\Coco Peru's life has been a drag for more than 23 years, starring in films like Trick and Richard Day's Girls Will Be Girls. She had a cameo in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and was a featured voice in the cartoon The Wild.
She has also been on TV shows such as Will & Grace, Arrested Development and Bravo's Boy Meets Boy.
Peru's live shows have been legendary over the years winning a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre in the process. For the first time Peru brings the show to Chicago at Center on Halsted.
Miss Coco Peru explains it all for you from gay mecca Provincetown, Mass., to RuPaul's Drag Race with this special birthday interview.
Windy City Times: Happy birthday, Coco!
Coco Peru: Thank you. I'm in Provincetown.
WCT: They better make you a cake there.
Coco Peru: No, that's not going to happen but I am going out to lunch with Varla Jean Merman, so we will have a little ladies' lunch.
WCT: Does a lady tell her age?
Coco Peru: I don't care. I am 48. I thought I was going to be 49 and almost 50 so I was carrying on the other day. My husband looked at me and told me I am going to 48. That was a nice surprise. I even had to surprise myself for my birthday! Who needs a cake and whatnot?
WCT: So big plans at night?
Coco Peru: I have my 10th rehearsal for my show and it opens tomorrow. I am going to see Varla's show tonight. That is nice—a whole Varla day.
WCT: How supportive of you.
Coco Peru: We have been friends for a long time.
WCT: Did you take the plane or the boat to Provincetown?
Coco Peru: I did the boat. I did the plane once and it was not my favorite thing. The plane is real tiny.
WCT: It is—and shaky!
Coco Peru: Yes, and I was with two drunk queens who said, "If we just reached over we could totally open the door right now!"
WCT: That is not funny.
Coco Peru: I was terrified the whole flight.
WCT: I went on the boat one time, and it was treacherous with a storm and huge waves.
Coco Peru: Well, there are sharks out here so if it goes down then you are shark food.
WCT: You are from New York originally?
Coco Peru: I am from the Bronx.
WCT: Have you been to Chicago before?
Coco Peru: I have hosted an AIDS event there in the past but never done my show before. This will be my debut show there, which is strange to me because I think of Chicago being a big city and I should have done it there 20 years ago. I have been doing Coco for 23 years and, finally, Chicago has come through!
WCT: This is not some little club gig. It's pricey but includes dinner.
Coco Peru: I had a mini-stroke when I saw the price of the tickets. I don't want it to scare fans away since they have been asking me to come there. Some of them might not have money to burn. It does go to a good cause, with dinner and drinks. When you lay it all out and think about those queens going out and drinking every week, they could put it all together and come see Coco!
WCT: Tell our readers about your show. Do you sing?
Coco Peru: Oh. yeah. I tell autobiographical stories so it is very funny but makes the audience think and feel things. They don't expect that. I also sing live. It is hard to describe my show but one comment I always get is they expected to laugh but didn't expect to feel something. I think that is the art of storytelling. My story is not just about me but everyone in the room's story. The room becomes one and comes together.
WCT: Lily Tomlin is a big supporter of your show and called you "one of the last great storytellers."
Coco Peru: Yes, she did.
WCT: You are a GLAAD Award winner for performing live.
Coco Peru: That was years ago but it was nice to be recognized. The gay and lesbian center in L.A. presented me with an award and that is where the quote from Lily Tomlin came from because she wrote a letter about me. Zachary Quinto read the letter as part of his speech. Liza Minnelli made me a congratulations video. The great thing was the center recognized me not just for my work there but as a community. It was a real honor.
For years I have wanted to get to Chicago. When I heard about the center there then I was very happy to perform there. When I was there I made it point to visit it and it is very beautiful.
WCT: What is your opinion on RuPaul's Drag Race?
Coco Peru: Years ago when I first started my career and was recognized internationally the question was "What do you think of RuPaul?" Now all these years later it is about the Drag Race.
I am happy a show about drag is on television. There was a time people weren't into drag but that didn't effect me much since I don't really work in bars. I am happy it is back in the limelight.
Back when I started there was no Internet and you had to create something really special to be recognized. I don't think the show spotlights anything particularly unique. It also plays on the stereotype of a bitchy queen but it is entertaining. People that have genuine talent singing like Jinkx Monsoon don't get to display it on the show because they lip-synch.
WCT: I have seen Jinkx perform live a few times, and it's something to see.
Coco Peru: As a gay community we created careers like Barbra Streisand because we recognized true talent and idolized that. Now I feel we are sucked into the whole reality-show thing. I don't want to bash RuPaul's Drag Race but if someone is paid a lot of money to show up then there better be some real talent, not just because the performer has been on television. I have had many friends on the show, though, and encouraged them because it is a lot of exposure.
WCT: When will the sequel to Girls Will Be Girls be out?
Coco Peru: I don't know because Richard Day, who directed the first one, did this one on [fundraising website] Kickstarter and all on our own. There was a crew where people volunteered who were fans of the movie. Richard filmed in front of a green screen so it has a science fiction element to it. It is taking him a long time to edit it. So who knows when it will be done?
Catch Coco at the Hoover Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., for the center's Fall Series Sept. 20-21. General admission includes dinner and open bar for $150; VIP passes are $250. Tickets for $50 are being offered while they last.
Visit www.centeronhalsted.org for tickets and www.misscoco.com for more Coco.
