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4-News The Daily Collegian October 6S 1992 ■</■ By Manny Fernandez Artspeak Editor Photos by Hector Amezcua Thegentle breeze from the air conditioning inside the Wild Blue, on a humid Sun¬ day night in Fresno's tower District, sent ^the red velvet curtain at the foot of the stage into a slow dance. Alarge white backdropsur- rounded the curtain, littfcfed with colorful spray-paintecl stars. Vintage opera music seeped into every corner and crevice of the club, crer ating a relaxed mooci for the audience that sat in front of the stage, patiently waiting. y0y And then Karl appeared Karl stood in front of this bizarresetting—headslightly tilted to one side, hands squarely on his hips, trying to lookas serious as he possibly could. It was what Karl said that was ironic and funny, never¬ mind that he was wearing a "blonde wig with giant, dan¬ gling curls, a tacky yellow evening gown with matching high heels and heavy eyeliner. The man on the moon is a lady," he scouted, as the audience erupted with laugh* ter. They laughed at what he said and how he said it; laughed at what he was wear¬ ing and how ironic the entire ■ scene was. Karl is one of the Fresno City BuJldrags, a theatrical comedy revue team that per¬ forms at local night clubs to raise money for various AIDS organizations. The $654 of proceeds from the Sulldrags' performance at the Wild Blue benefits the Randall House, a hospice for AIDS and terminally ill pa¬ tients that is currently under construction. It is this mix of humor and AIDS awareness that makes up the uniqueness of the Fresno City Bulldrags. They perform comedy at its most bizarre; bizarreness at its most comical. The one-liners and satiri¬ cal skits are a toxic combina¬ tion ^of Milton Berle and Benny Hill humor, with a flair for the overtly outrageous. They spoof everyone from Miss America to the Village People to the "Queen of the San Joaquin", all while dressed in flashy evening gowns and balloon breasts. Bob Benson, the unofficial ringleader of the Bulldrags, is a constant wire of hilarious energy, let loose on the stage as he takes swipes at every¬ thing considered normal in Fresno. "It's not everybody's bag." Benson said after the show as he wiped rouge from his cheek and makeup from his temple. "It's not what every¬ body would say is funny. It's just fun." Robyn Marootian said af¬ ter seeing the first show at the Wild Blue a few months ago, she returned to the sec¬ ond show to witness more of the same. "You need to laugh when you live in Fresno." she said. "It's tacky and puts down the status quo. It's very un- Fresno." CarrieZ. seated next to Ma¬ rootian, said the Bulldrags put their heart into their per¬ formance, and it shows on stage. N "They put on a good show," shesaid. "I don't thinkthey're for everybody, but it's enter¬ taining." Backstage after the show Bob Benson looked tired. Seated in a small chair, the rows and rows of light bulbs on the mirror behind him glowing brightly, he wiped a hand over his forehead. Wigs, of all sizes and col¬ ors, all hairstyles and lengths, surrounded Benson as he took off his makeup, wiping and rubbing. Benson and the Bulldrags. including .Steve. Ginger $nd Trixie, were tired be¬ cause all work concerning the Bulldrags—the build¬ ing and raising of the back¬ drop and stage, the sew¬ ing of the dresses they wear and the writing of the comedy material—is done by them and only them. Benson acknowledged the hard work that goes into a show. "We have a good time but it is a lot of work." he said. The three days of prepara¬ tion fortheshow meant three hours of sleep for Benson and the other Bulldrags. but somehow he didn't seem to mind. * w "What makes it worthwhile is when you see the money* we raised mattered." he said.' The Bulldrags. in the five j years they have been perform¬ ing together, have raised over $20,000 for various AIDS or¬ ganizations in the commu¬ nity. , It is something he said he / is proud of. But Benson was alreadypreparing for the next Bulldrag show on November 14 at the Wild Blue. He will rest until then, and build up his energy for an¬ other performance, and try once again to make the people seated in the chairs, aroundthetablesand behind the lights in front of the stage, laugh for a reason. ; ' ■ , .
