Diversity Rules Magazine

20| Diversity Rules Magazine |June 2023 The Tony Award-nominated writer of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife nd the long-running hit Off-Broadway play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and a Sundance Fes val award winner, Charles Busch has created a unique place in the entertainment world as a play- wright, LGBT icon, drag actor, director, and cabaret performer, with his extraordinary gi for both con- nec ng with and channeling the leading ladies of show business. In wonderfully readable chapters, by turns comic and moving, Charles writes how ever since his mother's death when he was seven, he has sought out surro- gate mothers in his life. In his teens, Charles moved to Park Avenue in Manha an to live with his Aun e Mame-like Aunt Lil, who encouraged and nourished Charles' talents and dreams, and eventually he dis- covered his gi s for wri ng plays and performing as a male actress. Busch also shares his colorful and some mes out- landish interac ons with film and theatrical lumi- naries including the hilarious comedian Joan Rivers (who became a mother figure to Charles a er Aunt Lil's death), Angela Lansbury (who a ended her first Passover seder with Charles),Rosie O'Donnell, Clau- de e Colbert, Valerie Harper, Kim Novak, and many others. Full of both humor and heart and featuring rare pho- tos, Leading Lady is for readers of entertainment books as well as anyone who enjoys real-life stories of ar sts who break the mold, ditch the boundaries, and find their own unique way to sparkle. Charles Busch is an actor, playwright, and drag leg- end. He is the author and star of many plays, includ- ing Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, one of the longest- running plays in Off-Broadway history. His play The Tale of the Allergist's Wife played 777 performances on Broadway and received a Tony nomina on for Best Play. Busch wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays Psycho Beach Party and Die, Mommie, Die!, the la er of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Fes val. He has been honored with a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright, and he also received the Flora Roberts Award for Sus- tained Achievement in the theater by the Drama sts Guild. Advance Praise for LEADING LADY "A magical tale of how Charles brought drag into the present by celebra ng the glamour of the past." —Sarah Jessica Parker "Leading Lady is both a page-turner with name-drops and a book depic ng the thrill of crea on . . .If you aren't sure of his influence on your own world, you will s ll be spellbound, but you will also come away with a new mentor for living an unafraid life true to who you are." —Jim Parsons Leading Lady A New Memoir By Iconic Performer Charles Busch

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