DRAG: The Musical proves that drag can’t be stopped

In the past decade, drag as an art form has become increasingly mainstream. From the exponentially growing viewership and endless expansion of the RuPaul’s Drag Race global franchise to various appearances of drag queens on other television shows (House of Villains, Abbott Elementary, and English Teacher to name a few), to the exciting recent trend of drag queens performing in major theatrical venues (Jinkx Monsoon in Chicago and Little Shop of Horrors, Latrice Royale in Little Shop, Nina West in Hairspray, ), drag has gone from a fringe part of queer counterculture to something more mainstream. 

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It’s only fitting, then, that this year would give us a whole musical about drag. DRAG: The Musical is not the first drag musical: it joins the ranks of productions like La Cage aux Folles, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Victor/Victoria and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, but it’s still the first of its kind. This is a musical written by drag queens that primarily features professional drag performers, from famous Ru girls to powerhouse local performers. Alaska Thunderfuck (winner of Drag Race All Stars 2), in conjunction with songwriters Tomas Costanza and Ashley Gordon, wrote the book, music, and lyrics–all of which clearly come from a place of knowledge, experience, and reverence for drag, not to mention a healthy dose of in-community shade. As states across the country deal with drag bans and other anti-drag legislation, Drag: The Musical makes a political statement, with drag performers asserting their right to be part of mainstream culture. 

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The show tells the Romeo and Juliet-esque story of two feuding drag houses—“both alike in indiginity,”—occupying neighboring gay bars: Alexis Gilmore (Nick Adams) leads the Fish Tank and Kitty Galloway (Alaska) runs the Cat House. Each has a slew of queens, and also a slew of financial problems. In a wonderfully gay coup de theatre, the show begins with a prologue voice-over cameo from none other than Liza Minnelli, who is also on the producing team.

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Jan Sport, Jujubee, Luxx Noir London, and Nick Laughlin prove themselves to be masters of comedy. Lagoona Bloo, a wonderful local NYC queen, riffs the house down, as does her drag sister, Jan (as a longtime fan of both, it was great to see them onstage together again). Lissi LaFontaine has the best vocal and acting chops of the group, and seductively sings about the empowering nature of doing feminine drag as a cis woman. New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre plays Alexis’s straight brother Tom, who comes to help with finances and has a classic intolerance-to-acceptance arc featuring his adorably fabulous son (played by Yair Keydar and Remi Tuckman). J. Elaine Marcos appears as a trio of villainous characters, each campier and more hilarious than the last. 

Nick Adams as Alexis Gilmore speaks to the importance of casting drag queens in drag queen roles. While Adams has performed in drag in several musicals, he does not bring the same charisma and commitment to drag that the other full-time professional drag queens in the cast do. Likewise, his acting and singing were overshadowed by stronger cast members, and his massive biceps proved a bit of a distraction from his drag, which was meant to be “fishy” feminine. I couldn’t help but wish a professional drag queen had been cast in the role, and wondered how it might have felt different if this was the case. 

Alaska, on the other hand, is perfectly at home center stage. She holds court, acts as the gravitational center, and manages to give herself some great material–ballads, scenery chewing, and gowns galore–while also leaving a great deal of space for all the other drag performers to shine. 

When it comes to drag, looking good is a major part of the gig, and this show certainly delivers. The musical features delightfully tacky and maximalist sets by Jason Sherwood and costume eleganza by fashion icon Marco Marco. Spencer Liff takes drag staple choreo moves and elevates them for a larger stage. Liff, who also directs, has created an atmosphere that feels much like a drag show many audience members will be familiar with, but scaled up to a 499-seat theater. In line with this, and in addition to traditional theater seating, there’s a small runway and a large section of cabaret tables, which makes you feel like you’re at a drag show at Pieces. I even wished we could tip the queens mid-song. 

The score can at times be a bit generic, but the lyrics have wit, are stuffed with drag references and puns, and occasionally are quite catchy. Overall, the show is longer than it needs to be, and at times gets a bit sappy, especially in the plot around Alexis’s homophobic brother Tom. 

While DRAG: The Musical is a campy, fun time, it also has educational value. Several of the songs teach important lessons, both for long-term fans of drag and for those new to it: drag is expensive, wigs are a key part of drag (the song “Wigs” features an extremely impressive slew of rapid wig changes), drag can be for anyone and can be a way to harness a gender expression you want to play with, explore, embrace, or embody (even if only temporarily onstage), and yet, sometimes we love drag just because, as Alexis and Brendan agree on, “it’s so pretty.” 

The musical may not be high art, but it absolutely achieves its goals, is an undeniably great time, and is perfect for New World Stages, a classic Hell’s Kitchen off-Broadway venue (there’s even a great meta-theatrical bit where Kitty laments that her life feels like a bad musical playing at some off-Broadway venue down the hall from the Gazillion Bubble Show).

At the performance I saw, the audience was young and mostly queer. An usher with a they/them pronouns pin handed me a playbill and invited me to enjoy drag–which I took as meaning both the musical and the art form–and enjoy I did. For any fan of drag, this show is a must-see. In the broader political landscape, DRAG: The Musical is an important moment for the art form, where a show by, about, and starring drag queens stakes a claim for drag to be part of mainstream theater.

It’s always great to see drag in a gay bar and on Drag Race, it’s a great sign of the times that we can now see drag in a host of other venues and media, including on major stages. I, for one, hope drag queens keep on taking over the world.♦

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