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Mrs. Santa A Parade Drag




By CHAKA FERGUSON
Associated Press Writer

November 26, 2003, 5:00 PM EST

The annual Thanksgiving parade is famous for its giant balloon caricatures -- but Mrs. Santa in drag may be drawing the second looks this year.

In lighthearted support of a recent Massachusetts high court ruling favoring gay marriage, actor Harvey Fierstein -- Broadway's most famous drag queen -- will dress as the Mrs. Claus while riding downtown on a float.

Fierstein, star of the Broadway musical hit "Hairspray" and an openly gay three-time Tony Award winner, wrote an op-ed piece in Wednesday's New York Times promoting his planned homage to Mrs. Claus during Thursday's parade.

Fierstein, who was not immediately available for comment, wrote that "to the delight of millions of little children, the Santa in New York's great parade will be half of a same-sex couple."

"And guess who the other half will be?" he asked. "Me! Harvey Fierstein, nice Jewish boy from Bensonhurst, dressed in holiday finery portraying the one and only Mrs. Claus."

Fierstein will appear as his "Hairspray" character, Edna Turnblad -- but dressed as Mrs. Claus -- on the Percy and the P-Birds float, a group of penguin puppets. In the musical, Turnblad is the protective mom of a plump Baltimore teen who yearns to be popular.

Macy's issued a statement saying the parade "has never and will never be a platform for political and social issues and opinions."

Department store spokeswoman Elina Kazan said that the traditional Mrs. Claus will ride with Santa on his sleigh as part of the parade's grand finale. She called Fierstein's alternative version "Edna's interpretation of Mrs. Claus."

Thousands of spectators are expected to line the streets to watch that float and others, as well as marching bands, celebrities and dozens of balloons, including giant caricatures of Mr. Monopoly and children's favorite Pikachu, a bright yellow Pokemon character.

"This year the parade reacquaints viewers and spectators with 24 old friends and welcomes eight new friends to this most honored and revered holiday tradition," organizers announced.

The parade will be led by Jake the helium stuffed turkey, who hasn't shown his feathers since 1959. Other old time favorites will include vintage balloons that starred in the parade in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, such as the Marx Brothers.

Familiar faces Garfield, Charlie Brown and a 63-foot-high Big Bird will saunter the route once again. Nickelodeon's "Little Bill," the parade's first African-American balloon, and Kermit the Frog, who returned last year after a 12-year hiatus, will be back.

Super Grover and Garfield the Cat also will make their debuts.

Performances from "American Idols" Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, Kool & the Gang, and the international cast and Muppets of "Sesame Street" are scheduled.

The 77th annual marching of the parade starts at 9 a.m. EST at West 77th Street and Central Park West, shifts to Broadway at Columbus Circle and heads down to 34th Street, where it turns and ends at Seventh Avenue.

Spectators should also enjoy the weather. Thursday should be dry, but National Weather Service is forecasting mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-40s at parade time and rising into the lower 50s by noon.

Because of increased security, police have banned backpacks and knapsacks from the parade route.