Christine Jorgensen Reveals
Encyclopedia
Christine Jorgensen Reveals is a theatrical show that depicts the 1957 one-hour interview of Christine Jorgensen
by Nipsey Russell
. This was her only recorded interview. The show begins with a brief documentary
. Then, Jorgensen's entire interview is lip synched by the two actors. The show received a generally positive critical response and earned the 2006 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
. It has been mounted several times since its 2005 Off-Broadway
production.
, was considered to be the most famous woman in the world, according to critics from The Guardian
and Broadwayworld.com and one of the most famous according to other sources, such as The New York Times. On December 1, 1952, the New York Daily News
ran a front-page story of her operation, and her February 12, 1953, return to the United States at Idlewild Airport was the largest press gathering in history to that date. In 1952, she had gone to Denmark to have sex reassignment surgery
and hormone treatment to change sexes at a Copenhagen hospital. In the 1957, the interview of Jorgensen by comedian Nipsy Russell was produced as a LP record
.
Bradford Louryk
stumbled across the LP in a used record store. He recalled, "there she was in that green dress on this great cover, which made me want to pick it up. And written on the cover were all these leading questions, like 'is she a woman?' 'can she have children?' and things like that." He created the show and finally got it produced a few years later.
. Then, Jorgensen's entire interview is lip synched by the two actors, who "at the same time [provide a] visual counterpart to every phoneme, snort, scratch, or hesitation". The Jorgensen character sits next to a television that plays a recording of the interview, with a microphone hanging overhead, as in a TV studio. Jorgenson is portrayed as "beautiful, intelligent and media-savvy". Nipsey Russell, an African American, is played "in prerecorded video form" by a white actor. The young Russell is depicted in the entertainment as a credulous, star-struck interviewer who asks "oft naïve or prurient questions". At times he is also "appalled" and "seductive". The interview runs about 50 minutes.
, Dodger Stages and the Edinburgh Festival
, before a 2006 engagement on Theatre Row
. It starred Bradford Louryk as Jorgensen, was directed by Josh Hecht and produced by Greg Tully. Russell was portrayed by the white actor Rob Grace. It was then produced in Boston, a week after closing in New York, at the Calderwood Pavilion. Subsequently, the show went to Dublin before returning to New York City in 2009 for a return engagement at The Lion Theatre on 42nd Street
, again starring Louryk.
. Critics praised Louryk's performance in the title role. The Boston Phoenix
reviewer called the show "something between a docudrama, an elegant drag show, and a sedentary ballet ... what Christine Jorgensen reveals is just how much of a performance traditional gender specificity can be." The New York Times
regarded the performance as "meticulous", commenting that the title character "articulates ideas about gender and homosexuality that sound well ahead of her time, while also projecting a demure model of femininity that seems distinctly of the 1950's." Nytheatre.com
commented that the entertainment "is a grand example of the impact performance can have in taking a single event in time and memorializing it in the best and strongest way possible, enabling that moment to survive and continue to affect the world in new and different ways around each corner."
Other accolades include the The Hilton Edwards
Award for Outstanding Production, The Micheal MacLiammoir
Award for Best Actor, and a IRNE Award Nomination for Best Play.
Christine Jorgensen
Christine Jorgensen was the first widely known person to have sex reassignment surgery—in this case, male to female.-Early life:...
by Nipsey Russell
Nipsey Russell
Julius "Nipsey" Russell was an American comedian, best known today for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid...
. This was her only recorded interview. The show begins with a brief documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
. Then, Jorgensen's entire interview is lip synched by the two actors. The show received a generally positive critical response and earned the 2006 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
The Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience was created to honor those Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and legitimate not-for-profit theater productions which, due to their unusual nature, cannot be categorized in the regular musical and play categories...
. It has been mounted several times since its 2005 Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production.
Background
At the time of the interview, Jorgensen, the first celebrity transsexualTranssexualism
Transsexualism is an individual's identification with a gender inconsistent or not culturally associated with their biological sex. Simply put, it defines a person whose biological birth sex conflicts with their psychological gender...
