Five Things to Know Before You Go See Taylor Mac at ASU Gammage

Taylor Mac
photo by Ian Douglass

by Monica Sampson

This weekend, the world renowned performing artist, Taylor Mac headlines at ASU Gammage in A 24-Decade History of Popular Song Abridged.

Mac’s unique perspective on performance art and style changed the game when it comes to crossdressing, gender, and everything quirky, avant garde, performance.

For anyone who might be eager to see Mac but not know anything about his rich history of work, here are:

Five Things to Know Before You Go See Taylor Mac at Gammage:

1) He does a lot more than just sing.

Mac clearly changed the theatrical genre with the show he will be presenting at Gammage, which is an abridged version of his 24 hour concert that weaves over 200 songs together to portray the rich tapestry of music styles from the past 240 years. But, he's also an actor, director, producer and playwright. Before he created this piece, he also wrote The Lily's Revenge, one of Mac’s most acclaimed works, which won him an Obie. This 5 hour long show, about the battle between a Lilly and a malicious Stage Curtain isn't just a straight play- it's a musical too, with songs like “Pornographic Images,” and “The Flower's Nightmare,” by Taylor Mac & Rachelle Garniez.

If you want to listen to a little of this show, which ranges in variety from clasic showtunes, to romantic somba, to an uplifting tap dance, you can sample it here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/taylormacrachellegarniez

2) He’s a MacArthur Fellow

In 2017 Mac was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, a grant casually known as the “Genius Grant.” Mac won for his New York work, “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music,” which served as a living music encyclopedia, and a transformative piece of drag history and costumes.

But wait there's more...that’s not Mac’s first award and I’m sure it will not be his last. Mac is also a recipient of the Kennedy Prize for Drama, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama, and two Bessie Awards.

3)  Style

If this is your first Taylor Mac show, sit down, and fasten your seatbelts, you’re about to experience a genre of its own. Mac has been called “A flamboyant chameleon of words, music and socio-political tirades,” and that’s putting it lightly. Mac transforms his persona, voice, and the world you step into to tell the story through every medium he can. Much like a first time viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, there has to be a little suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy this production, I suggest to first time viewers, to accept the new dimension you’re walking into. Instead of fighting against the genre, embrace all it’s quirks, and you just might come out having enjoyed an entirely new type of theater

4)  Hair/Makeup/ Color

Taylor Mac is a transformative artist, If you’re getting ready to see a Mac show, chances are you can expect lots of stage makeup, flashes lashes, and risque costumes. His work lives in a vibrant and playful world, where he shape-shifts into different eccentric characters through fabrics, sequins, and mascara.


5) Gender 

So you’re enjoying the show, and you hear Mac refer to himself as, “Judy.” Probably Mac’s most unique feature is his preference or should I say, Judy’s preference for gender pronouns.  According to Mac’s website, he uses “judy”, lowercase sic, not as a name but as a gender pronoun. The term judy is both a statement on gender and also an art piece in itself. Some love it, some hate it, take as you will because it’s all part of the glorious package that is Taylor Mac.

Here's to seeing more open minded, adventurous, theater aficionados at the show and in our future.

Go to asugammage.com for information and tickets for Taylor Mac's show at Gammage on April 7th