David Raven, who was higher generally known as Maisie Trollette and was believed to be the oldest drag performer in Britain, died on Wednesday in Brighton, England. He was 91.
His dying was confirmed by a pal, Scott St. Martyn, who mentioned that Mr. Raven had been dwelling in a nursing house.
Mr. Raven carried out as Maisie Trollette for over half a century, carrying a blonde wig, a thick layer of make-up and lengthy sequined clothes whereas singing outdated present tunes and cracking naughty jokes. He turned a mainstay of the British drag circuit, an everyday presence on the Brighton and Hove Satisfaction occasion and a mentor to youthful drag queens.
He got here out as homosexual in his 20s, at a time when “gay acts” have been nonetheless unlawful in Britain. (The legislation modified in 1967 in England.) Mr. Raven started performing in drag as the shape turned fashionable with the rise of Danny La Rue, a famous British drag performer (who was, in line with Mr. St. Martyn, a giant fan of Mr. Raven’s).
Early in his profession, Mr. Raven described himself as a “pantomime dame,” Mr. St. Martyn, an actor who turned buddies with Mr. Raven within the Eighties, mentioned in an interview. “He at all times tried to legitimize it by being an expert actor.”
Mr. Raven rose to fame within the Nineteen Sixties as one half of the drag duo the Trollettes alongside Jimmy Court docket, who carried out as Jimmy Trollette.
“They have been type of slapstick comedians,” mentioned Dave Lynn, a longtime pal of Mr. Raven’s who carried out with him within the Eighties and ’90s. “You by no means knew what was going to come back from them, most of it was ad-lib.”
Finally, Mr. Raven branched out as a solo act, performing as Maisie in charity exhibits and venues throughout Britain, and showing within the inaugural parade for Brighton and Hove Satisfaction, the most important Satisfaction pageant in Britain, in 1973.
“Maisie was such a staple,” mentioned Christopher Dennis, higher generally known as his drag alter ego, La Voix, who met Mr. Raven within the early 2000s. “Everybody knew of him even in case you hadn’t seen him. You simply knew the identify.”
Although Mr. Raven was well-known on the drag circuit and in Brighton, the place he lived, little was recognized about his adolescence and childhood. Even buddies who knew him for many years mentioned he by no means spoke about his previous.
David Raven was born Aug. 15, 1933, in Cornwall, England, and was raised by adoptive mother and father in Norfolk. He had no quick survivors; his companion, Don Coull, whom he known as his “idol” and his “different half” in “Maisie,” a 2021 documentary, died from issues of AIDS about 20 years in the past.
Whereas Mr. Raven was an undisputed pillar of British drag, he was severe about separating his alter ego from his day-to-day identification, reprimanding anybody who referred to as him Maisie when he was not in character.
“He got here from a really chilly background,” Mr. Lynn mentioned. “He couldn’t be a queen full time.”
Mr. Raven continued to carry out properly into his 80s, finally utilizing a strolling stick onstage. “I can’t imagine that I’ve been doing this for 50 years,” he mentioned within the 2021 documentary.
Whereas Mr. Raven was a singular determine in Britain, he did have an American counterpart: Walter Cole, also referred to as Darcelle XV, an American drag queen who earned a Guinness World File because the world’s oldest drag performer. (Mr. Cole died at 92 in 2023.)
Within the documentary “Maisie,” the 2 octogenarian performers have a meal collectively and put together for a efficiency in Brighton. Standing subsequent to one another, they pose for images and change quips and (generally soiled) jokes.
Mr. Raven had a depraved humorousness, and his buddies described him as “naughty” and a “prankster.” On journeys with buddies, he would conceal in closets or underneath beds to scare them. In his free time, he beloved betting, particularly on race horses. Even later in life, when he was too unwell to go away the home, Mr. Raven would ask folks to put bets for him, Mr. St. Martyn mentioned.
His longevity impressed youthful performers, and he provided deep encouragement to youthful acts in an effort to assist Britain’s drag scene flourish, Mr. Lynn mentioned.
“There’s a sense within the arts that there’s an expiry date,” Mr. Dennis mentioned. “And David confirmed us there’s no expiry date on being fabulous.”
