26
Popular Culture Review
number, a transgendered performer slowly takes ofifhis female clothing, and
then methodically removes his makeup while sitting at a table looking out at the
audience. He gives the impression that he is looking at himself in a mirror. All
the while he is lip-syncing to, “What Makes a Man a Man?” This ballad by Marc
Almond, called Ae “drag anthem” by some, makes plain the solitude and
tribulation of the transgendered:
At night I work at a strange bar
Impersonating every star . . .
Each night the men look so surprised
I change my sex before their eyes . . .
My masquerade comes to an end
When I go home to bed again
Alone and friendless . . .
I ask myself what have I got
And what I am and what I’m not
What am I giving
The answers come from those who make
The rules that some of us must break
Just to keep living
I know my life is not a crime
I’m just a victim of my time
I stand defenseless
Nobody has the right to be
The judge of what is right for me . . .
Tell me if you can
What makes a man a man?
(Lyrics from LyricsXp.com)
In spite of the similarities between “La Cage” and the 801 Cabaret in
terms of the three categories of presentations, there is one very important
difference. The show at “La Cage” is certainly lacking as a form of protest. It is
produced as pure entertainment, and includes virtually no political agendas, no
offensive materials, and no expletives. None of the vulgarity or the hostility
towards straight males is evident. These two shows may very well represent the