"The Divine Sister"

Years ago, I attended the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's Cabaret Symposium.

It was basically a boot camp for cabaret singers. An extremely expensive boot camp for cabaret singers.

And yes, when you combine "boot camp" with "cabaret," you surpass "gay" completely. You move into an phase of gaiety that... Well, it's not even enough to call it "uber-gay." It's like "gay-beta." Or "fag 2.0."

That said, the brilliantly funny Julie Halston was one of our master teachers at the symposium. You've seen Ms. Halston in movies and TV shows, but you may not know her by name. However, if you've ever seen her on stage, you'll never forget her. Charles Busch has written several roles for Julie, from "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" to their current show, "The Divine Sister."

Check out this video where Julie discusses her mother, the Mafia, and the dangers of visiting a tanning salon after a two-day cocaine bender. This woman is a comic genius.