When student actress Lucy Danser visited the new café down the road from her Indiana university, she was surprised to be greeted by a 6ft 4in man dressed in women’s clothes.
“It was the last thing I was expecting to see in Indiana,” says writer and director Danser, who has immortalised Rachael in her first play, with Graham Elwell playing the titular former printer ink salesman Eric Wininger.
“She’s aware that most people’s first impression is that they are not sure how to respond. She has an amazing air that means everyone who meets her falls in love with her.
“She sees it as her job to put people at their ease.”
Before long Rachael’s Cafe became Danser’s main haunt.
“It was a big, open-plan cafe,” says Danser. “She would always come over and start talking to everyone. I remember the service was extremely slow, as Rachael would take orders, cook and serve everyone.”
Part of that was down to the fact Rachael had become unemployable elsewhere.
She had been cast out from her very religious Methodist community in Bloomington when someone she had confided her cross-dressing secret to got drunk and blurted it out.
What made the story even more poignant was that Rachael was living as a woman in the café, but spent the rest of her time outside as Eric as she hadn’t had a sex change – partly because of her children’s reactions.
As she heard more of Rachael’s story, Danser decided she would make a perfect subject for a class she was taking in playwriting.
“I was using the Joint Stock technique, where you sit and talk to people without recording them, and then sit and write down all you remember,” says Danser, who ended up talking to Rachael for more than five hours to create her initial 20-minute monologue.
After graduation she flew back several times to turn the class project into a play – which got an unexpected debut at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, after Danser’s original one-woman play fell apart.
“I was with a co-producer who was a disaster to work with,” says Danser.
“I ended up financing the entire thing, the director walked out and I realised a lot of work hadn’t been done.
“I thought it was time to give up, and was going to spend the festival sat in my room crying.”
Luckily Rachael’s Cafe was on draft five and about ready to perform. With a little persuasion and support from her parents Danser finished the script, cast the role, and launched it on to the Fringe, where it received positive reviews.
After a fundraiser at the café Rachael herself was able to come across to see the play – although she had to fly as Eric.
She spent the whole Fringe as Rachael and watched the piece at least five times.
“Her initial reaction was that she didn’t like someone telling her story to a roomful of strangers,” admits Danser. “She had some friends who came and saw it again with her, and she got on board.
“Her motto in life is, ‘Never say poor me, because once you do you’re dead’.
“For her it was weird to see me saying her life was hard – as she feels life is a big adventure."
Marlborough Theatre, Princes Street, Brighton, Tuesday, May 15, to Thursday, May 1
Starts 9pm, tickets from £6.50.
Call 01273 917272.
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