I’ve been to drag shows before. They’re a staple of the queer community, giving us a place to celebrate the musical divas of our time with lip synch and dance.
I have NEVER been to a drag show where each performer was greeted with thunderous cheers and applause, but that’s just what happened when RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Werq the World Tour burst onto the stage at The Factory. Our host of the evening, Sasha Velour, not only emceed the show with humor and high energy—really high energy—she was hoisted to the ceiling for her first breathtaking number. When she was back on the earth, she reminded us that gay spaces and places were sacred and were a place where all of us could be ourselves. After all of the political rhetoric that we’ve gone through lately, it was refreshing to just feel happy and excited.
Roxxxy Andrews was glamorous as always, using charm and humor to enchant the audience as Ms. Mariah Carey. Jimbo was hilarious and garish and wonderful. She slayed as the late, great Joan Rivers, and helped the queens sashay down the runway. Onya Nurve dipped and swerved, showing us why she was the clear winner of last season’s RuPaul’s Drag Race. Her Beyoncé was priceless. Morphine’s Shakira blew the roof off of the joint. Britney Spears…I mean, queen Derrick Berry, was impeccable dancing to a mashup of Britney’s hits. “Slave 4 U” was flawless.
One thing that I noted was first, how wonderful it felt to be in a queer space. And we were encouraged by Ms. Sasha Velour herself to feel free and enjoy our true selves. After all of the things the queer community have been and are going through, just being in a shared, safe space was almost as wonderful as our queens were. I left the show happy and hopeful for the first time in a very, very long time, and for that, the queens earn my thanks. | Melissa Cynova
