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Deep in New York’s Catskill mountains, Chevalier d’Eon is a one-of-a-kind resort. Here, middle-aged men come together to get things off their chests. Or rather on their chests – prosthetic boobs, lacy underwear, that sort of thing. The place is run by Rita (Tamsin Carroll) and her husband George (Edward Wolstenholme), whose daily transformations into Valentina have become part of the routine. As well as several regulars, the resort is populated by newcomer Jonathan (Ben Deery), whose adorably anxious transformation into Miranda makes up most of the play’s first act.
As the guests and hosts of Chevalier d’Eon primp and preen their way through the first half-hour, sassy one-liners fly like spangles off a diamante earring (for which you can thank ‘Kinky Boots’ writer Harvey Fierstein). But it soon becomes clear that this is no one-dimensional drag show. As colourful and varied as the ladies are, it’s the context of 1960s America that truly brings ‘Casa Valentina’ to life. Though the concept of sexuality isn’t brought up until just before the interval, it quickly becomes a great big pink elephant in the room.
As much as they adore their escapist fantasy, the ladies yearn to be accepted by society. But to do so means not only excluding but downright denouncing homosexuality, a move that’s clearly at odds with their principles of freedom. Not so for elder member Charlotte (Gareth Snook), who spits homophobic bile with a Pacino-like ferocity, handbag poised on forearm, ready to strike. ‘Politics and prosthetics don’t mix’, she asserts. ‘We either ban homosexuals, or we are homosexuals.’ As villains go, a right-wing transvestite is a force to behold.
True, the play short changes us a bit by dropping the issue just as it’s at its hottest, refocusing instead on Rita, George and Valentina’s three-in-a-bed relationship. But ‘Casa Valentina’ remains a smart, superbly funny take on queer politics.