The Final, Final, Farewell Dramaturgy of Delores and DickDelRubio: Alan Palmer @ Edfringe 2016

Power Ranger Alan Palmer brings drag alter-ego to Edinburgh

LA actor, director and writer Alan Palmer is set to hit the Edinburgh Fringe this August in an ironic laced Prima-lounge show The Final, Final, Farewell Tour of Delores and DickDelRubio. 

Palmer, best known for playing Corus on the Fox hit, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is returning to Edinburgh after a his critically acclaimed debut in 2010’s Lovelace. 

This year, he’ll take on the role of Delores DelRubio, wife of the husband and lap-dog Dickplayed by Andrew Orbison who in addition wrote the music in this homage to old school husband and wife lounge acts.

Listing

The Final, Final Farewell Tour of Dick and Delores DelRubio

August 15-20, 22-27; 12:05  (50 mins.)

Space @ Surgeons Hall (Venue 53)

₤10

What was the inspiration for this performance?

The old lounge acts of the 60's, i.e. Steve and Eydie Gorme and this delicious couple that plays at an old steakhouse near my home. They are so bad they are good. 

How did you go about gathering the team for it?

I directed Andrew in the show, Pump Boys & Dinettes last summer. He was

not only talented, but respectful and super fun to work with as well. I asked him to be in a quartet to Christmas Carol the month of December and we became friends.

We constantly cracked each other up. I was working on this piece for a dear friend who tragically passed away before I finished the script. I asked Andrew to write the music to my lyric and we started rehearsing the show and knew we had something special.

How did you become interested in making performance?

I started thinking about what it would be like to live in the life of a husband and wife act and thought about what the complications and drama might be, where their lives had gone before they met and where they hoped it would go. I started thinking of Liza Minnelli and Liz Taylor and their marriages and why they didn’t last.

I thought it would be fun to make Delores a marriage whore. I made a skeletal map of what the journey should be in 50 minutes.  We have so much more story to tell but will have to extend the show at a later date due to the time constraint at the festival.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?

I think every show has a little twist with the process but I tend to have spurts of brilliance and then long bouts of not knowing how to finish. Something always happens and inspiration kicks in, but it does take a while.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

I hope our audience will related to these wonderful characters and find a bit of themselves and empathy for their trials and tribulations. The most important thing is to have an audience connect and feel like they are part of the show.Our preview show proved to do just that. I can’t wait to see how the festival audiences react!

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

I always like to have some sort of audience participation in my shows. I think this time it is hysterically different. (Hint: Wear clean underwear!)

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?

The show is a total tradition of Vegas Lounge acts. The great thing about the old lounge acts is that you can perform in a smoky nightclub or a large auditorium and still have the same effect.

the idea of the performance as a gig: what qualities do you think make this the case? what do they share?

I feel they are the same in the fact that concert musicians consider their gigs a show and performers never make light of their performances. The only difference is with this show, each night is supposed to be the last show. Even though there is a TON of humor, the only way to wrap the package is to give it a bit of heart.

are there any musicians you'd point to as an influence - or a pleasure that may not influence but gives some sense of your approach to music? 

SOOO many! Bette Midler in her bathhouse days, Shirley Bassey, Lola Falana, Steve and Eydie, Donny and Marie, Captain and Tennille, Mitzi Gaynor etc.

what is gained by live musicians on stage?

It is so freeing to be able to work with live musicians if you chose to do a little patter during a song the piano can vamp. If you make a mistake you can always go back without the audience knowing. If you had a bad night and your voice isn’t up for some of the high notes, you can lower the key. (not that it has ever happened to me but hey, it’s nice to know it is an option!)

and is anything lost?

The only loss I can think of is the full sound of tracks but who the heck

cares if you can have a live piano, not to mention a ukulele!