By John Hayden

Pomp and pageantry is coming to Island City Stage this season! 

The 11th season opens with Pageant, running October 20-November 20, 2022. The show has everything we love about pageants including swimsuit competitions, ball gowns, and drama, all with characters competing nightly for the grand title of “Miss Glamouresse.” And according to Island City’s Managing Director Marty Childers,  there’s more to these ‘contestants’ than meets the eye.

“In this pageant [the roles] are played by men,” he says. “They all have different backgrounds and carry different personalities for each of them.”

While the roles are played by guys, this isn’t a show about drag queens. Each character is based on various pageant archetypes from the big personality of Miss Texas to a contestant with resting vacant face. 

“These are all professional actors,” Childers says. “They are trying to make themselves as beautiful as possible. We have a team of people who are dressing them, working with makeup.”

Of course, you can’t have a pageant without a host. Larry Buzzeo is filling that role, and Childers says he’s perfect. 

“That smarmy, cheesy kind of ‘I’m host of the show’ [attitude] for whatever pageant it is.” 

They all combine to bring the best, and most hilarious parts of pageant vibes to life, including putting a crown on the winner. But who wins? Well, that’s up to you. The audience will choose the winner each night, which makes them a participant in the show with a stake in the performance. 

“It’s a genuine pageant,” Childers says.

Connor Walton plays straight from the Bible Belt Miss Texas. He’s worked in other Island City productions, and even though he didn’t know much about the show when he first heard about it, he called to see if there was something for him. Pageant may bring the classic Miss Congeniality to mind. I asked how his Miss Texas feels about world peace. 

“I think she’d be for it,” he said.

The talent on stage extends beyond the talent competition. Actors are joined on stage by a live, four piece band providing the music for all the big production numbers you’d expect from a pageant. This is a bigger production than Island City usually does. In addition to the band, costuming, makeup, and hair are all high-end. This isn’t a ‘they’re-so-bad-they’re-good’ with old gowns and swimsuits. Everything is meant to look like the real deal, including the 36 wigs adorning contestants.

Flock To Their Frocks

The actors first got into their evening gowns, along with full makeup and hair, when they came to shoot promotional pictures. Childers says the night was amazing. 

“They were hysterical. They were so funny. If it’s any indication of how the show’s gonna go, it’s gonna be amazing.” 

Be warned, some of the characters may trigger memories from adolescence.

“I kept saying ‘I knew that girl from high school,’” Childers laughs.

Island City is known for producing high quality dramas, so some fans may be surprised to hear that the season opener is a musical comedy. But Childers says this is what we need right now. 

“It’s just a fun, over-the-top kind of show. Sometimes you need that. This show is kind of a break, it’s gonna be pure entertainment. It is a diverse cast and will represent a lot of different people, which is important for us.”