Crowl and Stewart are two trans women of different generations and backgrounds. Crowl is a former punk and longtime working actor who lives most of her year in Wisconsin, while Stewart came up in the New York ball scene and is mother of the House of Unbothered Cartier. I sat down with them to talk about creating royal characters, the reception of the play, and what it means to take up space as trans women on an Off Broadway stage.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and concision.
Vogue: A lot of the press so far has been centered on the men in the show, so I’m excited to talk to you both about your performances, which felt like complete standouts. What’s been your reaction to the coverage?
Rachel Crowl: You go first, N’yomi, my daughter.
N’yomi Allure Stewart: My amazing mother. What you’re talking about is true, and I’ve been speaking about it…not from a place of anger. Can you blame that being people’s natural reaction? Can you blame the large demographic of people who are coming to see something titled Prince Faggot not being as interested in two trans women who already occupy bodies unfamiliar to the masses? As time went on, I naturally started to feel slightly invisible, not to the creative but to the audience. Within the play, cast, and team, I always felt seen and heard. As for the reaction, for me, my community, and the people I call family, they’ve been moved.
Even those not seen onstage find themselves moved, challenged, and inspired by the language. They know what it is to be loved and then have complications with status, power, and the freedom to do as one pleases. My friends were like, “I left not knowing if I wanted to fight or fuck or dance or scream, but I felt everything.” And that’s moving to say about a piece.
Crowl: Everything N’yomi said, amen. It’s lovely because N’yomi and I come from two different worlds and yet are bonded. There’s both a generational and experiential divide. I have a lot of straight friends who have come and seen the show, and I’ve been utterly delighted by the way my straight friends have taken to this play.