Walsall writer Andy Moseley’s play Make-Up is to be staged for one night at Lichfield Garrick—a performance he is dedicating to his late mother.
The play takes audiences backstage to meet the person behind the make-up and features Lady Christina, who leaves the stage at the end of her final show. She is tired of having to put on the make-up and become someone else every night. But when the make-up comes off, the face in the mirror takes Christopher Laneghan back to the life he lived before she came along.
Moseley said, “like many old-school drag artists, Lady Christina isn’t just a character that Christopher Laneghan has created—she’s his alter ego, born out of everything he’s gone through. It’s only in the dressing room that the pieces fall into place and we really start to understand the person we see on the stage.”
He added, “my mum was a regular visitor to the Garrick when she was alive and I saw a fair few shows there myself when I was growing up. She used to say it would be great if one of my plays was on there. I know how proud she would be to know that we were asked to bring this play to the theatre, and this performance is dedicated to her.”
Moj Taylor will appear in Make-Up which premièred at Brighton Fringe in 2020. It was streamed worldwide as part of the Marsh Stream International Solo Fest, organised by the Marsh Theatre, San Francisco before running at Buxton Fringe where it was nominated for awards for the best production and best male actor.
It will be performed in the Studio at Lichfield Garrick on Friday 12 May.