Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Rolodex of Hate
Cover image credit:

Source

Rolodex of Hate

Bianca Del Rio

Vimeo · 2015 · 61 min

A loud, fast-paced hour of theatrical insult comedy in a gown.

Bianca Del Rio takes the stage with a physical rolodex on a table, using it as a prop and a guide to flip through her personal grievances. This is her transition from the drag club scene to the theater stage, relying on a relentless barrage of crowd work and insult comedy. Presenting herself as a self-aware caricature she calls “clown realness,” she treats the crowd not as fans to be coddled but as targets, daring anyone to get offended while reminding them that they are paying to watch a man in a wig yell at them.\n\nFilmed at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, the show arrived in late 2015, capitalizing on her victory in season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race. After decades working the club circuits of New Orleans and New York, the win transformed her into an international headliner, and this special, which originally released as a Vimeo On Demand exclusive, was her first major filmed solo show. The performance blends scripted storytelling about her childhood in Louisiana and her failed attempts at recreational drug use with reactive, off-the-cuff crowd work. While fans praised her fast reflexes, some reviewers noted that the unyielding, club-style hostility and repetitive punchlines could feel exhausting over a full, continuous hour.

The set list

4 bits

  1. Attacking political correctness and language policing

    Argues society has become hypersensitive about words, reminding the audience that they came to see a man in a wig who stuffed his dick in pantyhose and should get a sense of humor.

  2. Being taken to a psychiatrist as a gay adolescent

    Recounts personal teenage trauma of trying to be 'cured,' executing jokes about the therapist's Indian surname, appearance, and stereotypes.

  3. Modern drag queens being ignorant of queer history

    Criticizes younger performers for thinking drag began with 'RuPaul's Drag Race' rather than researching cultural forebears and legends like Auntie Mame, Bette Davis, and classic drag performers.

  4. Childhood and early dressmaking

    Walks through her New Orleans upbringing, including secretly sewing a dress and stashing it under her bed, and doing hair, makeup, and dressmaking for her prom date.

How it plays

Tone
Brash, transgressive, unapologetic, filthy, and raunchy, balanced with self-deprecating biographical storytelling.
On stage
Self-described 'clown in a gown' and 'erotic clown' in a shimmering red gown and heavy makeup; a caustic, dismissive, old-guard insult comic frequently compared to Joan Rivers.
Pace
Aggressive, shouty delivery, strutting across the stage while barking straight-talk and punctuating punchlines with gruff expletives.
About
childhood and upbringing, backlash against political correctness, drag and queer history, race, ethnic, and sexual stereotypes, therapy and adolescent homosexuality

What the critics said

Polarizing; reviewers praised her quick wit and Joan Rivers comparisons, but critics faulted the special's heavy reliance on tired racial tropes, outdated stereotypes, and aggressive punching down.

In the room: Raucous, enthusiastic, and highly responsive to her vicious insults and foul-mouthed crowd work.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: allmovie.com, imdb.com, nola.com, realityblurred.com, slate.com, scenestr.com.au, eu.livingstondaily.com, thedailybeast.com, en.wikipedia.org, dailypublic.com, magazine.funnywomen.com.

Backstory

Filmed during her worldwide tour following her 'RuPaul's Drag Race' win, amidst public debates over political correctness and language policing in comedy.

Details

Released
Runtime
61 min
Where
Vimeo
Director
Matt Muir
Honors
Variety's 10 Comics to Watch for 2015 (cited in special coverage)
Topics

If you liked this