The Music Diva Spectacle

Divas and the praxis of camp in relation to queer audiences.

In this original new work, Constantine Chatzipapatheodoridis pulls back the curtain on the production of camp as a queer praxis that constantly feeds the diva-queer culture relationship. By examining the iconography and theatrics of the diva tour show, the author presents a performance studies reading of camp and the culture-sharing process of production and audience reception.

Detailed case studies take a close look at popular contemporary performers like Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga, and a final section analyses audience drag in the arena space. Chatzipapatheodoridis also investigates the relationship between camp theory as an academic subject and the figure of the diva as an expression of camp.

A rich and insightful revival of the question of camp in contemporary queer performance, The Music Diva Spectacle seeks to establish how camp is appropriated by the diva and explores how this affects—and is in turn appropriated by—the audience.