By Michael Barbieri****Drag has always been a big part of cabaret. Drag stars like Miss Coco Peru and Varla Jean Merman both started in the cabarets of NYC’s West Village. Gender illusionists like Steven Brinberg (Barbra) and Rick Skye (Liza) have appeared at The Green Room 42 and Don’t Tell Mama this year and many of the fabulous queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race play regularly at the Laurie Beechman Theater.
Thanks in part to Drag Race—especially with its well-publicized move from Logo TV to VH-1 and its subsequent Emmy Award wins, drag culture has taken the world by storm, and once again this year, RuPaul, World of Wonder Productions, VH-1 and the Jacob K. Javits Center brought us RuPaul’s DragCon NYC—a giant celebration of all things drag!
Last year, I covered the first DragCon NYC. This year, I was thrilled to get the assignment again, and Hunty, let me tell you—last year was good; this year was BETTER! Last year was big; this year was BIGGER! Last year was fabulous; this year was…well… FABULOUS-ER!
DragCon NYC 2018 took place on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the end of September. Here are a few tidbits about this year’s event:
- Last year’s convention only spanned two days. This year, Friday’s special “Preview Day” gave fans more time to kiki with their favorite queens and get in some extra shopping!
- This year’s event was attended by over 50,000 people and there were some 339 exhibitors and 80 gag-worthy Queen Spaces!
- This year’s panel discussions, included the RuTalks Panels with Isaac Mizrahi and New York Times Commentator Charles M. Blow, as well as a live taping of Ru’s podcast, “What’s the Tee,” with Michelle Visage!
- One of my favorite new elements was the Kid Zone—a kid friendly space for the youngest fans that featured a Bouncy House, face painting, arts and crafts and even Drag Queen Story Hour!
- An Instagrammable Photo Lounge at the back of the hall featured various backdrops for fabulous photo ops, including a balloon recreation of the Drag Race Werk Room and a wall of “Yass Queen” neon desk lamps.
I arrived early on Friday, retrieved my Press pass, headed through the entrance reserved for artists, vendors and Press and hit the show floor. Here are some highlights of my DragCon experience:
• First stop: The Pink Carpet. Grabbed a selfie with the replica of RuPaul’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame positioned right in the middle of the hall’s center aisle, known as Glamazon Blvd!
• Met up with my friend Danny who was waiting at the velvet-roped entrance to be let in with the other VIP pass holders. Season 10 winner, Aquaria arrived, followed by a documentary camera crew—Danny and I even got a little camera time! No, seriously… like two seconds!
• 2 pm: DragCon NYC 2018 opened officially! The velvet ropes dropped and with a huge cheer, VIP fans took to the convention floor! In the meantime, I made my way over to meet some of the fabulous ladies of DPDR!
• I “shantayed” (this way) over to meet Vivacious, a fascinating, super-sweet Jamaican queen who appeared on Drag Race Season 6. Her style is a sort of space age tribute to Leigh Bowery and 1990s club kids. She’s best known for her iconic headpiece named Ornacia—a virtual second head! I strapped on my very own Ornacia and grabbed a photo! Next, I went to visit Ongina, a gorgeous queen from Season 1. She was decked out in a ruffled hi-low gown of gold tulle, and as we posed for pictures, we spoke about activism and eliminating the stigma faced by HIV+ people.
Next, Danny and I lined up to meet Eureka O’Hara, who left Season 9 due to an injury, but came back strong in Season 10, eventually becoming one of the four finalists! In a black and purple sequined gown and white wig, she was a glamorous Ursula, from The Little Mermaid. So friendly and down-to-earth, one of my favorite moments with her was when she asked an assistant for some perfume just before I approached, saying, “I don’t wanna smell like armpits, y’all!” – you don’t get more real than that! As I waited, she waved me over and asked me to sit with her. Seeing my Press pass, she asked who I was writing for, and we chatted about her fellow finalists – I told her I had been rooting for her, but the final four were all so good, I really couldn’t be upset with the outcome. I asked her to give my best wishes to her lovely mother, gave her a hug and went on my way.
We continued exploring. Most of the RPDR stars had their booths on the outer perimeter of the hall, and as we left Eureka, we ran into Dequan Johnson, aka Mayhem Miller (Season 10). He was out of drag and surprised we had recognized him. He was kind enough to chat with us a bit and pose for some pictures. We then spotted the ultra-glam, ultra bubbly Jaymes Mansfield
(Season 9), who was friendly, funny and quite boob-a-licious in a blue-green sequined gown and enormous silicone breastplate. Just down from her was the beautifully curvy Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams (Season 10), in a gorgeous, off-the-shoulder blue velvet gown. True to her New Mexican roots, her booth had a “Dia De Los Muertos” theme, and she couldn’t have been more welcoming!
My last two stops were with two queens I’ve felt connected to through cabaret, as they’ve both performed at The Laurie Beechman Theater. First up was the ever fashionable Detox (Season 5, All Stars 2). Looking very judicial in a neon green powdered wig, her booth resembled a courtroom, complete with a judge’s bench. She remembered me from our first meeting at the Beechman and last year’s visit to DragCon. And lastly, I got to meet the fabulous
Ginger Minj (Season 7, All Stars 2). Ginger is a gorgeous, talented, plus sized queen who refers to herself as a “Glamour toad” – although I’ve always seen her as just plain glamorous! Cute as can be in her Tracy Turnblad/Hairspray drag, we chatted about her upcoming shows at the Beechman, and I promised to come review her for the magazine!
It had been a great day! At the end of the first day last year, I was exhausted. This year, I had done more, but felt happy and energized; ready for the rest of the weekend and more DragCon NYC!
More to come…..
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