The play opened in out-of-town tryouts in New Jersey and Connecticut, but was later forced to close for its portrayal of homosexuality and cross-dressing.
West claimed that the inspiration behind the play came from the homosexual young men that she knew around that time who, according to her, desperately wanted to be open about their relationships with their male companions.
With the success of The Captive, a play about two women with homosexual overtones, West set out to create a counter piece that dealt with male gay life.
The Drag was said to make open digs at The Captive and its palatable writing, performing satirical songs such as “The Woman Who Stole My Gal”.
The final scene consisted of a giant Drag Ball with little dramatic function that utilized an extended company of performers.
Dr. Richmond believes that homosexuals can be treated through conversion therapy, and explains his theory to his close friend and brother-in-law Judge Robert Kingsbury.
After the other men have left, Rolly explains to Allen that he married Clair not just because it was encouraged by their two families, but because it provided a convenient cloak for his homosexuality.
The judge, wanting to avoid the scandal of his son and the two families being linked to the homosexual world in a murder investigation, tells the inspector to report the shooting as a suicide.
The Society for the Prevention of Vice warned the producers that if the play continued, all Broadway productions that season would be scrutinized and censored.
[1] Theatre scholar Jordan Schildcrout examines the production history of the play and its representation of gay characters in Murder Most Queer: The Homicidal Homosexual in the American Theater (2014).
While the lead role of Rolly was replaced with a heterosexual character, the play still experienced backlash for its overtly sexual content.