What's the Name of the Dame?

Take nine drag divas, who each turn an ABBA song upside-down and inside-out, with a pinch of Joan Rivers, an ounce of Christine Baranski and a dash of Benny Anderson, and you have "What's the Name of the Dame?" Director Allan Neuwirth has served, on a sequined platter, a worthy close-up into the personal lives and often hilarious world of drag queens, men who bowl everyone over with their talent, humor and humanity. You can't help but laugh and wonder at the stars of this show who share their unusual and fascinating talents, bringing us unique, endearing, and often powerful performances of the wonderful music of ABBA. "What's the Name of the Dame?" is witty, feel-good entertainment with a heart of gold lamé.

"What's the Name of the Dame?" Isn't just a great film, it's an experience! Fun, funny and entertaining from start to finish, it features nine highly talented performers who also happen to be drag queens. Each performs an ABBA classic, giving their own unique takes on the songs. The results are exciting, hilarious and even heart-rending. That these diverse "videos" come together is due to the excellent direction by Allan Neuwirth. Neuwirth not only gives us that wonderful ABBA music, but we also meet the complex men behind the wigs, makeup and sequins. There are are also appearances by Christine Baranski, Joan Rivers and ABBA's own Benny Andersson. I loved this movie and you will too!

What's the Name of the Dame is a wonderful documentary/musical comedy with heartwarming and hilarious sequences based on the music of Abba. Even though there is great fun and humor, we get to know each of the main characters very well, as we are shown a window into the life of drag queens and performance artists. It might seem like this is a work that only a fringe audience would enjoy, but actually it is perfect for mainstream audiences in Middle America, who will love this wholesome but realistic view into an exotic and creative world that most never even can visit, much less gain this amount of insight in a short amount of time. This deserves an international theatrical release, and would be a perfect film for midnight showings on college campus, as well as regular showing on Showtime, Bravo, Logo and other such cable outlets. Jack Chen and his wonderful team have outdone themselves in this labor of love that is enchanting, educational and joyful.

What a film! What a world! What a buncha broads! Director Allan Neuwirth and producer Jack Chen bring us inside the-oh-so-FABULOUS world of drag queens and its top tier royalty of performers as they reinterpret the pop anthems of the 80s Swedish hit-making group ABBA. These dames add plenty of new spice to old standards like "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia" and enough zest to keep all of Sweden awake through its annual winter darkness. And if you've been laboring under the impression that the drag world is all artifice and false eyelashes, the raw honesty of the performances and the powerful back stories of the performers reveals the truth of their art and their lives. You want truth?: nothing beats the absolutely drop-dead emotional power of Yolanda singing "Lay All Your Love on Me." "What's The Name Of The Dame?" is a great film.