Peaches Christ :: Off to See the Wizard

Drag icons Peaches Christ, Sharon Needles and Heklina will go skipping down the yellow brick road for a trip over the rainbow unlike any other on Sat., July 12. The trio, along with a number of guest stars, will appear on the Castro Theatre stage for a ribald consultation with the Wizard.

Peaches will star as Dorothy, the role that launched gay icon Judy Garland into superstardom (the character has been renamed Peaches Gale). It's what we've come to expect from the outrageous Ms. Christ: An over-the-top caricature of a familiar face, redressed with the terrifyingly funny face of Peaches. Known for her often R-rated antics, Peaches wants audiences to know that this "Wizard of Oz" might not be suitable family viewing; no one under 13 will be admitted.

Joshua Grannell, Peaches' kinder, gentler brother, spoke to the B.A.R. about the show and about Judy Garland, who played Dorothy in the classic 1939 film. The movie will screen on the giant Castro screen after the stage show.

David-Elijah Nahmod: Without giving away too many spoilers, what will your Oz stage show entail?

Joshua Grannell: The pre-show will be an homage as well as a drag parody. But some of the humor will be geared more towards adults. I completely love this movie, and I worship Judy, so I wrote a show that taps into people's love for this classic. There aren't any Judy drunk jokes or anything like that. But we're playing up on people's love of drag appropriation and parody.

In what way is the pre-show not "family-friendly?"

When I first had the idea, I made sure the Castro was OK with enforcing the age restriction, and they were, because they already have their annual family-friendly sing-along event. We are only allowing people age 13+, so it's a no-children event. Some of the humor in the pre-show will be geared towards adults. The witch doesn't send a field of poppies to deter us from making it into the Emerald City; instead, we're confronted by a sea of poppers. But besides the comedy of the pre-show, I just really wanted to feature a kids-free screening of this title. I love kids! I do! Just not at the movies.

What does "The Wizard of Oz" mean to you?

I kinda feel that it helped launch my love of horror movies. In many ways it's terrifying for children. I was so completely mesmerized by it as a child, and I worshiped the witch. I remember counting the days until it would air on television. They would play it annually, and I'd be sad when it was getting towards the end, because it meant we were leaving Oz for another year.

What is the connection between Judy and the gay community?

I think it all began with Dorothy. She gets to go to a completely fabulous place where the costuming is perfect, the battle between good and evil is over a pair of shoes, and her best friends are three fantastic nelly queens who know how to sing and dance. I think as queer people, we often feel as though we don't fit into our home environments, and Oz represented a fantastical place of magic and acceptance. I think gay men related to Dorothy, yearning for someplace over the rainbow. After we fell in love with her through Dorothy, I think queer people related to these struggles while also worshiping her enormous talent. The code phrase "Are you a friend of Dorothy?" suggests that there was this inherent understanding that worshiping her was naturally entwined with one's sexuality. I love celebrity idol worship. She's the ultimate gay idol.

Do you think Judy's death really helped trigger the Stonewall riots? Might the riots have been triggered solely by the behavior of the police?

I can certainly see how Judy's death contributed to the "fuck it, we're not gonna take it" attitude of the Stonewall Riots. It doesn't seem far-fetched at all that drag queens and queer men who were mourning the loss of perhaps the greatest gay icon of all time were simply pushed to the brink that night, and Judy's passing had emotions running high. These were drag queens. Judy was a Goddess to them, and Judy's death was devastating. And I think it's beautiful to believe that Judy's passing helped launch queer revolution.

Is the younger generation forgetting Judy? Can we change that?

I really hope not, but sadly I think in some ways there's less interest from younger queers to understand the icons that came before their current pop-culture divas. It's much harder for me to program a cult classic and have young people show up than it used to be. It's awful that I have to worry about attendance for something like "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" or even "Wizard of Oz." We cannot afford to let go of these classics. If I could, I'd force-feed them to young smart queers because I know that once they come to the water, they'll drink it. They'll get it! I teach a film course at SFAI, and have been impressed by some students' devotion to learn about queer culture and its history. This is encouraging.

"The Wizard of Oz" starring Peaches Christ as Peaches Gale, with Sharon Needles as the Witch, followed by a screening of the classic film. Sat., July 12, 3 & 8 p.m. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, SF. Ticket info: peacheschrist.com