Taylor Mac was not called to clean toilets. The multi-hyphenate, who uses “Judy” as a preferred pronoun, was working at the Drama Bookshop in Midtown Manhattan years ago doing just that when Flawless Sabrina, Mac’s Drag Godmother, offered some tough love around Christmas, telling Mac to pull it together and create braver art. “There is nothing wrong with cleaning toilets,” Mac recalls. “But I started changing my life after that. I chose the love of my life and just figured it all out. That was one of my favorite holidays, because I remember being truly loved for the first time by someone who understood my kind of aura.”
In 2016, Flawless Sabrina passed away and Mac was broken-hearted. “I made this holiday show, Holiday Sauce, that's kind of about her, about having a chosen family, and about taking all the things that we feel disgruntled about the holidays… the pressure that we feel, the commercialism and the family members that don't love us… and celebrating those who do.”
Since then, Mac has staged the show most years around this time. It includes some traditional carols performed in sharp, unconventional ways, and some lesser known selections that are certain to pique interest when Mac hits the stage at Town Hall this Friday night.
The big message of the evening is a mantra Sabrina shared with Mac: “You’re the boss, applesauce”. By that, Mac believes that we are all the boss of our own stories. “If something is upsetting you around the holidays, how do you shift that paradigm and reality? That’s really what we’re doing in real time onstage doing this show…having fun in December,” Mac says.
Recently, Mac was in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Haven, Connecticut with the show and his fellow cast members with whom Judy has known and collaborated with for years. “I kind of think of this tour as my celebration of the holidays, It’s been fun hanging out with everybody. We've been together for two and a half weeks now, and so it's sweet to see them. We all get together for a tour, or some major wedding or anniversary, or something like that. So it’s nice to just have time for everybody.”
Mac is known for outlandish outfits and with Holiday Sauce, a high bar of pizzaz no doubt will be on display, including one inspired by Andy Warhol’s “Banana Split” art. Longtime collaborator and cast member Machine Dazzle serves as costume designer. “Machine is very talented and is always able to change the look, whether I’m doing an earnest Christmas song, something more underground, or a mash up of the two.”
Epic shows are common place for Mac, who did a 4-hour rock opera about Gods and Goddesses,Bark of Millions, last year at BAM and in 2016, A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, a 24- hour song event which covers popular music throughout the history of the United States and is a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Holiday Sauce is a stark contrast, running just two hours without intemission.
Although there is no formal observation of Christmas in Mac’s life, a few items remain on Judy’s wish list: slashing the tires of ICE, (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), eliminating all sexual assault, and not having a President who is a convicted felon.
Oh! If only Santa Claus could make wishes come true. For now, at least we’ll have the gift of Taylor Mac-and that is better than anything you'll find around the Christmas tree.
Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce Friday December 19th 123 West 43rd Street between 6th and 7th. For tickets and information, click here: thetownhall.org, taylor macs holiday sauce
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