By Michael Barbieri***At the crossroads of fine dining, drag show and raunchy burlesque, you’ll find Queens at the Yard, a weekly Friday night spectacle held at what I consider to be one of the best restaurants in NYC, Queensyard at Hudson Yards.
Queensyard is one of my husband, Vincent’s, and my favorite restaurants in the city. The British-influenced food is spectacular, the cocktails are tasty, modern and whimsical, and the view of The Vessel—the sculptural observatory in the exterior courtyard—is awe inspiring! When we heard that Voss Events would be presenting Queens at the Yard, we knew we HAD to be there!
Hosted by drag and nightlife icons The Lady Bunny, Shequida and Amanda Lepore, the show also features a variety of alternative performers like Storm Marrero, a fabulous, funny woman who can belt to the heavens and Lazlo, a handsome and very flexible young man who dances through the room wearing high heels and fetish-inspired clothing. Rounding out the roster were two Voss Vixens, a pair of beautiful young women dressed in stunning white outfits that seemed a cross between Vegas showgirls and the samba dancers you’d see at Carnaval do Brazil!
Bunny played DJ and warmed the crowd up with musical selections from the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. Done up in a flowing lavender sequined gown and her signature mountainous blonde wig, she treated us to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Johnnie Taylor’s “Disco Lady,” Lauren Hill’s “Ex Factor,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky!” and more. Though Vincent and I are used to the usually quiet ambience of the restaurant, the music was perfectly balanced and not too loud that we couldn’t hold a conversation. Very nice!
Resplendent in an emerald green sequined mermaid gown, Shequida opened the show by wandering the room, feeling out the crowd—no, not feeling them up …feeling them out! She tossed off hilariously rude lines like, “If you aren’t clapping, you’re racist, homophobic, transphobic or just a fucking asshole!” and “Have you ever seen a drag queen before? Well, I’m Shequida, which is African for ‘She who is beautiful, Black and has a big dick!’” She got a few digs in at Bunny, calling Bunny “a legend …in her own apartment” 
and telling us the lighting was very low so that Bunny would look like an actual woman! But Bunny served it right back to her and asked Shequida, “Well, why doesn’t it work on you?” To close out this first set, Shequida then favored us with Christina Aguilera’s “I’m a Good Girl,” from the film Burlesque.
She then introduced Storm, who belted out “I Put a Spell On You,” while stripping down to a black leather corset, stockings and a garter belt, followed by Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy.” This woman can sing. No, forgive me, she can SANG!!! Next up was Amanda Lepore, the transgender nightclub fixture, introduced as “The Most Expensive Body in Show Business.” Lepore strutted through the room doing a strip tease to Jimmy Forrest’s “Night Train.” And when I say strip tease, she stripped down to practically nothing! Shequida then brought on The Lady Bunny, who did her infamous “Laugh-In”-style routine, where she danced through the room, pausing to lip sync to some hysterical, politically incorrect one-liners like “Abortion …it really brings out the child in you!” and “Kourtney, Khloé and Kim, 
the only KKK that lets Black dicks in!” Next up was the very sexy, very bendy Lazlo, who danced through the room in his heels and skimpy outfit and contorted himself into all sorts of fun pretzel shapes!
To close out the show, Shequida slinked through the room, toying with the audience and singing her personalized version of “Whatever Lola Wants,” from Damn Yankees. Singing live, she showed off her impressive countertenor/falsetto in the second verse. I’ve seen her perform before, but I don’t think I had ever experienced her f
ull vocal range. Very impressive indeed! She then brought out Storm once more, who gave us a raucous rendition of Rufus and Chaka Khan’s big 70s hit, “Tell Me Something Good,” this time dressed in a skintight red sequined gown. Vincent and I are now big Storm Marrero fans!
Queens at the Yard was an absolute HOOT! For the price of a ticket, you get the show and a delicious two-course meal from Queensyard (cocktails and dessert are extra). With the city opening up again, and people aching for social contact and live entertainment, the place was absolutely packed, so I’m hoping this becomes a huge hit! Judging from the enthusiastic response from the crowd, I know it will be!
Queens at the Yard plays every Friday night throu
gh the summer. Cocktails begin at 8:30 pm, seating is at 9 pm and the show begins at 10 pm. For information go to www.vossevents.com/queens-at-the-yard-dinner-theater.
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