By Michael Barbieri***What do you get when you mix entrancing drag queens, a world renowned jazz club and a delicious brunch, then pour them into a shaker and stir? You get a delectable cocktail called Pickled Pink!
If you know anything of popular culture these days, you know that drag has taken over the world. More to the point, drag has taken over the stage at Iridium Jazz Club. Pickled Pink, New York’s newest drag brunch, is a fun, festive, fabulous way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Hosted by glamorous New York drag diva, Lyra Vega, Pickled Pink is the brainchild of Scott Barbarino and is produced by Chip Duckett and Ron Lasko of SpinCycleNYC. The boozy brunch serves up a mixture of celebrated local queens along with a bevy of famous drag artists, many of whom have appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Having met up with friends, I settled into my seat and shortly thereafter, the show began. A huge mirror ball lit up the room with a thousand tiny beams of light. Lip syncing to “Ultraluminary,” from Over the Moon, Lyra Vega hit the stage, looking spectacular in a shimmering party dress with a diaphanous cape. After welcoming us, she introduced the next performer, Princess Bitch, who lip synced to a medley of Whitney Houston hits. Wearing sparkly shorts, a matching top and a ton of glitter on her face, she werked the room like a pro, snatching up tips from the happy men and women in the house.
After wishing us a happy Gay Pride Month, Lyra asked if there were any lesbians in the room. When she got some mild applause, she joked, “Thanks! I love both of you!” She then introduced MAC Award winning drag artist, Cissy Walken. Cissy was a knockout, lip syncing to a medley of Shania Twain songs, which included “Man, I Feel Like a Woman,” “Still the One” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” Remarkably, Cissy had replicated Twain’s leopard print ensemble from the music video of that last song…and looked STUNNING, Hunny! I always love a queen who sings live, so I was excited when 
Lyra introduced the next performer, Tiffany Heather Samantha, who took the stage in a blue tulle baby doll dress and sleek blonde wig. And yes, Tiffany’s vocal on Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” was definitely impressive!
Other numbers included Lyra’s Britney Spears medley and Princess Bitch’s unusual, incredible lip sync to one of Weird Al Yankovic’s hilarious polka mashups, wherein he sets pop classics to polka rhythms. Yankovic’s medleys are lightning quick, very wordy and involve at least ten songs per mashup, so kudos to the Princess for nailing that!! Cissy Walken gave us a live vocal tribute to Amy Winehouse, consisting of her hits, “Rehab” and Back to Black.” The funniest moment of this tribute involved Walken rolling dollar bills, shoving them up her nose, snorting an imaginary line off the stage and falling flat on her back! Lastly, Tiffany returned to sing an incredible, live rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody!” Not only is that one of my favorite songs, ever, but Tiffany showed off her amazing vocal range with a glorious belt and remarkable falsetto! Brava, Diva!
The boisterous, jam-packed house that day was a fabulous, diverse group—gay, straight, men, women, non-binary, other drag queens and at least one child! Though the room was a tad understaffed, the servers remained cheerful and everyone worked extremely hard to keep the crowd happy. Even Scott Barbarino, who was in attendance, chipped in, helping with the seating and clearing tables. The Iridium’s Brunch menu didn’t disappoint either! My friend Danny enjoyed his Avocado Toast, my friend Terry sampled the classic Eggs Benedict, and others at our table loved the French Toast Sticks. The Iridium, as I’ve reported before, makes a terrific burger, so I went with their Breakfast Burger, which was juicy and cooked perfectly, topped with bacon (which could’ve been crispier) and a perfectly fried egg! Oh, the Bottomless Mimosas and my tasty Bloody Mary were perfect accompaniments!
I do have a couple of tiny quibbles with the show. It ran about 20 to 30 minutes too long. There was an unnecessary contest wherein two audience members did a runway “walk-off,” which, while fun, still took up too much time. Also, I felt a couple of the numbers could’ve been cut for time. Still, the energy in the room was so high, nobody really seemed to mind the overlong running time. Hopefully, the girls will settle into a quicker, more concise flow as the show moves on.
The show wrapped up with all four queens lip syncing to the remake of “Lady Marmalade” from the film Moulin Rouge. This was a spectacular, dynamic way to end the performance, and the girls slew the number!! They also did a Meet & Greet afterwards and were extremely generous with their time, posing for photos with the many appreciative drag fans in the audience!
It’s rare that I attend more than one performance in a run of shows anywhere, but Pickled Pink is so much fun and their upcoming lineup of queens is so good—Brita Filter, Scarlet Envy and others are scheduled—there’s a good chance I may be back at The Iridium soon @pickledpinknyc—getting “Pickled Pink” myself!
Pickled Pink! continues every Sunday except July 3rd. Tickets are $54.95 per person + tax & gratuity, which includes entry, one drink, and one entree. Add-ons and bottomless mimosas are available. To purchase tickets, click here. The Iridium is located in the heart of the theater district in NYC, on the southeast corner of 51st Street and Broadway.
