POLITICS, IN FULL DRAG:
A CAMPAIGN LIKE NO OTHER

Wayne Brady leads a wild, urgent, and
unexpectedly timely ride through
queer history and unfinished business.

There have been outsider candidates before, but none quite like Joan Jett Blakk—the self-declared Black drag queen who ran for President of the United States in the early 1990s, armed with wit, defiance, and a refusal to be ignored. When she ran against George H. Bush in 1992 her campaign slogan was, “Lick Bush in ’92!” Now, that story arrives Off-Broadway in MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT, with Wayne Brady stepping into the heels of both Blakk and the man behind the persona, Terence Alan Smith.

Opening Vineyard Theatre’s 2026–27 season, the new work is co-written by Tina Landau and Tarell Alvin McCraney, two playwrights with a knack for blending theatricality with cultural urgency. Landau also directs, returning to the Vineyard alongside McCraney, whose earlier collaboration Wig Out! remains a touchstone for queer performance on the New York stage.

Set against the AIDS crisis and the rise of activist groups like Queer Nation Chicago, the piece traces Blakk’s improbable campaign—part protest, part performance, and part radical act of visibility. It’s a story rooted in history but not confined to it, described as “inspired—but not bound—by true events,” which gives the creators room to shape something less documentary than theatrical reckoning.

The structure promises something equally hybrid: campaign rally, nightclub act, and confessional all folded into one. That mix suits Brady, whose career has zigzagged across television, Broadway, and music, often blurring lines between performance styles. Here, that versatility becomes the engine of the piece, as he navigates both the public persona of Blakk and the private reality of Smith.

Photo by Marc Geller

If the premise sounds like a period piece, the framing suggests otherwise. The show’s emphasis on “urgent and unfinished business” points to a throughline between the early ’90s and now—when questions about identity, visibility, and political theater feel anything but settled.

Additional casting and creative team details are still to come, but the Vineyard’s track record with new work suggests this won’t be a quiet opener. The company has long specialized in shows that push form while tapping into the cultural moment, and MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT looks positioned to do both—loudly.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT
Vineyard Theatre, 108 E 15th St, New York, NY
begins October 15; opens November 1, 2026
limited run engagement
for tickets (memberships from $40), call 212.353.0303 or visit Vineyard

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