Got to Be Mighty Real

Anthony Wayne is no stranger to dressing up in different costumes; in just the past three years alone, he's donned everything from a sailor suit (in "Anything Goes") to a chicken outfit (in "Pippin") on Broadway. But when he steps onto the stage of the Theatre at St. Clements as the star of "Mighty Real: The Fabulous Sylvester Musical," from September 10 through October 5, the lanky African-American actor will be wearing far more glamorous -- and feminine -- duds than ever before.

Wayne and his life partner Kendrell Bowman, who is the show's designer and co-director, are the first to admit they're too young to have seen Sylvester -- the so-called "queen of disco," who died tragically of AIDS in 1988 -- in his heyday. In fact, Wayne claims he hadn't even heard of the legendary singer until watching a cable documentary about Sylvester's life just three years ago.

"However, the minute I saw him and heard him, I just loved his voice. So I bought his albums, and watched these videos on YouTube, and then I had a conversation with Kendrell about how we could celebrate his life," says Wayne. "He was a trailblazer in his personal life during a time when people weren't allowed to be themselves the way they are today. He had such perseverance to be himself."

Indeed, even as a teenager in the 1960s, Sylvester openly dated men and wore female clothing, and throughout his life, he never shied away from expressing his homosexuality or his love of dresses and high heels (although he disliked being called a drag queen). In a televised interview with the late Joan Rivers, Sylvester even spoke of his then-partner Rick Cranmer as his husband, inadvertently outing Cranmer to his parents, notes Bowman.

The show will not only feature a panoply of Sylvester's great musical hits, such as "Do You Wanna Funk" and "You Are My Friend," but it also will be chock full of little-known biographical information and anecdotes about his life. "We wanted to make this piece as authentic as possible. It's not just about what you can find on Wikipedia," says Wayne. "We've spoken to members of Sylvester's family and his friends, so we can give you the heart of Sylvester, not just a story about this person in drag. Yes, I do feel differently once I put on the costumes and the heels, but Kendall's clothes, great as they are, aren't all that make this character come to life."

Lest you think "Mighty Real" is an all-male affair, think again. Broadway star Sheryl Lee Ralph signed on to be one of the producers, and Wayne's former "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" co-stars Jacqueline B. Arnold and Anastacia McCleskey will appear as Sylvester's back-up singers Izora Rhodes and Martha Wash (who performed as Two Tons of Funs and The Weather Girls).

"Right before I joined the cast of 'Priscilla,' I went to see the show, and the minute those two women came down from the ceiling as 'the Divas,' I knew they had to be in the show," says Wayne. "And as soon as I joined the show, I asked them, and they immediately said yes."

Not surprisingly, both men believe that audience members of all genders, races, ages, and sexual preferences will benefit from seeing "Mighty Real." "I originally thought that Sylvester really had nothing to do with me," says Bowman. "But I found out that's not true. I think his story will touch a lot of people, both gay and straight, who have overcome a lot of adversity in their lives. It will give them hope."

Adds Wayne: "Sylvester's story is such a human story, and I hope the audience will connect with it the way I have as an actor. I think everyone will not only have a real good time, but they may also learn some things about themselves."