W W W JUSTOUT C O M
PHOTOS (3) COURTESY DARCELLE
SEPTEMBER <1 2009
LEGENDARY DRAG
PERFORMER SHIFTS GEARS
WITH A ONE-MAN
SHOW
Darcelle still regularly holds court on the stage of her namesake showplace, located in downtown Portland
BY TAMMY STONER
eing asked to interview Portland’s fabulous and
most renowned drag performer, Darcelle, at his
home was a bit like being asked to interview
the W izard of Oz, behind the curtain-only
with more pronoun confusion. Would I be speaking
with “Walter” or does Darcelle prefer “Darcelle,” even
in street clothes? The title to his upcoming one-man
show—Just Call Me Darcelle—answered my question.
Darcelle— 78-year-old namesake ma/patriarch of
Darcelle XV Showplace and recent Stonewall 40 Trans
Heroes honoree—opens the door, his caddy in the drive­
way. He ushers me past unlit rooms of glamour—Victo­
rian wallpaper with endless tschotskes (plates, pictures,
paintings, and framed mementos) on the walls, a gor­
geous, carved banister leading up a staircase highlighted
by a gold-framed mirror at least 10 feet tall, velvet set­
tees, wigs on stands, and chandeliers— 30 in all.
“L et’s go sit in the kitchen,” he says, his red t-shirt
and tan shorts at odds with the surrounding glitz.
The kitchen is painted blue and orange and yellow,
with a sink brought back from Mexico and Mexican
tiles—cobalt blue and purple— on the counters and
walls. A framed portrait of Princess Diana and Prince
Charles celebrating their wedding hangs on the wall
beside the door. Dozens o f small plates cover the other
walls.
A huge parrot in a cage near the table watches us sit
down. An atrium lights up the bright eating area just
off the kitchen, overlooking an adorable deck, complete
with the old green awning that once graced the entry­
way into the Showplace.
I notice a painting o f a duck taped to a wall on one
o f the blue cabinet doors.
“Duck tape!” Darcel exclaims. *Oh, I love this paint­
ing— the same person painted that one o f the striped
party zebra over there and the rooster wearing high
heels up there. See the blue heels? I love these.”
We sit at a table Darcelle painted himself. Familiar
images from around the world— the Eiffel Tower, Big
Ben, a flamenco dancer, the Great Wall o f China— ap­
pear on a blue sky with a green grass trim around the
round edge.
“This is our travelogue,” he explains, moving away
bags o f chips and red vines from a recent party. “Roxy,
my partner, and I. W e’ve been together for 40 years
now. Together we visited all these places-Paris, Rome,
Egypt—oh, and Spain. I love Spain.”
Just Call Me Darcelle premieres September 27. with a second show September 28 and throughout November.
Showtime at 8 p.m. $20. Darcelle XV Showplace. 208 Northwest Third Ave.. 503-222-5338 or www.darcellexv.com
M
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