By Brian Hug
Legendary drag icon Lady Bunny is setting her sights on the Great White Way! In Bunny Butchers Broadway!, her outrageous new musical comedy extravaganza taking place July 7 at City Winery in Atlanta, Bunny takes a knife—and a microphone—to some of Broadway’s most beloved classics, gleefully slicing and dicing songs from Wicked, Dreamgirls, Mamma Mia!, Beauty and the Beast, and more with her trademark blend of filthy humor and fearless social commentary.
Nothing is sacred. Bunny transforms “Beauty and the Beast” into “Pussy and the Yeast,” reimagines “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” as “Don’t Cry for Me, I’m On Tina,” and even finds time for an original number taking aim at everyone’s favorite billionaire punching bag, Elon Musk. Along the way, she pays tribute to icons like Liza Minnelli and Cher while delivering a drag queen roll call featuring fan favorites from RuPaul’s Drag Race. In other words: if you’re easily offended, this may not be the show for you.
Which Broadway diva are you most similar to?
Patti LuPone. Neither one of us looks good dressed as a woman.
Broadway fans are known for being passionate. Are you worried someone dressed as Elphaba might chase you down an alley after hearing what you’ve done to Wicked?
Bianca Del Rio is a friend, so I’m not scared of witches. I don’t actually parody any of Elphaba’s songs, so I should be OK. But this show isn’t a slavish recreation of Broadway hits. It’s Broadway as seen through the eyes of a demented drag queen who writes filthy parodies. But I do sing a reworking of “Popular” from Wicked, so I may get Ariana Grande fans chasing me after that song. Get her a sandwich!
You’ve parodied everyone from Liza Minnelli to Cher. Is there any diva so powerful, so legendary, that even Lady Bunny is afraid to mess with her?
Madonna performed in Times Square recently, and I posted her pic and captioned it, “Donatella Versace performed in Times Square to kick off Pride. And only Donatella could make a diaper look chic.” Madonna fans got so upset.
What inspired you to turn “Beauty and the Beast” into “Pussy and the Yeast?”
My mom’s vagina.
You joke that you’re taking Ozempic to save money on food. What’s the most outrageous fad you’ve seen people embrace that made even you think, “Honey, that’s too much”?
I’ve heard of drag queens using meth to squeeze into dresses for pageants, but how do you win a pageant with missing teeth? I tried meth and it just made me eat faster.
David Dalrymple has designed five looks for this show. Which costume makes you feel the most glamorous, and which one makes you pray nothing pops out during the finale?
I wear a lot of mini-dresses, so the only thing that would pop out is a nut! But David did create a gorgeous Sunset Boulevard look for me based on the Glenn Close version. I saw the revival with Nicole Scherzinger, and the costumes all looked like black Lululemon.
After butchering Broadway, what’s next on your hit list? Disney? Country music?
My real reason for doing a show about Broadway is my jealousy of the drag queens who made it to Broadway. Yes, I’m bitter! I saw Jinkx Monsoon in Chicago and I have to admit, she was thrilling! I saw Alaska in Drag: The Musical and that was very restful. And Peppermint in Head Over Heels was, well, inclusive.
Lady Bunny stars in Bunny Butchers Broadway! taking place July 7that 8:00pm at City Winery. For tickets, visit tickets.citywinery.com