About the Show

The latest comic melodrama written by and starring Charles Busch tells the story of one woman’s tumultuous passage from convent girl to glittering cabaret chanteuse to infamous madame of a string of brothels.

From the show:

We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our 35th anniversary than by presenting the newest work from one of our most frequent collaborators, legendary master of theatrical parody Charles Busch (best known to Primary Stages audiences from our productions of The Tribute Artist, Olive and the Bitter Herbs, and You Should Be So Lucky). Busch’s newest play, The Confession of Lily Dare, tells the story of one woman’s tumultuous passage from convent girl to glittering cabaret chanteuse to infamous madame of a string of brothels—all while hiding her undying devotion to the child she was forced to abandon. Directed by Busch’s long-time colleague Carl Andress (The Tribute Artist, The Divine Sister), this comic melodrama celebrates the gauzy “confession film” tearjerkers of early 1930s pre-code cinema, such as The Sin of Madelon Claudet, Frisco Jenny, and Madame X.

Critic Reviews (16)

CRITIC’S PICK. "Camp and Compassion in 'The Confession of Lily Dare': Charles Busch’s mash-up of mother-love weepies finds both pathos and hilarity in the tough talk of Hollywood divas."
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4/5 Stars. "For audiences today, increasingly removed from the cinematic source, Busch's sensibility is now itself an object of nostalgia, and it is showcased to humbly glorious effect in his latest scrappy melocomedy, 'The Confession of Lily Dare.'"
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"Charles Busch, drag artiste and author of 'The Tale of the Allergist's Wife,' plays the title role in his campy comedy riffing on female-driven 1930s movie melodramas."
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"‘The Confession of Lily Dare’ Is a Side-Splitting Hoot From Charles Busch"
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"Drag Icon Charles Busch Plays a Fallen Woman in 'The Confession of Lily Dare' Not even an earthquake can shake her resolve."
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"Charles Busch Sends Up Pre-Code 'Fallen Woman' Flicks With 'THE CONFESSION OF LILY DARE'"
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"It's a kind of film festival for the stage -- a gloriously cockeyed one, to be sure -- and it provides playwright/star Charles Busch with his most deluxe vehicle of recent seasons."
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4/5 Stars. "As usual with the witty Busch, the script is a Godiva-chocolates-boxful of clever lines."
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Trailer

Creative team