The first cast recording of the Drama Desk-nominated musical billed as “Miss America meets ‘The Birdcage’” hits stores June 22 after two successful off-Broadway stagings.
“Pageant,” which played New York’s Davenport Theatre in 2014 after a special five-show engagement benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS earlier that year, offered audiences the chance to witness its all-male cast -- which included Nick Cearly, Alex Ringler, Marty Thomas, Seth Tucker and Curtis Wiley -- face off in hilarious pursuit of the coveted Miss Glamouresse crown.
The team behind the musical let The Huffington Post have an exclusive sneak peek at the new album, which is available on iTunes. You can check out “Natural Born Females” below:
Written by two-time Tony nominee Bill Russell (“Side Show”), Albert Evans and Frank Kelly, “Pageant” was first staged in New York in 1991, preceding other hit stage musicals like “Kinky Boots” and “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” by over a decade. What makes the show particularly unique is that the six beauty queens are presented in the context of the musical as women -- not drag queens or female impersonators -- even though men are playing the characters. In addition, the audience is given the opportunity to select the winner each night.
Listen to “Something Extra” below:
“We never talk about the fact that we’re men in dresses because it’s not a thing; we’re playing [women],” Thomas told The Huffington Post in 2014. Still, that conceit presented some unusual challenges for him and his co-stars. “You can’t just go by the standby strikes or clichés of drag queens. It’s a celebration, rather than a camp mimicking, of women, as can only be told through the voice of gay men.”
The cast will be on hand to celebrate the release of the album with a special performance at New York's 54 Below. Head here for more details.
Listen to “Girl Power” below:
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