then sits down in a make-up chair in a dressing room, a black cape over his dress.
This takes about two minutes, leaving Jamison and Smith about 12 minutes to present an entire drag look.
They demonstrate how they do it, calmly.
“As a collective, I think we are all trusting in each other,” said Jamison. “And we kind of have this choreographed down to a science.”
Smith is contour, and Jamison is eyes.
And Cooley is focused on transformation.
“It’s a completely different person who reenters than who exits,” said Cooley.
Finally, the double wig — teased higher and wilder than physics should allow.
Once the wig is on, Jamison’s flowing robe replaces the black cape on Cooley’s shoulder.
And these unseen heroes of “Fat Ham” propel the performance into art — from heels to hair, strut to pose to grass.
Virginia Johnson
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