I am not the main drag writer for Instinct Magazine. We all take stabs at the art, covering it, critiquing it, and letting our readers know what is next. But I do enjoy a great show. I’ve seen some great nights of drag all over the continent, on cruise ships, even on planes, and then some. I always give my hat off to the performers of 801 Bourbon Bar, Key West, Florida as the performers knock it out of the park every time they take the stage.
Over the Winter holidays, I had the pleasure of visiting the great Pacific Northwest and boy was I treated to some powerful drag. What I enjoyed about the drag in Seattle was, well everything.
Related Post: Travel Thursday: Where Do We Go To Get Our DRYNK On?
One of our nights found ourselves at Pony for its Queen4Queen show (Dec 21, 2018). We actually did not know there was a show that evening, but was bar hopping on Capitol Hill and well, Pony is a must for any night every night. This night, found us soaking up the clientele at what has to be one of the most diverse, throwback, forward moving, mood changing bars in the states. What may be a spot about the size of my living room packs a huge punch.
With the eclectic crowd that hangs out at Pony, we were not sure there was a drag show or if this was just a normal night out for the customers. Wandering the bar before the performances started were both Bosco and Cannoli and Baby Guuurl. I took the opportunity to grab a blurry pic with Bosco dressed as Jesus (how festive).
First up was Cannoli, a female drag performer. Her energy and flexibility were quite impressive. I was luckily at the bar, just finished ordering round 3 of drinks, when the show began right beside me.
How excited was I to see my skinny Jesus perform? Bosco (@thisisbosco)was epic and maybe a little NSFW.
I caught up with Cannoli via Facebook Messengers and thanked her for her performance and said both Baby Guuurl and Bosco rounded out the show well. It was a big offering in a small venue. Cannoli informed me that Bosco was the new Champion Queen of Queer Bar’s Talent Show. I can see why.
There are other drag shows in Seattle that have a fixed schedule. Check out http://lefauxshow.com/shows.html
And next month
But since we were in Seattle for the Holidays, we should see THE holiday show, To Jesus, Thanks For Everything! Jinkx & DeLa starring two performers in the show coming in February.
What to expect… One of my best friends told me long ago, before THAT season of All Stars, that if you get a chance to see BenDeLaCreme live, you neeeeed to do it. She is amazing, her writing is spot on, everything is perfect and she sings. Sold 1. And, hello, Jinkx Monsoon won drag race hands down on her season. There was no question. Her creativity, personality, and ability to perform were what we all fell in love with. Sold 2.
There are some creative queens out there, but these two Seattle queens have risen to the top of their game. One of our writers, David Lopez covered the Too Wong Foo “To Jesus” show in a post last December (Drag Race’s Jinkx and DeLa Are Putting Their Twist on the Holidays). I didn’t read it (bad editor) since I knew I was going to see the show myself.
When something so well written is presented to you, it’s mind warping how many hours it must have taken to do the singing, writing, music, lighting, hiring casts, learning dances. These two professionals are far from the land of lip syncing. No, lip syncing is not beneath them (maybe), but to know the talent they both have…
We saw the last “To Jesus” show in the girls’ home town and Jinkx shared something that spoke volumes. She gave a ton of credit to Ben for writing and creating the show and then of course Ben through cheers back to Jinkx. I do feel that Ben’s performance was amazing, but for Ben to write such a powerful role for Jinkx, one that might have been more show-stealing than Ben’s, it speaks volumes to the respect that these queens have for each other.
The Pacific Northwest, may it be on the Canadian or American side, it’s a place where you will find some of the best people in the world. Personalities, character, friendliness, drive, hope. Whoops, I just got all mushy there. But it is true. And I feel that also goes for their drag queens, too. If you have the chance to catch some drag in Seattle, may it be by accident or planned, we know you will be very happy. And if you are able to catch BenDeLaCreme or Jinkx Monsoon anywhere in the nation, don’t hesitate, do it.
Funny I should say that. Look who is coming next month to where I live, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. See you there Jinkx!
Here are a couple more pics of my drag experiences while in Seattle.
If you have travel ideas, places we should visit, or work for a PR company and are looking for writers to visit, please reach out to customerservice@instinctmagazine.com and address your comments to the Managing Editor.