originally published at homorazzi.com
Nina Arsenault is a genius, and for no other reason really than by telling her life story but that’s my opinion.
I’ve followed Nina’s career since she was a columnist for Fab Magazine. I would wait from the other side of the country as they uploaded her newest column and it would be the only thing I would read. She’s fascinating, a great story teller and from that I felt like I got a really deep look into the life of Canada’s most well known transsexual. Stalker much? No not at all actually, she’s just incredibly talented at telling her story.
I got wind of her one woman show The Silicone Diaries (TSD from now on) coming to Vancouver when I saw a poster for it on Davie St. It was opening on Valentine’s Day and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it then by seeing the person who I had admired from afar for so many years (seriously, I’m not a stalker I swear). TSD is almost 2 hours of Nina taking us through the story of her being a 5 year old girl trapped in a boy’s body. Her first obsessions with the beauty that was a mannequin and how that was the picture of perfect beauty for her. Her first look at a porn mag, seeing naked women (or as she put them goddesses). Essentially this play is about her journey to achieve her idea of beauty.
She takes us through her transition from Rodney to Nina. Her job as a webcam girl (with a little something extra of course) and the heartbreaking stories of some of her clients, the money she made from that job was to pay for her 60 surgeries to become to woman she is today. We learn about the black market silicone injections she got to get rid of her boy holes, what an Orchi is, and about the patron saint of plastic surgery with interludes of videos behind her of her story. Her story is at times sad, but overall triumphant and it definitely has moments when we were laughing. Her famous encounter with Tommy Lee is hilarious, you can read about it online but you have to hear her tell it. It’s amazing.
The Silicone Diaries is a masterpiece, it was 2 hours that felt like no more than 45 minutes. It’s an incredible story of one woman’s life and I HIGHLY recommend everyone go and see it. It’s playing at The Cultch which is a lovely little theater on Venables and Victoria in Vancouver.
I’m very glad I finally got to see this show, if anything I only adore Nina Arsenault more and I look forward to her other projects.
GO. SEE. THIS. SHOW