Customer Reviews
Charles Busch genious 
2008-03-12
Charles Busch has a flair that's pure genious. Like all good parody it's rapier sharp with just enough camp to take the edge off. He spoke at the Image Out film festival in Rochester, NY last year where his film had already won the hearts of the audience. You can't loose with him.
Well worth watching. 
2008-01-19
I had never heard of Charles Busch until I saw this DVD on Amazon. I have a keen interest in theatre and it looked intriguing so I ordered it and watched it (twice).
This documentary gives you an excellent introduction to Charles Busch - who he is, and what he's done.
I have to say that the old video footage shot in the 1980s and 1990s is PRICELESS. There is a lot of these old video tapes edited into this documentary. The tapes show Charles doing his one man show, and show many of the actual stage productions of the plays he wrote and starred in. This footage is REAL theatre history. It shows an actor/writer go from being a very young man doing a one man show in way way way off Broadway venues, to being the creator of a theatre company in the East Village in New York in the early 80s doing campy movie parodies in drag, to being the playwright of a hugely succesful Broadway comedy and a major stage musical. Intercut with all this archival video footage are interveriews with Charles Busch and the members of his theatre company who were with him from the very begining. It's fascinating and increadible.
Fantastic! 2007-05-21
Charles Busch is an incredibly talented artist and this film is brilliant!
I can't wait to see his guest appearance in Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell this week in New York at the Minetta Lane Theatre! It is suppose to be great!
A Documentary of Merit 2007-03-10
"The Lady in Question is Charles Busch"
A Documentary of Merit
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
Charles Busch is one of the most prolific, talented and outrageous New York artists of recent times. He is a playwright, an actor, a novelist, a drag performer and a leading lady "The Lady in Question is Charles Busch" is a stunning look at him. He came into the life of New York in 1984 as a new artist in East Greenwich Village with his cross dressing classic, "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" which even though it was filled with sex, became a theatre classic. It ran for five years and become listed as one of the longest running shows in off-Broadway history. His other forays into performance art. "Theatre-in-Limbo" were produced at the dirty but inspired Limbo Lounge and were made of fascinating groups of all kinds of people.
"The Lady in Question..." begins in 2000 at the opening night of Busch's first hit on Broadway, "The Allergist's Wife" with a stellar cast. From there we go backwards and through interviews and film clips, we get an inside view of Mr. Busch and learn of his traumatic childhood. It was his interest in Hollywood and his "Auntie Mame" like aunt that saved him from going astray. He became a writer and was willing to go anywhere and do anything.
His parodies of Hollywood films he showed the world his talent and began to appear ala Tracey Ullman. Directors John Catania and Charles Ignatio have given us a beautiful look at one of America's most versatile performers.
Watching the movie is like opening a chest full of treasures as we sit and watch a thorough account of Charles Busch's life. We are privy to his early successes with "Vampire Lesbians" and "Psycho Beach Party" as well as the play that gives the documentary its name, "The Lady in Question". Busch also made the transition to film with the movie version of "Psycho Beach Party" and "Die, Mommy, Die!" We also learn that he almost died form a congenital heart condition.
Busch is living proof that all the great movie stars are not gone--they live in the impersonations of Busch. He is a one-man reincarnation of the great ladies of the stage and screen. The documentary is affectionate and beautifully edited. Busch is more than just the run-of-the-mill gender bender. He is a genius who in his heyday was the master of camp and pastiche who brought back historical pageants, anti-Nazi melodramas and beach movies of the `60s. This is a priceless look at a man who0 is able to do anything...and does.