Object Description
Title | 1992_10 The Daily Collegian October 1992 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1992 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Description
Title | October 6, 1992, Page 4 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1992 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Full-Text-Search | 4-News The Daily Collegian October 6S 1992 ■■ By Manny Fernandez Artspeak Editor Photos by Hector Amezcua Thegentle breeze from the air conditioning inside the Wild Blue, on a humid Sun¬ day night in Fresno's tower District, sent ^the red velvet curtain at the foot of the stage into a slow dance. Alarge white backdropsur- rounded the curtain, littfcfed with colorful spray-paintecl stars. Vintage opera music seeped into every corner and crevice of the club, crer ating a relaxed mooci for the audience that sat in front of the stage, patiently waiting. y0y And then Karl appeared Karl stood in front of this bizarresetting—headslightly tilted to one side, hands squarely on his hips, trying to lookas serious as he possibly could. It was what Karl said that was ironic and funny, never¬ mind that he was wearing a "blonde wig with giant, dan¬ gling curls, a tacky yellow evening gown with matching high heels and heavy eyeliner. The man on the moon is a lady," he scouted, as the audience erupted with laugh* ter. They laughed at what he said and how he said it; laughed at what he was wear¬ ing and how ironic the entire ■ scene was. Karl is one of the Fresno City BuJldrags, a theatrical comedy revue team that per¬ forms at local night clubs to raise money for various AIDS organizations. The $654 of proceeds from the Sulldrags' performance at the Wild Blue benefits the Randall House, a hospice for AIDS and terminally ill pa¬ tients that is currently under construction. It is this mix of humor and AIDS awareness that makes up the uniqueness of the Fresno City Bulldrags. They perform comedy at its most bizarre; bizarreness at its most comical. The one-liners and satiri¬ cal skits are a toxic combina¬ tion ^of Milton Berle and Benny Hill humor, with a flair for the overtly outrageous. They spoof everyone from Miss America to the Village People to the "Queen of the San Joaquin", all while dressed in flashy evening gowns and balloon breasts. Bob Benson, the unofficial ringleader of the Bulldrags, is a constant wire of hilarious energy, let loose on the stage as he takes swipes at every¬ thing considered normal in Fresno. "It's not everybody's bag." Benson said after the show as he wiped rouge from his cheek and makeup from his temple. "It's not what every¬ body would say is funny. It's just fun." Robyn Marootian said af¬ ter seeing the first show at the Wild Blue a few months ago, she returned to the sec¬ ond show to witness more of the same. "You need to laugh when you live in Fresno." she said. "It's tacky and puts down the status quo. It's very un- Fresno." CarrieZ. seated next to Ma¬ rootian, said the Bulldrags put their heart into their per¬ formance, and it shows on stage. N "They put on a good show," shesaid. "I don't thinkthey're for everybody, but it's enter¬ taining." Backstage after the show Bob Benson looked tired. Seated in a small chair, the rows and rows of light bulbs on the mirror behind him glowing brightly, he wiped a hand over his forehead. Wigs, of all sizes and col¬ ors, all hairstyles and lengths, surrounded Benson as he took off his makeup, wiping and rubbing. Benson and the Bulldrags. including .Steve. Ginger $nd Trixie, were tired be¬ cause all work concerning the Bulldrags—the build¬ ing and raising of the back¬ drop and stage, the sew¬ ing of the dresses they wear and the writing of the comedy material—is done by them and only them. Benson acknowledged the hard work that goes into a show. "We have a good time but it is a lot of work." he said. The three days of prepara¬ tion fortheshow meant three hours of sleep for Benson and the other Bulldrags. but somehow he didn't seem to mind. * w "What makes it worthwhile is when you see the money* we raised mattered." he said.' The Bulldrags. in the five j years they have been perform¬ ing together, have raised over $20,000 for various AIDS or¬ ganizations in the commu¬ nity. , It is something he said he / is proud of. But Benson was alreadypreparing for the next Bulldrag show on November 14 at the Wild Blue. He will rest until then, and build up his energy for an¬ other performance, and try once again to make the people seated in the chairs, aroundthetablesand behind the lights in front of the stage, laugh for a reason. ; ' ■ , . |