EDINBURGH 2019: Crystal Rasmussen Q&A
By: Natalie O'Donoghue Jul. 05, 2019
BWW catches up with Crystal Rasmussen to chat about bringing The Bible 2 (Plus a Cure For Shame, Violence, Betrayal and Athlete's Foot) LIVE! to the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Tell us a bit about The Bible 2 (Plus a Cure For Shame, Violence, Betrayal and Athlete's Foot) LIVE!
It's a show based on the memoir I released earlier this year - Diary of a Drag Queen, published Ebury (Penguin). God, it always feels so glamorous to say that. But it's essentially about the heart of drag - the Anatomy of a Drag Queen if Katie Mitchell had anything to do with it.
It's about all the things it takes to do what drag performers do: from childhood rituals to street harassment, and negotiating shame alongside it. It's also comedy, and I'm singing live. People (*coughs* the Scotsman) have said my voice makes Beyonce's sound like a mewling kitten, but I've smoked approximately nine billion cigarettes since they said that so... we'll see.
You're not new to the Fringe but is this your first solo show? If so, is it nerve wracking to do it on your own?
Completely! The idea of not having my four best friends on stage is a terrifying prospect. But I think the act of performing alone for an hour is also a deep privilege, and people from where I'm from don't always get to do the things they love, especially in front of people. So I'm trying to let that be my fuelling force. Being at the Fringe, in Edinburgh, without my drag sisters from DENIM is more daunting - the days and nights. It's a whole month! But, then again, Crystal lived solitarily for 44 years after she fled the Russian palace in 1917, never to be found, so I'm keeping that in mind.
What sets it apart from the others shows at the festival?
It's really hard to blow your own horn, because you just sound like an instant arsehole. HOWEVER - I think, first off, the show is unusual in format: it's part book reading, part stand up (but good), part drag, and part musical. I always say drag offers you five shows in one, because often as queens we're expected to do a little more. I'd also say, provided it holds out, my voice - when it works with me - can sound really beautiful. When it doesn't, however, I sound like a teenage boy whose voice never quite dropped screaming into a bag of chips.
Who would you recommend comes to see you?
I'm currently looking for my ninth husband, so any single fellas with over eight figures in their bank accounts. Fans of drag, of course, fans of comedy, fans of big, musical bangers from Beyonce to Kate Bush, and, of course, queers and allies. I think those people will resonate with the show. It's about class, being non-binary, gay, fat, spotty, but also ICONIC. I also think people who love drag and want to learn more about it should come. A lot of people adore Drag Race, but this show isn't a competition - it's about the nitty gritty of being an absolute queen. Essentially, if you don't come you're obviously homophobic xxx
...and who would you suggest maybe doesn't?
My exes, and babies. Although frankly I think exposing children to difference from an early age will save the world. As long as you don't mind the odd swear word, a peppering of sexual nostalgia, and a smidgin of fake sperm, you're good to go!
Photo credit: Thurstan
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