"I'm Not Real, I'm Theatre"

[Alxjcgn 1,117]

Remember when she said this at VMAs, dressed as Joe Calderone and quoting herself?

One of the biggest things I have always admired about Gaga is her stage production and theatrics of her shows, especially when she first started/around the time of that VMA performance. While theatrical, I do thing that the JWT and Chromatica Ball were not as theatrical as normally expected from Gaga. And while they were still phenomenal tours and she did exceptional, knowing what we've seen her speak about for that time in her life helps me understand how maybe she just wasn't feeling her own potential as much (Enigma and Jazz shows were theatre and so that begs a whole other conversation but for all intensive purposes of this post I am putting focus on the other two tours just mentioned). But with the MAYHEM ball, it IS theatre and it is so Gaga that not only do the fans love it but we can see how much fun she is having and really feeling comfortable in her own skin and beyond in a way we haven't ever seen before. 

But back to the title of this thread and what she said about not being real and being theatre- I was rewatching that video today and thought of the MAYHEM ball and how she really serves us pure Gaga but at the end she comes out and sings HBDUWM and I interpret her entirely as Stefani at that point in the show... her proving to us that she is real and how bad do we want her for real? 

Not an entirely serious post or anything but it made me think of the entire concert theme when hearing her say that again when watching the VMA 2011 performance.

[elsamars 4,479]

What struck me most in your post is the tension you’re describing between “the theatre” and “the real,” which has always been at the core of Gaga’s identity. It’s almost as if her entire career is a meditation on whether authenticity is something we are or something we perform. When she said “I’m not real. I’m theater,” it wasn’t a confession so much as a challenge an invitation to question how much of our own identities are crafted roles. Gaga has always shown us that artifice isn’t the opposite of truth; sometimes it’s the only language we have to express it. That’s why the MAYHEM Ball feels so powerful. It’s not just a return to theatrics it’s a return to intentionality. The spectacle isn’t hiding her this time; it’s revealing her. The theatre has become a mirror instead of a mask. And that moment at the end with “HBDUWM”… I feel the same way. It’s like the curtain drops for a second, and Stefani steps forward not in opposition to Gaga, but as the quiet truth underlying all the noise. It’s a rare glimpse of the person who built the persona, reminding us that the “real” and the “performed” are not two separate selves but two halves of the same heartbeat. In a way, the show becomes a full circle: she shows us the artifice to prove she’s real, and she shows us her reality to remind us it, too, is a kind of art. That duality has always been her genius.

[Ladle Ghoulash 30,697]

That girl in your head is gay, how bad do u wanna be gay?

[Ladle Ghoulash 30,697]

4 minutes ago, elsamars said:

What struck me most in your post is the tension you’re describing between “the theatre” and “the real,” which has always been at the core of Gaga’s identity. It’s almost as if her entire career is a meditation on whether authenticity is something we are or something we perform. When she said “I’m not real. I’m theater,” it wasn’t a confession so much as a challenge an invitation to question how much of our own identities are crafted roles. Gaga has always shown us that artifice isn’t the opposite of truth; sometimes it’s the only language we have to express it. That’s why the MAYHEM Ball feels so powerful. It’s not just a return to theatrics it’s a return to intentionality. The spectacle isn’t hiding her this time; it’s revealing her. The theatre has become a mirror instead of a mask. And that moment at the end with “HBDUWM”… I feel the same way. It’s like the curtain drops for a second, and Stefani steps forward not in opposition to Gaga, but as the quiet truth underlying all the noise. It’s a rare glimpse of the person who built the persona, reminding us that the “real” and the “performed” are not two separate selves but two halves of the same heartbeat. In a way, the show becomes a full circle: she shows us the artifice to prove she’s real, and she shows us her reality to remind us it, too, is a kind of art. That duality has always been her genius.

Period, Mrs. Chat Gene Peen Teen

[Alxjcgn 1,117]

15 minutes ago, elsamars said:

What struck me most in your post is the tension you’re describing between “the theatre” and “the real,” which has always been at the core of Gaga’s identity. It’s almost as if her entire career is a meditation on whether authenticity is something we are or something we perform. When she said “I’m not real. I’m theater,” it wasn’t a confession so much as a challenge an invitation to question how much of our own identities are crafted roles. Gaga has always shown us that artifice isn’t the opposite of truth; sometimes it’s the only language we have to express it. That’s why the MAYHEM Ball feels so powerful. It’s not just a return to theatrics it’s a return to intentionality. The spectacle isn’t hiding her this time; it’s revealing her. The theatre has become a mirror instead of a mask. And that moment at the end with “HBDUWM”… I feel the same way. It’s like the curtain drops for a second, and Stefani steps forward not in opposition to Gaga, but as the quiet truth underlying all the noise. It’s a rare glimpse of the person who built the persona, reminding us that the “real” and the “performed” are not two separate selves but two halves of the same heartbeat. In a way, the show becomes a full circle: she shows us the artifice to prove she’s real, and she shows us her reality to remind us it, too, is a kind of art. That duality has always been her genius.

Exactly! You said it better and put it into words I couldn't come up with when making this post, thank you!