Local performer Lee Kyle Turner is hard to miss. Alter ego Splendora, the deliciously larger than life drag queen sports not only the usual diva accoutrement but sleeves of tattoos and a 6 foot 10 inch frame. But though he’s the talk of P-town these days, with his talented trash talking persona following him everywhere he goes, Turner is aware of his more visceral background and too-real-for-comfort redneck roots. And while he may seem imposing now, he recounts having to "…hide behind [his] mother at the grocery store." It seems appropriate then, that Lee Kyle should celebrate the brashness of his crass but protecting Texan mom in a nervy performance piece entitled "Maybe I’m Just Like My Mother." As Splendora Turner is always entertaining, but this this leap to a more personal narrative seems not only natural but something fans of Lee Kyle have been waiting for. I’m sure it will not always be easy to watch. Turner says as much, and the sentiment is echoed by writer Aaron Scott. But it is precisely this discomfiture that positions Turner’s newest piece as a distinctive, thoughtful, and intense piece of art.
Maybe I’m Just Like My Mother An Ode to Cornelia runs Fri/Sat Sept. 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 10:30p at Back Door Theatre, 4319 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. Tickets are $10 from 971-506-9291.
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