Drama Queens with Love Scenes
by Kevin Klehr
Wilde City Press
ebook, $6.99
I’m a sucker for a second chance. There’s something so engaging about a character who has missed an opportunity or made a mistake and is now facing the consequences and deciding to take one more shot at making things right. I admit my love of “never too late” knowing full well it reveals me as a romantic and a optimist, despite how much cynical sarcasm I might let loose on an average day. It’s refreshing and restorative to read about love that makes it against all odds. There’s nothing better than love that never says die.
Or, well, actually...
Death is actually the beginning. Drama Queens with Love Scenes opens with the death of our hero, Allan, and his friend, Warwick. They arrive in a heaven that seems perfect for them--it’s an afterlife of theatre, complete with artists, writers, directors, critics, and even glossy gossip magazines. The past and present (and even future) worlds of theatre all combine in an afterlife that welcomes the two new men with open arms... and maybe one or two knives in the back.
It’s hard enough being dead. It’s even harder when you’re carrying a crush on your lifelong friend, the one you’ve just realized you waited too long to do anything about. For Allen, dying isn’t half as terrifying as the thought of not being with Warwick, but not soon after their arrival into the afterlife, Warwick seems to be moving on. While the dramas of this timeless theatre district unfold (every night is opening night for someone, and every play might just be the next big thing), Allan’s own struggle for love might get lost in an exit.
But in a theatre heaven there’s always time for another act.
Kevin Klehr has crafted a wonderful new world for these characters--a glittery, fabulous, and just a little bit catty eternity that lends itself to the seeds of theatre pop culture, history, and themes he weaves into the narrative. More, the supporting cast are a thoroughly rich group, including an angel who has yet to figure out flying, a dame from the golden age of theatre, and even someone who is from what would be Allan’s future. The drinks are downed, the music moves through eras of jazz, and performances glow--or flop--with ease. It’s a mix that works, and brings all the right traces of Noises Off to the narrative. That isn’t to say Drama Queens is a farce--it’s not--but there’s plenty of humour to be had among the potential heartbreak and genuinely knotted tangle of characters attempting to send Allan awry.
Readers will also appreciate a dose of something not typically North American to the tone. Though set in the afterlife, there’s a healthy dollop of Australia to Drama Queens, another way that the already bright story feels fresh. It was a pleasure to escape into Klehr’s world, and I look forward to reading more from him with the upcoming Drama Queens with Adult Themes.
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‘Nathan Burgoine lives in Ottawa, Canada with his husband Daniel and their husky, Coach. He has published dozens of short stories, and his first novel, Light, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. You can find him online at nathanburgoine.com.