A mysterious voice from above launched into the opening lines of Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…” Then the voice of Mike Delamont chimes in, Mystery Science Theater style, making fun of the language in the bible.
In God is a Scottish Drag Queen, “God” is there to answer all the big questions, like, “Does heaven exist?” and “How do you avoid going to hell?” But mostly, God is there to make you laugh, because you know God has a sense of humor. As the title would suggest, God is a Scottish Drag Queen is a comedy.
Delamont comes on stage as God, wearing a “mauve lady’s power suit from the 80s,” in his words. I mean, why not? Who knows how God would dress, really? Maybe God is a 1980s power suit-wearing drag queen. Hmmm, maybe not.
Mike’s ability to connect with the audience is what made this show special for me. At most venues, he says, he can’t even see the audience from the stage. Tampa Fringe is different. I can see him taking inventory of the situation in the first few minutes of the show, deciding how this will affect his performance that evening. His natural inclination, in such an intimate setting, was to speak very directly and candidly to his audience. Despite him being on stage and me being seated in the front row, it felt like I was meeting Mike in person.
He gave his impressions of Florida, along with a couple of genuinely funny Florida jokes. It was as though he was introducing himself to us before he began. Oddly enough, this seemed completely natural in the setting of Tampa Fringe.
Then Mike became God, maker of the heavens and the earth. But Mike’s God is probably a little different from how most people imagine God. First of all, Mike’s God has a drinking problem and likes pranking his followers. What he doesn’t like is Christian rock, sky diving, bungee jumping, and people stealing his apples. I’d tell you why, but you’ll just have to go and watch the show to find out. This one’s a must see.
This article appears in May 3-10, 2018.
