Drag: A History of Female Impersonation in the Performing Arts

Listing examples of female impersonators in recent entertainment is no difficult task: Tootsie; Mrs. Doubtfire; The Crying Game or television's Bosom Buddies. Think of Boy George, David Bowie, RuPaul. Anyone who believes these often flamboyant and controversial characters are a recent manifestation would be well-advised to read late British writer Baker's fun, informative and revealing historical tour. Having emerged from church pageants, the theater was (like the church itself) dominated by men. Men got the female parts for centuries, including original portrayals of Shakespeare's Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Cleopatra, Desdemona. When actresses came into their own during the Restoration era, the man in drag moved to burlesque--where they tended to remain. Although almost entirely about female impersonation, there is a some mention of opera's trouser roles (Cherubino, Octavian, etc.). Likewise, the focus is Western, despite a chapter on Japanese and Chinese female impersonators. Baker spices his text with a gentle, appealing cynicism. (Talking about the corrupting influence of Elizabethan theaters, he notes, ``Presumably countless grandmothers were hastily buried on the afternoons when Tamburlaine the Great or Macbeth were being played.'') Baker's voice is a strong one, making Drag a quiet, funny and superbly documented study that should appeal to a variety of readers. Photos. (Mar.)