One Last Festival Season Post Because I Forgot One Show
Okay I’m for real done with festival season BUT I’m gonna hop in today with a quick reflection about the last show I watched (because I forgot about amidst all the book reviews this week) and because the inauguration performance post is going to take me more time than I have today.
Anyway, the last piece I watched for the Exponential Festival was ‘Stiff Drink!?’ with Dr. Eustice Sissy (Psy. D), presents: Corona Cam Show. While I am not familiar with his work, my understanding is that Dr. Eustice Sissy (Psy. D) is the cabaret persona of creator/performer Lee Rayment, who, in the pre-rona days, gave dating-advice to live audiences. Now, because of the pandemic, Dr. Sissy enlists the help of his nephew, Toby, to convert his show for YouTube.
I thought this piece was really successful because it did not attempt to circumvent technology and leaned heavily into it. Fernando Gonzalez played Dr. Sissy’s nephew Toby, an eager young NYU student helping his uncle navigate the online space with the frustration anyone who has ever had to help an older relative with technology knows all too well. Toby also served as the “editor” of the video (unclear who the actual editor was), and he embellished the piece with a DIY, Gen-Z, YouTuber aesthetic that was so funny mixed with the old-timey cabaret vibe.
Through out the video, “fans” (all played by experimental theatre/performance art mainstays) submit their dating questions for Dr. Sissy to respond too. Two of my absolute favorites were Becca Blackwell asking for advice about dating a mom whose young child might be possessed and Leonie Bell lamenting being a “New York 8 but a Berlin 42 (it’s metric).” The bit quickly became clear- Sissy’s advice was usually bad, and Toby would interject with genuine and often very good advice.
The arc of the piece was predictable and sweet- Sissy is jealous of Toby excelling at his job with little effort, and Toby is able to build a bridge by asking Sissy for advice in his own dating life and connecting to him as another queer man. Overall, I enjoyed Corona Cam Show but also am aware that of everything I watched and covered from Exponential Fest, it was by far the most traditional, text driven, and narratively developed, i.e. the most in my wheelhouse. It was sweet, fun, and funny, and it made me excited to maybe one day be able to get some Dr. Sissy (Psy. D) dating advice in person.