The Golden Apple, an ancient Greek tale of three goddesses placing their worthiness in the judgement of a shepherd boy, takes new shape this Fringe World in Miss Olympus, a modern retelling of a drag beauty pageant. Heavy in drag, burlesque, satire, and talent, get down to Cookery at Girls School from Tuesday, February 8, to Sunday, February 13 to find out who will be declared the fairest of them all. KWANWOO HAN caught up with Liberty Genre, the director, writer, and actor taking the role of the queen Hera, to find out how she and her team at Spectacles Productions are giving the myths of Greece a makeover.
Congrats on bringing Miss Olympus to Fringe 2022! How does it feel to perform this year?
Absolutely thrilled for Spectacles Productions to return for Fringe. Personally, this is a bit of a life-long goal being achieved, which is producing and directing my own originally scripted production show.
Miss Olympus combines Greek mythology with beauty pageants. Where did the idea come from?
It felt like a no-brainer, especially in the world of drag at the moment being so heavily documented on competitive shows. It’s definitely observing how women and queer people are constantly compared, contrasted and made to compete amongst each other.
With its inspiration to Greek mythology, what kind of songs and music styles should we expect?
It’s a variety show of the purest sense. We have parodies of musical theatre numbers, pop and alternative music, with the primary focus being the music originally sung by women. It’s a love letter to all things femme.
The show draws from Greek legends, which has some of the most iconic characters in mythology in general. Who was chosen to act as the show’s characters, and why were they a good fit?
We chose the tale of the Golden Apple as it has some of the goddesses and characters that I’ve been most intrigued by since childhood.
Danisa Snake was the perfect fit for a strong-willed and pious war goddess Athena; Cece Desist naturally lends her own drag persona similar to that of the sultry and flamboyant love goddess Aphrodite; Blake Cassette can out sass anyone I know so was naturally my first thought for the mischievous messenger god Hermes; Skyscraper has camp for days to engage a crowd as the MC of the show and play the vain Paris, prince of Troy; and I’m a massive control freak so the queen of the gods Hera seemed fitting!
What’s your favourite Greek myth or hero?
The stories of King Midas have always left a lasting impression on me with the dichotomy of having what you wished for and it being a curse.
What are you looking forward to during the show?
I’m hoping audiences leave the show feeling uplifted, empowered but most importantly for femme presenting people to feel inspired to stick up for one another, that’s the overall message and experience I want to leave with.
You find yourself in Paris’ shoes with three goddesses awaiting an answer. What do you do?
Definitely go with Hera, she holds onto grudges the longest, just ask Hercules.
