Review: BANGS! at Rarig Kilburn Theatre

Bangs! is a horror-comedy that tackles a subject that is anything but funny. Presented by The Other Productions at the Rarig Kilburn Theatre as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the show takes place backstage at a drag show when a shooting breaks out at a gay bar.

Created by The Other Jeannie Retelle and Amie Durenberger and directed by Durenberger, Bangs! follows a group of drag performers trying to make sense of what is happening while figuring out how to keep themselves and each other safe.

The cast includes ChaChi Monique Cassadine, Chandra Armani, Mak3va, Jordan J. Briley, and The Other Jeannie Retelle. Even with everything happening around them, their personalities still come through. They joke, argue, panic, and try to help each other. There are some very funny moments, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting given the subject matter.

The comedy is actually one of the things I liked most about the show. It never feels like they are making a joke out of gun violence. The humor comes from the characters and how they respond to each other. People sometimes laugh during terrible situations because they don’t know what else to do, and there is something very human about seeing that play out onstage.

The story becomes even more personal when you know some of the background behind it. In an artist’s statement, Retelle shares that their first run at HUGE Theater ended on June 12, 2016, the night after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Retelle writes about how drag had become an important form of expression, but suddenly being a performer in a queer space also felt like it could put their life in danger.

Retelle now works as a bartender at a gay bar in downtown Minneapolis. In the statement, they talk about bonding with another new employee after realizing they had both come up with escape plans during their first weeks on the job. That detail really stayed with me.

A gay bar or drag show should be a place where people can go out, have fun, and feel comfortable being themselves. Having to think about where the exits are or what you would do if someone came in with a gun is a horrible reality to even consider. Unfortunately, it is something that people do think about.

Durenberger’s direction keeps the show moving between comedy and some genuinely frightening moments. Just when things become especially heavy, there might be something that makes you laugh. Then you are quickly reminded of what these characters are dealing with.

Having the story take place during a drag show also makes sense. Drag is about entertainment and having fun, but it can also be about identity, expression, and being unapologetically yourself. Bangs! puts all of that against the fear of what can happen when someone decides to target a queer space.

Underneath everything, the show is really about the people in that dressing room. They may not always agree or know what to do, but when something terrifying happens, they have each other.

Bangs! can be funny one minute and uncomfortable the next. There were moments when I laughed and others when I found myself thinking about how easily something like this could happen in real life.

Retelle describes Bangs! as an “escape plan” in the artist’s statement. After seeing the show, I understood what they meant. This isn’t a story that tries to give an easy answer to something so frightening. It shows people doing what they can to get through it together.

Bangs! is funny, scary, uncomfortable, and very relevant. Most importantly, it is a story about queer people looking out for one another when the place where they are supposed to feel safe suddenly isn’t.

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