"I've always felt such an affinity for eleventh-century England" 2007-02-08
For anyone who loves Charles Busch (and I do), this documentary about his life and work is absolutely required viewing, especially since as extras it includes some videotaped excerpts from his plays, including VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM, PSYCHO BEACH PARTY, THE LADY IN QUESTION and RED SCARE ON SUNSET (from which I draw my title). The documentary might be a bit puzzling to someone who had not seen the films made from Busch's PSYCHO BEACH PARTY or DIE, MOMMIE, DIE!, given that there are perhaps not enough clips of Busch performing; and the documentary makers use an artificial dramatic arc climaxing with the sudden surgery that Busch had to undergo for a ripped aorta that feels a bit heavy-handed as presented here. (Certainly Busch's life was in serious jeopardy at the time, but he did come through it with flying colors.) yet why quibble, given that over an hour spent in the company of the gifted, funny, and always gracious Charles Busch is like an invitation to heaven? And the film also gives terrific background material about his lonely childhood, his wonderful Aunt Lillian who changed his life, and the many close friends and colleagues who worked with him at theatre-in-Limbo (including Kenneth Elliott, Judy Halston and Andy Halliday, all of whom are interviewed for this documentary, and Meghan Robinson and Robert Carey, both of whom sadly died not long after the opening of THE LADY IN QUESTION). There's also a new silent film short starring Busch, HER ROYAL ESCAPE TO LOVE, shot largely at Belvedere Castle in Central Park, that's intercut with the footage here and also stands on its own as an extra. if you're a fan of Busch, you won't be able to resist; if you're not, you need to see PSYCHO BEACH PARTY so you can become one, and THEN see this documentary.
Invaluable 2007-01-05
Tender and upbeat THE LADY IN QUESTION IS CHARLES BUSCH is the affectionate and entertaining tribute to actor writer drag performer and glamorous leading lady Charles Busch. From a tragic lonely childhood lived through classic Hollywood films to writing and starring in the riotous and raw Off-Broadway hit "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" at a gloriously rundown theater in theEast Villate to giant success on Broadway and Hollywood with such hits as Die Mommy Die! the film wonderfully casts Busch s fascinating life as a turbulent and triumphant "drag to riches story" (Village Voice). Expertly cut with awe-inspiring performances of Busch channeling the great female actors of classic Hollywood the film also intertwines interviews with admirers and renowned colleagues who are charmingly eccentric characters themselves and an original short film made by Busch about his near-death experience. Directed by award-winning directors John Catania and Charles Ignacio the film roars as an informative graceful and energetic reflection on themes of success and failure gender sexuality and the magic of theater. A must-see for theater fans and the uninitiated alike THE LADY IN QUESTION IS CHARLES BUSCH makes for a worthy tribute to a true gay icon. DVD Features: Featurettes: 1980s East Village Scene" & "Taboo Broadway Opening"; Photo Galleries: Fabulous Fashions & Set Design East Village Stage & Streets; Theatre-in-Limbo Clips; Short Film Her Royal Escape to Love (2005); In the Life Backstory; Filmmaker Biographies; Charles Busch Biography & Filmography; Interactive Menus; Scene SelectionSystem Requirements:Run Time: 94 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 767685981139 Manufacturer No: NVG-9811
The Lady in Question is Charles Busch 2007-01-03
This is a fascinating film about an extraordinary and talented man.
Fascinating, yet left me wanting more 
2006-11-09
This documentary about the drag legend Charles Busch is a very interesting look at the life of this very entertaining performer. It traces Busch's life from childhood, through his humble beginnings doing raw theater, through the present, in which he has done movies and had more mainstream Broadway ventures.
I have adored Charles Busch and his work since I stumbled across his 2000 film Psycho Beach Party. Since then, I have seen his work on the acclaimed HBO drama Oz as well as his most recent film, Die Mommie Die. Busch is a fascinating persona, larger than life, yet very real and easily understood.
One of the things that surprised me was the fact that this documentary was made at least 2 or 3 years ago, but is just being released now. Therefore, there is nothing very recent mentioned as far as new projects Busch is working on. Also, the clips of his early 1980s stage plays were wonderful, but I really wanted to see more of this rare footage. They do not spend nearly enough time on these aspects of his career. The 90 minute running time of the documentary seems to skip over things it shouldn't and linger on things that aren't as interesting. But overall, it's definitely something I'm glad I have added to my Charles Busch collection.
The extra features include a short black and white film done specifically for the documentary. I was very excited to see this listed on the back of the case, but I was disappointed when viewing it as it is a silent film, made is the style of the 1920s and Mr. Busch is not as captivating when you can't hear his performance. There are also more snippets of his early plays, but not nearly enough of them.
Docurama has done a fine job with this DVD presentation, but it is not the outstanding work I was hoping for.
