BWW Interviews: Miss Great Plains (Dustin Lewis) from 14th Street’s Pageant: The Musical.

BWW Interviews: Miss Great Plains (Dustin Lewis) from 14^th Street's Pageant: The Musical.

You may not have heard yet, but one of the biggest beauty pageants in the world, Miss Glamouresse, is coming to Atlanta, and the theater-going public will soon have the unique chance to witness the glitz and glamour themselves in Pageant: The Musical (Book and Lyrics by Bill Russell and Frank Kelly, Music by Albert Evans), playing at the 14^th Street Playhouse beginning August 25^th. This hilarious send-up of the beauty pageant world has all the things you might expect, evening gowns, swimsuits, talent, spokes-modeling and even beauty crisis counseling. But when the contestants take the stage you may be surprised to see that these "girls" have, as Frankie Cavalier the emcee puts it, a little "something extra". I had the unique opportunity to speak with one of the 6 contestants themselves, Miss Great Plains (Dustin Smith, also co-producer), to get the inside scoop on the pageant and even test her question and answer skills.

BWW: Hello Bonnie, How are you?

Bonnie: I am great. Thank you so much for talking to me today!

Let me start off by saying thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I know you must be very busy getting ready for the Miss Glamouresse pageant.

It's so busy. I mean I don't have as much experience as the other girls, so I am very nervous.

Let me also be up front and tell you that I have been asked to be one of the pageant judges, but will not let your answers during this interview affect my scoring.

That's wonderful, because all the girls are so amazing; it's hard to choose

To start, why don't you tell us a little about yourself.

Well my name is Bonnie Louise Cutlett, I was named after my mom. Her name is Bonnie Louise Cutlett. I was born in Keokuk, Iowa, I am an only child and some of my favorite things to do: I love to breed livestock and I am currently working on a cookbook about all the many wonderful ways you can cook with Marshmallow Fluff.

How many ways can you cook with Marshmallow Fluff?

Oh, at least one hundred.

What's the most interesting dish you have ever made with Marshmallow Fluff?

Beef Wellington. We like to use some of the livestock so I like to incorporate some savory dishes with marshmallows as well.

And with Miss Glamouresse being such a high profile pageant, I can't imagine this is your first one?

Well, my mom entered me and her into the Lake Okechobee Mother and Daughter pageant, but we didn't win, or even place. But you see what happened was, after the pageant there was an accident with a bus and all the other girls were on the bus and I was riding with my mom in the car, and well….I won kind of by default. This just happened a few months ago. So the winner went on to Miss Glamouresse and that's how I got to come to Atlanta.

Did you mother push you to be in the pageant?

Oh yes. I was a little nervous, I still am a little nervous, but she said that I was very pretty. She always wanted to be in pageants too.

Let's talk about what you do to prepare for a competition like this? Tell us a little about your routine.

Well my mom helps me with my makeup. She also helps with my hairdo. We've bumped it up a little bit for Miss Glamouresse. I have added a flip and some highlights to the front. And, as far as my talent goes, I have written something. It is a dramatic recitation about how much I love the earth and the land. I broke up with my friend Beau and so there's a little anger in there too, but I get it out through my art.

Now, I don't want to downplay the other contestants, I am sure they are all very beautiful and talented, but tell me why you think you deserve to win the title of Miss Glamouresse?

Well, I don't know. Everybody is so good, I am just really happy to be here. I mean, Miss Texas has been doing pageants forever and it's a little bit intimidating, but I'm just here to have fun, I'm not necessarily here to win.

What are your long-term goals, then? Where do you want to be in the next 5, 10 years?

Oh, definitely staying in Keokuk with my mom and probably working on The Farm. I love farming.

What tips would you give to the next generation of aspiring beauty-queens? Any tips or trade secrets to give them an advantage in the competitive world of beauty pageants?

Absolutely. Just believe in yourself, because if you believe in yourself, you can do anything. I never thought in a MILLION years that I would ever be here at Miss Glamouresse, I mean its one of the biggest pageants in the whole entire world. I just believed in myself, and, if it wasn't for the accident of course I wouldn't be here, but you know things happen for a reason and I guess I was meant to be here. And I really believe that I could be….most of the time.

And is that tough, having the self-confidence to get out on stage?

I get very nervous sometimes, and we've been working on that. But sometimes I think it shows that I am nervous.

Is there anything you do specifically to try to help talk yourself through that?

I talk to myself in the mirror sometimes. Some of the other girls think it's kind of weird, but I also like to watch and learn how they handle themselves on stage as well. I think if you watch other people sometimes you can learn some good things. Like Miss Texas, sometimes she gives me dirty looks, but I think its just because she is hungry. I have only seen her drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. But everyone is great and I really have learned from everyone else.

Tell me about the other competitors. Who else are you competing against?

Well, there's Karma, and she's Miss West Coast and she has been basically my best friend here. And she wears the prettiest tie dyed costumes. She is very fun and very outgoing and she has been fun to be around. Then there's Consuela, Miss Industrial Northeast. She's just crazy. We don't have many people like her in Iowa. And then there's Miss Bible Belt and she just loves the baby Jesus and she tells everybody and she is very fun to be around too. Then there's Miss Deep South, she is from Valdosta. She knows a lot of people around here and she is very beautiful. I like to watch how she walks, she just floats across the stage.

All right, if you are up for it, can we run through a few practice "questions" like ones that may be asked during a competition like this?

Ok, I'm a little bit nervous though….

First - What has been the most significant accomplishment in your life?

Definitely it would be winning a contest for the best Iced Tea recipe at the state fair. I put tea bags in a big jar with some water and then set them outside in the sun. I got the tea bags at a grocery store and everything.

Do you consider yourself to be a giver or a taker? Why?

I believe that I am a giver because I just love everybody. Everyone has wonderful personalities all over the world. Even in a big city like Atlanta, when I am walking around with my fun hairdo and my crazy overalls, everybody just smiles and waves and whistles. I like to give my smile.

Who do you feel is the most popular person in the world?

It would have to be Mr. Jimmy Dean because he has such good sausages.

How can we better promote volunteerism in America?

I think by setting an example. For instance, I volunteer at the VA hospital in Des Moines. I perform for shut-ins, servicemen and people who are dying. They enjoy it a lot. Some of them haven't been entertained for 8 to 10 years. Sometimes I sing a little bit, but I am not a really good singer, so usually I just do my dramatic recitation about the land.

What would you say is the biggest problem facing our educational system today?

Oh my goodness that is a tough one. I think that there are not enough 4-H clubs in the educational system. I think we need to know more about the people who make all our food.

What are the best qualities a parent could share with their children?

Well, the best quality, I feel, is just to love them, no matter what. Even if you don't win.

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Come out and see Miss Great Plains and all her friends at the 14^th Street Playhouse. Pageant: The Musical plays the 14^th Street Playhouse (173 14^th Street N.E., Atlanta) Wednesdays-Fridays at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $32 and are available now at the 14^th Street Playhouse box office or by phone at 404-733-4738.  For general information please contact 404-733-4750 or visit www.14thStPlayhouse.org.  For more information on Pageant: The Musical, visit www.pageantatlanta.com or follow the crown on Twitter @PageantAtlanta or "like" us on Facebook.

Photo credit: Maggie Boudreaux

 

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