A brash bull dyke from Brooklyn, N.Y. Molly “Equality” Dykeman may not be a woman you’d take home to Mom, but she’s probably a good ally for a bar fight. Wearing an orange safety vest and mullet hair, she’s a substance abuser with a potty mouth, a crossing guard/poet who’s not the most complex gadget in the toolbox, but she has a big heart.
The creation of comedy writer/actress Andrea Alton, Molly is building a devoted following on the New York club circuit, premiering a new hour-long show, “The F*cking World According to Molly,” at the 2011 New York International Fringe Festival Aug. 13.
“I always loved playing this butch woman who could say whatever she wanted,” Alton said on the phone from the Catskills. “Everyone loves her don’t-give-a-shit attitude.”
Part of Molly’s appeal is her outrageous, often stereotypical behavior. She hits on women of all shapes, sizes and levels of intellectual ability with impunity. In fact, Alton got concerned when the character took off.
“I was afraid that there was going to be a backlash,” she said. “So I said, well, I’ll just see how far I can go with it.”
Pretty far apparently, especially when it comes to lesbian stereotypes. But a lot of Molly’s less flattering traits have more to do with Alton, who is straight. “I think the alcohol and Molly’s love for pills, her depression all comes from me. I grew up in an alcoholic household, so that kind of feeds into Molly.”
Despite all that, plus Molly’s crude vernacular and lack of sophistication, there’s something that resonates with lesbian audiences. “A lot of them have shared stories with me,” said Alton. “They give me writing ideas, they constantly give me tips which is really cool.”
They even occasionally hit on Alton, both in and out of character. “It actually kind of freaked me out that people hit on me as Molly, because I think, Why would you want to be with this woman?”
The show touches on a few of Molly’s favorite things: “She loves ladies, vagina nachos, a lot of erotic, off-the-wall poetry, then she tackles subjects such as bullying, depression, having a bipolar lover and things like that,” says Alton.
The 15th annual Fringe Festival, Aug. 12-28, packs music, dance, comedy and theater into 20 venues around the city. “The F*cking World” is slated for five performances, beginning Aug. 13.
“With this one-hour solo show I’ve actually been able to add social commentary,” says Alton. “There’s a part about bullying and depression, so there are heavier topics in this show. But it’s still a funny, entertaining train wreck at the end of the day.”
To hear more from Molly see: mollyequalitydykeman.blogspot.com.
For info on the Fringe Festival go to: fringenyc.org.
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