Meet the UK’s oldest performing drag queen in feisty first trailer for ‘Maisie’
Exclusive: A touching new documentary celebrates the life and career of 88-year-old David Raven ,aka Maisie Trollette..
By Will Stroude
Words: Brian Leonard; Images: Bohemia Media
A brand new film is set to shine a light on the life and work of the UK’s oldest drag artist.
Maisie is a “hilarious fly-on-the-wall” documentary that follows 88-year-old David Raven – aka Maisie Trollette – as the the renowned drag queen rehearses for a special birthday performance, grapples with the realities of ageing and reflects on more than half a century of entertaining audiences.
The newly-released trailer – which you can watch exclusively on Attitude below – pulls back the curtain on Maisie’s life as a performer and sees a good-natured rivalry flare up when the world’s oldest drag queen, American performer Darcelle XV, jets across the Atlantic to Brighton to help Maisie celebrate her milestone 85th birthday.
Born in Cornwall in 1933, Raven adopted the persona of Maisie Trollette in the 1960s after moving to London, where he was a regular fixture at iconic drag venues including The Black Cap in Camden and The Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Raven moved to Brighton in the 1970s, where he has remained a fixture of the city’s drag scene and Pride celebrations ever since.
The Lee Cooper-directed Maisie is a touching and insightful portrait of ageing and the power of community that was awarded Best Documentary by the Dublin Film Critics Circle 2022 and is set to arrive in UK cinemas on 5 August 2022.
With appearances fromfrom legendary UK drag figures including Paul O’Grady and featuring Broadway classics including ‘Lady is a Tramp’, ‘One’, and ‘If I Never Sing Another Song’, Maisie an unshrinking celebration of drag culture from a pre-Drag Race world.
Maisie arrives in UK cinemas on 5 August 2022. Watch the trailer below: