There’s sparkle. There’s glitter. There are sequined skirts, sky-scraping heels, and shimmering silver stockings. And, as emcee Frankie Cavalier puts it, there’s also “something extra” in Stoneham Theatre’s staging of “Pageant.”
A spoof on the beauty pageant industry, the musical features a cast of contestants vying for the title of “Miss Glamouresse.” The catch? There are no girls in this competition — just men in drag, belting about “Girl Power!” in swimsuits, eveningwear and stilettos.
Contestants include Miss West Coast, Miss Great Plains, Miss Industrial Northeast, Miss Bible Belt, Miss Texas and Miss Deep South.
Glamouresse, as one might guess, is a mock cosmetic company. To snag the crown, would-be beauty queens take turns hocking the latest Glamouresse products, amid the talent, swimsuit and physical fitness competitions one would expect of any beauty pageant.
Cast members include Nick Cearley (Miss Great Plains), Michael Joyce (Miss Bible Belt), Danny O’Connor (Miss Texas), Nicholas Ryan Rowe (Emcee Frankie Cavalier), and Corbitt Williams (Miss Industrial Northeast).
There are several standout performances, including Williams’s gum-snapping, tough talking Miss Industrial Northeast. As a roller-skating accordion player, her talent portion made for top-notch physical comedy.
Nick Cearley’s timid, stage-frightened Miss Great Plains drew laughs as well, and Miss Bible Belt gave a revival-worthy gospel music performance.
Some of the characters seem prone to unnecessary stereotyping that does little to enhance the show, however. Miss Bible Belt, for example, is almost too mired in syrupy Christianese and “oh, golly!” exclamations, and Miss Texas spouts a few too many “yee-haws!” to be uniquely funny.
The emcee also misses more than a few opportunities to really ramp up the audience, although he redeems himself at the show’s end, selecting five audience members to judge which contestant deserves the title of “Miss Glamouresse.” This makes for a rowdy ending, full of loud cheers and jeers, with the potential to have a different outcome every night. This helps a production that could otherwise fall into predictability.
As an ensemble, this relatively young bunch — which you’d have to be, to trot across the stage in three-inch heels for two hours — manages to pull together a cohesive performance, and audience members were laughing throughout both acts.
Choreography in “Pageant” is by Shea Sullivan, with costume design by Stephen Yearick. Both work in the pageant industry, which explains why these faux-glamazons carry off such an air of authenticity.
