First Lady

2016

This is a true story.

In the early ’90s in Chicago, I fell in love with a man who was running for president – in a dress. This man was Joan Jett Blakk, and he promised to “Lick Bush in ’92”. Joan, real name Terence, was an average man playing at being a superhero. HIV was ravaging the queer community and politicians were not doing anything.

So Terence put on a dress to change all that.

First Lady text

Interview by Paul Levy from Fringe Review for the Brighton Fringe 2016. fringereview.co.uk/

“ First Lady is powerfully vivid in many other ways. Addressing us informally with affection, passion and judiciously selected props, costumes and musical selections, Orange paints a rich picture of the joys and tragedies of countercultural queer life at a time when gay marriage was barely a twinkle in campaigners’ eyes.”

— Ben Walters, Not Television
“The show is very nicely structured and the material is always fascinating. There’s a lot of wryly comic looking-back-at-a-younger-self telling of amusing anecdotes mixed in with a number of harrowing stories about AIDS/HIV and the murder of gay men. He frequently draws the audience into the action, and there is disco dancing and a bit of drag. There is even some mime…”

— Dorothy Max Prior, Total Theatre
“@GeorgeOrange1 Excellent show! Moving, funny & revealing. #edfringe2016”

— Steve Vellam, twitter
“Great free #edfringe2016 solo show worth checking out! @GeorgeOrange1 7:10pm in @serenitycafe funny & sad, revealing hidden #Queer history”

— Oiliver, Twitter
“A beautiful and beguiling hour with @GeorgeOrange1 #firstladyfringe - very funny, very moving, totally ace!”

— Daniel McGowan, Twitter