✭✭✭✭✭
Tina Burner has returned to Provincetown’s Crown & Anchor with a new musical revue titled Scene Queen. The show is a nod to some famous movie moments that Burner hilariously reinterprets. Burner is a solid performer with real comedy chops. Scene Queen is another strong showing from this RuPaul’s Drag Race alum. There are some uneven moments in the stand-up comedy portions of the show but Burner’s inventive mix of recorded dialogue and powerful live singing more than make-up for any rocky joke segments.
There are a lot of queens on Commercial Street singing live this summer. Varla, Dina, and Miss Richfield all sing live with the distinctive voices of their characters. Others, like Delta Miles, Roxy Pops, and Qya Crystal are tearing up harmonies and solo turns at the mic in the terrific Divas. Delta is also doing a Judy Garland Tribute and Qya is singing many different styles in this or that show. Thirsty Burlington sings as Cher with a near perfect replication of that diva’s signature sound. There are a few others with middling voices striving to elevate their drag performance with live vocals with mixed success. Drag might make a musical segment more interesting but it’s not a substitute for voice lessons or rehearsals.
Burner is in a different category. Her pipes are strong, and occasionally even sublime but live singing is only about a third of her act. Another third is devoted to physical comedy at which she is brilliant. Her lip-sync and mugging are spot on perfection. Her double takes are on par with Lucille Ball. The segments where he ventures into the crowd to torment them with lines from Mommie Dearest, which might seem dated if done by others, here feels fresh and relevant. The crowd was wrecked.
The other third of the show is straight up stand-up and the least effective in outstanding overall production for several reasons. First, they often follow much funnier bits, and yes, there is such a thing as too much laughter. At several points, I found myself still catching my breath and needing a respite or still chortling over what I’d just heard at the very moment of flurry of punchlines were being thrown. Second, while the punchlines often landed the jokes felt generic and unrelated to Burner’s character. These are jokes that anyone could tell. They aren’t often personal to Burner and don’t add any insight into her, which the audience was craving. The few times when Burner did personalize her stand-up were more successful because it gave us a glimpse into her psyche. Moreover, some of the jokes were more than borderline offensive, and seemed intentionally placed just to test the audience on just how far they are willing to go with her. This is a thing that road comics often do once they’ve gained the confidence that their set list consistently hits, and they’ve begun to get bored by the predictability of it. They up their elements of risk to keep themselves engaged. It’s part of the one-sided love/hate relationship comics have with their audiences. Burner often seemed torn between loving the adulation of the audience and wanting to tell us to fuck off.
Tina Burner In Scene Queen https://www.onlyatthecrown.com/ Fri Jun 28, 2024 - Tue Sep 10, 2024
Guest Contributor: James Judd is a freelance writer, a performer, a frequent contributor to NPR, and a Creativity Coach. He lives on Cape Cod.
