Tupperware has never been so much fun!
For five years, Dixie Longate has been on the road, peddling her “plastic crap” to audiences around the world – literally. The comedian’s take on the classic Tupperware party has earned her a following in both the LGBT and straight communities, and she’s performed on stages around the globe.
Last year she performed in Australia and in Great Britain. Now she’s bringing her show back to Tampa Bay when she lands at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Dec. 4-9.
Dixie’s Tupperware Party is a real Tupperware party, and she is actually selling the food storage solutions. But her Deep South, fast-talking stage character is anything but traditional.
Dropping endearing terms like “hooker” and “whore” on her audience members and sharing tales of her children back home in her Alabama trailer transform the theater into an intimate “house party” of comedy genius. Before the Thursday, Dec. 6 performance, a “Watermark night” will give fans a chance to meet the Tupperware maven for just $10 more a ticket. The price includes some light finger foods and a free drink ticket.
Watermark caught up with the Tupperware Queen the day after Halloween while she was on tour in Cleveland, Ohio. She says she’s excited about her return to Tampa Bay and shared what fans – new and old – can expect in this December’s run.
WATERMARK: We’re excited to have you back in Tampa Bay!
DIXIE LONGATE: Oh, hooker, I can’t wait. It’s a little bit chilly in Cleveland now and from here we go to Denver and it’s going to be cold. I look forward to the warm weather.
It’s too bad you’re not staying here longer than six days.
It’s not my fault. The Straz Center said, “We only want you for a week.” I said, “You’re a whore! I’m only one woman and can only do so much.” But seriously, I’d love to be somewhere like Tampa for a month. I could wear my two-piece bikini with people motor-boating me all day.
You work so hard and your shows are so energetic. How do you not get exhausted?
I’m up late all the time. Recently, I’ve been staying up late writing. I’m going to Puerto Vallarta on one of those “homosectional” cruises. I want to make sure that I talk about a lot of new fun things for them. It’s a whole new show just for the Atlantis thing. So I’m just up late writing and being creative. So if I sound tired like a whore, that’s why.
Of course, your land-based shows are more than just shows. They are actual, real-life Tupperware parties, correct?
Oh yeah. I’m going to sell all the fabulous food storage crap that you can use in your home or office. It keeps your stuff fresh so you can put it in your mouth and scream, “That’s delightful.” We have games and prizes and raffles. But it’s so much more!
You’re going to learn about yourself and my life story, like how I got out of prison and started my Tupperware party after my parole officer told me I needed a job to get my kids back.
Brownie Rice, who created the party, is my hero and taught me why it does good to get up off your ass and do these things.
Tupperware has been around for generations. What’s new in the world of plastic?
That’s the thing about Tupperware. It’s been around so long and to get to introduce new things and share what’s on the horizon is exciting. I’ll have a couple of new products at the parties in Tampa and we’ll talk about stocking stuffers for the holidays – like wine bottle openers. Nothing makes an 8-year-old happier than being able to open his own bottle of wine on Christmas morning. That’s better than the plastic crap you get from China.
Tupperware has a bunch of specials coming out. Oh, my ass! I’m glad you’re sitting down because listen to this: they have plastic bakeware that goes in the oven! You open the oven, put it in and it doesn’t melt. It’s like Jesus came in the oven in the form of a casserole pan. I’m going to call it Jesus Casserole just for him.
That’s perfect for the holiday season.
And Jesus is like 1,200 years old and looks fabulous. I think he uses wrinkle cream.
The holidays is a perfect time to check out the new crap. What we’ll do is put Tupperware in gift baskets. And you can be like, “I’m going to give this to the neighbor I don’t care for.” It’s like the story my mama used to tell me. If you lend someone $20 and they don’t give it back and you never see them again, it’s the best $20 you’ve ever spent. I think of Tupperware the same way.
But if you give it to a Jewish person to help celebrate the nine days of Christmas like they do, they’ll say that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me.
Anyone who gets Tupperware uses it and will think about you all the time every time they see it.
Do you see your family over the holidays?
My mom comes in. I had her over and said, “Mama, I’m putting up the lights.” I couldn’t find an outlet so I unplugged other stuff and the lights looked really good. Then she’s all huffing and puffing in bed and I thought she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the tree. Turns out I unplugged her. She gets so moody.So we had to sit there in the dark just so she could breathe. The spirit of Christmas was lost and that’s why I hate Christmas.
Since you are returning to Tampa Bay with your show, can folks who saw you before expect anything new this time around?
There are always new stories and new products. A couple of my new stories are of things happening in my travels. This is my fifth year on the road and I’ve met so many people. I share what’s going on and what people have said to me that makes me want to hit them in the face.I went to London and Australia, where they don’t speak American. I can tell stories about when I was there. If people come for the first time it’s not like they’ll be lost. I get so excited sharing my stories that I’m jumping up and down.
Your audience is usually pretty diverse. Is that what you expect in Tampa?
The homosectionals are always being so neighborly, but most of the people at the parties are straight. They know that Tupperware tradition and have stuff handed down by their mama. It’s always great to see a bunch of new people that say, “Mama had food storage solutions and now I have my own solution as well.” That makes Jesus happy.
It’s good to hear that your crowd is made up of more than just a gay audience.Yes. It’s not just homosectionals. It’s black people, Jewish people, Asian people. Sometimes I have black Jews. It’s crazy, they’re so different than Black Russians. I tried to order a Black Jew at a bar once and couldn’t get one. So the road is educational.
The timing of your show in Tampa seems perfect.
Yes, and not only becaue of the holidays. I’m there two weeks before the world ends. But you know, the Mayans shouldn’t judge. I don’t even know why we’re listening to them – I don’t even listen to people who lost a job last Thursday. But we are going to have a fun day and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about. In the world everything seems bad and everyone needs to laugh. I’m here to do that.
This interview will appear in Watermark’s Thanksgiving edition. Do you have any holiday dining tips for our readers?
One of the best things to put in your mouth, at least in my top 10, is cranberry sauce. I just found out that it comes in a can. But you can make it homemade! Open a can, put it in a Tupperware dish and serve it.If you put garnish on it, it’s pretty. I put a piece of tree bark on it. Sometimes it’s too big but its pretty. You have to move the tree bark and scrape out the bits, but it makes it crunchy. And who doesn’t like paprika? So I put some of that in there too.
And of course, you’re prepared if there are any leftovers.
Aren’t you sweet? Yes, I always make sure people have the food storage solutions they need. I’m a giver.
As a businesswoman, do you stay in touch with your customers?
Lord, yes. They can get on my Facepage. There are so many ways to get a hold of me it’s crazy. Every time I turn around someone is twitting on me. I think, “Lord Jesus, I don’t have time to talk to all of these people,” but I am a giver and I am all over the place: Tumble, Tweet, Facebook – all those filthy things.
