Waltzing Mechanics Presents NO AIDS, NO MAIDS Review — An Overdone Stereotype

In a flash though—and later, scattered throughout the performance—the stage becomes dark, in a drastic flip from the brightly lit stage. With a single light casting an eerie blue hue on the stage, Tootsie Pops emerge from the topiaries and red tape stretches across the TV screens. Made up like a clown, Batteast faces us with red lipstick covering the lower half of her face, glimmering golden eye shadow, and two circles of white paint on her cheeks. She has traded her denim jacket for the butler’s suit vest and gloves. As the camera smoothly follows her, Batteast then mocks the typical way American media represents the Black community and gay men as the Magical Negro and the Magical Queer. She says in a sing-song voice, “We live to make you smile.”

Script and Design Bring Intensity in Waltzing Mechanics’ No AIDS, No Maids

As if a scrim has been lowered on a stage, the definition of the Magical Negro and the Magical Queer appear on the screen in front of Batteast. The words form letter-by-letter, as if they are being typed from a keyboard. Fluctuating between simple conversation and sarcasm, she laces her words with dark humor, making her case that these stereotypes are long overdone.

Rather than seeming to look into a camera, you too may feel that she is looking directly at you. The intensity of her words burn into us as we recognize how true these words are. The Black woman is always sassy and the gay man is always sick, but both serve solely as the funny sidekick to the protagonist. If American media is set on using these stereotypes, how could the Black community and gay men avoid those unrealistic portrayals, Batteast asks.

Without the realistic portrayal of Black women and gay men in media, Batteast and her friend, Nick, create their own performance. After a quick camera fade-in, we hear radio static cutting through the moaning and groaning of zombies approaching the car. The camera pans around the front of the car. Nick sits next to her, gazing out the window with concern on his face. The camera looks across Nick and we hear the crackling of a snack bag of Goldfish. Batteast raises crackers to her mouth as the zombies only get closer. Nick, incredulous, says, “Ok, so carbs are bad?” As an alternative to the Magical Negro and the Magical Queer, Batteast and Nick are simply themselves in a humorous zombie apocalypse movie. To Batteast, this is the perfect genre to avoid the Magical Negro and the Magical Queer.

Cast:

Dee Dee Batteast

Director: Thomas Murray

Filmed and edited by: Nick Murhling

When:

Online streaming through November 15^th

Where:

Online via website

Tickets:

Tickets are $5.50 per household.

For tickets and information visit, the Waltzing Mechanics website.

Photos courtesy of Tyler Core.