BUSTED

Busted is a solo musical by Bianca Leigh (original Broadway cast Oh, Mary) about the night in 1987 when she was arrested for prostitution after the NYPD raided the high-priced Tribeca dungeon where she worked as a dominatrix, one of the few professions available to openly trans women in those days. In an era when the legal system did not acknowledge trans identities, she is held before her sentencing in the men’s section of the Manhattan House of Detention, a.k.a, The Tombs. Originally conceived as a cabaret show consisting of existing Broadway show tunes, we eventually were blessed to have luminaries of the American theatre, such as OBIE winners Taylor Mac and Ellen Maddow and Tony winner Jeff Whitty, write original material. Bianca’s story of resilience and survival resonated deeply with audiences when the show was performed at Bowery Poetry Club and the Laurie Beechman, as well as at the Community House in Cherry Grove on Fire Island. 

At one point in the show, Bianca reminisces about being in kindergarten and longing for the boys to playfully chase her as they do her cisgender classmates. Taylor Mac wrote us a haunting song about the desire to be desired, “Chase Me.” Here is the sheet music for that song, as well as its original backing track.