Photo: David Belisle
by Steve Desroches
RuPaul. RuPaul. RuPaul. It’s a steady mantra of drag fans, longtime and new, as he has undoubtedly brought drag performance to a whole new level of attention and appreciation. As alumni of the television show tour the country, they can often dominate the performance scene, sometimes to the exclusion of those who have long been working their home city’s respective stages. However, here in Provincetown, our drag culture and legacy is inextricably linked to the town’s art colony and theatrical history, creating a completely unique and independent community of artists that forces the “RuPaul girls” to adapt, not the other way around. The level of creativity and imagination in drag performance surprises many, including new arrivals who have toured the nation and remark that there is absolutely no where else like Provincetown when it comes to support for drag culture and the corresponding high quality stage shows. There is no clearer example of a performer that so honors the artistic freedom offered here than Dina Martina.
For 13 summers Dina Martina has brought an equal number of smart, funny to the bone, inventive shows to Provincetown. And this season’s offering is certainly no exception as the loveably avant-garde drag performer continually busts through the walls of the known drag world like the Kool-Aid Man in a green and gold paisley caftan. Trying to describe a Dina Martina show is akin to watching a 3-D movie without the glasses. You don’t watch a Dina Martina show, you experience it, as the sheer level of nuance and depth is only rivaled by the originality of the humor. And do not misunderstand, while Dina Martina’s shows are crackling with intelligence, they are at their core hilarious. That’s why it’s entirely appropriate to say that Dina has devoted students, as each show is an entirely new adventure through a mind obsessed with 1980s pop music, alternative English language pronunciations, and the delectability of a raw turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Dina makes the grotesque both glamorous and endearing, and she may very well be the first Grand Guignol drag queen.
Dina Martina is a stage-show drop of LSD. In the first few minutes you can feel each individual audience member’s mind bend until it snaps into the same parallel dimension that she occupies. She’s the girl with kaleidoscope eyes you’ve heard about. Her show will pop up in your brain over and over again for days to come in flashbacks you’ll welcome, as she is such a sweet and sweaty sack of joy who takes you on a trip to the outer reaches of your own mind as you shoot like a pinball through hers.
Dina Martina performs at the Crown and Anchor, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown, at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday until September 3 and then Friday and Saturday through September 16. For specific dates and tickets ($30) visit onlyatthecrown.com. For more information call 508.487.1430.
