Is exactly what Church Hill Theatre is offering this week, although some have told this relative newcomer to the Eastern Shore, that “Drag shows are kinda a staple on the Shore”, which I never would have expected. This Friday and Saturday, Marti Gould Cummings is returning home to present a drag show fundraiser to “the Eastern Shore’s best little theater.” This article reflection of a homegrown performer sharing their talents to provide entertainment and positivity by exposing people to people who aren’t like them in order to break from prejudices.
Known for an inventive blend of drag, comedy, and vocal performance, Marti entertains nightly at clubs in New York similarly as done in other cultures throughout time including Kabuki in Japan dating back to 1629. In Kabuki, costumes and makeup are specifically designed to depict culturally known characters, similarly, what is considered traditional blue for boys and pink for girls. Drag Queens provide entertainment which clashes against these cultural norms in their performances. Marti Gould Cumming’s art fulfills several categories in the performing arts and their voice can also be heard in LGBTQ activism reaching audiences of many ages and backgrounds. In fact, during a brunchtime performance in a restaurant in New Jersey last March, one interaction was memorialized when they joined in singing with a toddler to “Baby Shark.” As a highly skilled self-promotor they have many samples of their recent work on a variety of websites such as Inside Edition, Wikipedia, Facebook and Instagram. On one of their post feeds, Marti explained that they use the nongender specific pronouns them/them. You’ll notice that I’ve honored that wish in this article.
As director Sylvia Maloney recalls: “Marti Gould Cummings came to Church Hill Theatre when they auditioned for the Musical South Pacific in 2002. They were cast as a Seabee and were featured in songs such as Bloody Mary, There is Nothing Like a Dame, and Honey Bun as part of the men’s ensemble. That summer they were a member of CHT’s Green Room Gang and were cast as Harold Hill in The Music Man, Jr. They continued their community theater career the following year by playing Sir Lionel in CHT’s production of Camelot and they were a prominent member of that summer’s GRG show, Into the Woods Jr, portraying one of the Princes.”
This year, Into the Woods returns (directed by Sylvia Maloney) to Church Hill Theatre after some years break and just after The Philadelphia Story (Christopher Wallace, director) opening March 20. Other shows this season include, Last of the Red Hot Lovers (Bonnie Hill, director) and The Outgoing Tide (Shelagh Grasso, director) and the recently closed Other Dessert Cities (Michael Whitehill, director).
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