CPH’s ‘The Christine Jorgensen Show’ Spotlights Transgender Joy

The guest who tagged along with me to opening night of “The Christine Jorgensen Show” was somewhat trepidatious. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community–and an active advocate, at that–he was intrigued by the story of Christine Jorgensen, one of the first transgender celebrities. Yet, he was also cautious.

Stories featuring members of the LGBTQIA+ community are often depressing in nature; they focus on the struggles that arise from bigotry and hate, and they commonly result in untimely, tragic deaths–something my guest wanted to escape thinking about for the night.

I could hardly blame him for wanting a reprieve from these heavy depictions, especially when in reality, it feels as if more and more hard-earned rights are being ushered toward the chopping block on a daily basis.

Fortunately, his worries were misplaced. While it still provides sufficient representation of the challenges faced by a transgender woman in the 1950s, “The Christine Jorgensen Show” is a heartfelt, funny and blissfully light production that spotlights joy over strife.

On December 1, 1952, the New York Daily News ran a front-page story with the headline, “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty: Bronx Youth Is a Happy Woman After Medication, 6 Operations.” The ex-GI in question is Christine Jorgensen, a rather quiet woman who, after being forcefully outed, decided to capitalize on her fame and utilize her newfound platform for advocacy.

This is where the story, with a book and lyrics by Donald Steven Olson, launches. Christine (Augustine Lorrie) has just been urged by her publicist to star in her own cabaret show. Although she has been thrust into stardom, Christine does not know how to be a star–she cannot confidently sing or dance, and she is altogether uncomfortable with the idea of performing in front of an audience. Her publicist enlists Myles Bell (Scott Ahearn), a cabaret performer who aches to return to the stage despite a rather unceremonious fall from grace, to help Christine develop an entertaining show.

Cleveland Play House’s run of the show marks only the second time it has been produced. Both of “The Christine Jorgensen Show’s” productions, including the Off-Broadway premiere, were directed by CPH’s artistic director, Michael Barakiva. It runs for a brief 80 minutes, sans intermission. The plot is much like the run-time, light and rather easy to digest.

The first half of the show occurs on Riw Rakkulchon’s set design of a Times Square rehearsal space that is in need of some love. The wall is peppered with posters from Myles’ glory days and the single window beside the piano looks out upon another brick building. Sounds of the busy city outside are provided by designer Jacqueline Herter.

When Christine arrives for Myles’ tutelage, the two are predictably at odds. Ahearn as Myles is energetic, brassy and boisterous while Lorrie’s Christine is buttoned-up, quiet and reserved. There are plenty of contradicting traits between the two characters, but one trait that is refreshingly absent from the show is bigotry.

While Myles asks Christine about her transition and how she “knew” that she was meant to be a woman, his curiosity is earnest, as is Christine’s answer. Myles treats Christine as a woman, a behavior that was less common than not during an era when transgenderism was not even part of the American lexicon. He even goes so far as to provide Christine with ultra-feminine songs for her variety show and encourages her to show off her femininity–leading to a powerful scene where Christine explains her hesitancy.

Lorrie portrays Christine with an endearing amount of reserve, modesty and shyness. Her development from a conservative personality into someone who is willing to take a frightening step toward sharing her talents with audiences is incredibly heartfelt.

Ahearn, who also serves as music director for the show, provides audiences with a strong musical performance, but his portrayal comes across as less authentic than Lorrie’s–although this might be due to Myles’ character largely behaving and speaking like a 50s caricature. Regardless, Ahearn’s interactions with Lorrie are very sweet, and as the friendship develops between Christine and Myles, so do some intriguing exchanges.

The play features a couple of musical numbers written by playwright Olson and Mark Nadler. The majority of these songs are performed in the latter third of the show, when the set rotates to become a lounge hosting the first performance of “The Christine Jorgensen Show,” complete with a grand piano. A disco ball, chandeliers and cocktail tables that provide up-close-and-personal seating for audience members are lit by designer Calvin Anderson to complete the illusion.

Christine and Myles are dressed in period-accurate costumes by Suzanne Chesney. These costumes are especially flashy during the lounge performance, but the heavily accessorized outfits employed for Christine during the first portion of the show are equally captivating.

The plot’s main conflict revolves around Christine’s fear of performing. Before her first show, she calls it quits in an argument with Myles. This argument, and Christine’s stage fright–a problem that was cultivated throughout the entire show–is resolved off-stage in what we can assume was likely a touching moment between her and Myles. But then again, we’ll never know the details of this climactic resolution beyond what the show provides, which is, disappointingly, little more than a sentence.

Christine Jorgensen became a successful, respected personality and advocate for transgender individuals, and “The Christine Jorgensen Show” gives modern audiences a respectful introduction to this important historical figure. Most significantly, it gives a prominent transgender character the ability to cast aside the heaviness that shadows so many LGBTQIA+ stories and exist in a show that celebrates their joy and belonging, which is equally important to represent.

“The Christine Jorgensen Show” runs through November 16 at the Cleveland Play House in the Outcalt Theatre,1407 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. Tickets can be purchased by calling (216) 241-6000 or by visiting clevelandplayhouse.com, $30-$102.

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