, was considered to be the most famous woman in the world, according to critics from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and Broadwayworld.com and one of the most famous according to other sources, such as The New York Times. On December 1, 1952, the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
ran a front-page story of her operation, and her February 12, 1953, return to the United States at Idlewild Airport was the largest press gathering in history to that date. In 1952, she had gone to Denmark to have sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
and hormone treatment to change sexes at a Copenhagen hospital. In the 1957, the interview of Jorgensen by comedian Nipsy Russell was produced as a LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
.
Bradford Louryk
Bradford Louryk
Bradford Louryk is a multi-award winning American theater artist and actor. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and educated at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, he is best-known for his collaboratively generated solo performance work, which often incorporates multimedia elements and gender...
stumbled across the LP in a used record store. He recalled, "there she was in that green dress on this great cover, which made me want to pick it up. And written on the cover were all these leading questions, like 'is she a woman?' 'can she have children?' and things like that." He created the show and finally got it produced a few years later.
Description
The show begins with a brief documentaryDocumentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
. Then, Jorgensen's entire interview is lip synched by the two actors, who "at the same time [provide a] visual counterpart to every phoneme, snort, scratch, or hesitation". The Jorgensen character sits next to a television that plays a recording of the interview, with a microphone hanging overhead, as in a TV studio. Jorgenson is portrayed as "beautiful, intelligent and media-savvy". Nipsey Russell, an African American, is played "in prerecorded video form" by a white actor. The young Russell is depicted in the entertainment as a credulous, star-struck interviewer who asks "oft naïve or prurient questions". At times he is also "appalled" and "seductive". The interview runs about 50 minutes.
Performance history
The show premiered in New York City in 2005 at the 59E59 Theaters59E59 Theaters
59E59 Theaters is an Off Broadway theater complex located in New York City, USA. Comprising three theater spaces, the complex is owned and operated by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation that is dedicated to bringing innovative and experimental work to the...
, Dodger Stages and the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, before a 2006 engagement on Theatre Row
Theatre Row (New York City)
Theatre Row is the popular name for a section of 42nd Street in New York City which is the location for a number of small theatres; it is also the name of a large theatre complex built in 2000 to house six theatres....
. It starred Bradford Louryk as Jorgensen, was directed by Josh Hecht and produced by Greg Tully. Russell was portrayed by the white actor Rob Grace. It was then produced in Boston, a week after closing in New York, at the Calderwood Pavilion. Subsequently, the show went to Dublin before returning to New York City in 2009 for a return engagement at The Lion Theatre on 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
, again starring Louryk.
Critical response
The show "makes compelling viewing" and is "stylishly staged", according to The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Critics praised Louryk's performance in the title role. The Boston Phoenix
The Phoenix (newspaper)
The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
reviewer called the show "something between a docudrama, an elegant drag show, and a sedentary ballet ... what Christine Jorgensen reveals is just how much of a performance traditional gender specificity can be." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
regarded the performance as "meticulous", commenting that the title character "articulates ideas about gender and homosexuality that sound well ahead of her time, while also projecting a demure model of femininity that seems distinctly of the 1950's." Nytheatre.com
Nytheatre.com
NYTheatre.com is a theatre information and review website founded in 1997.The Washington Post recommends it to "dedicated fans" of live theater....
commented that the entertainment "is a grand example of the impact performance can have in taking a single event in time and memorializing it in the best and strongest way possible, enabling that moment to survive and continue to affect the world in new and different ways around each corner."
Awards and nominations
| Award | Outcome | |
| 2006 Drama Desk Awards | ||
| Unique Theatrical Experience | ||
| 2006 GLAAD Media Awards | ||
| Outstanding New York Theater: Off-Off-Broadway: Bradford Louryk Bradford Louryk Bradford Louryk is a multi-award winning American theater artist and actor. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and educated at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, he is best-known for his collaboratively generated solo performance work, which often incorporates multimedia elements and gender... |
||
Other accolades include the The Hilton Edwards
Hilton Edwards
Hilton Edwards was an English-born Irish actor and theatrical producer. He was the son of Thomas George Cecil Edwards and Emily Edwards ....
Award for Outstanding Production, The Micheal MacLiammoir
Micheál MacLiammóir
Micheál Mac Liammóir , born Alfred Willmore, was an English-born Irish actor, dramatist, impresario, writer, poet and painter. Mac Liammóir was born to a Protestant family living in the Kensal Green neighbourhood of London....
Award for Best Actor, and a IRNE Award Nomination for Best Play.