By Michael Barbieri****A soft, warm summer evening. A lovely but modest wood-framed house in the rural south. Sitting on the front porch with a tall drink, garnished with a sprig of fresh mint. There’s a gentle breeze. The cicadas are buzzing in the orangey-purple light of dusk. And in the middle of it all, there’s a mysterious woman in red. These were the images that came to mind as I watched Scarlet Envy’s show, Reflections, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Scarlet Envy, also known as Jacob James, is a drag queen and performer from Louisville, Kentucky, who’s currently best known as one of the contestants from Season 11 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She’s a self-described “natural beauty” who’s worked with fashion photographer Steven Klein, has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar magazine, and turned up in Katy Perry’s performance of “Swish Swish” on “Saturday Night Live.” She calls herself a mix of southern beauty and New York City grit, and at the Beechman we saw both sides of her.
From the start of the show there was a slyly self-mocking melancholy about Scarlet. Serving old Hollywood glamour in a red gown and ostrich plume boa, she made her way through the audience holding a matching red hand mirror and gave us a languid version of Britney Spears’ “Lucky.” As she sang “She’s so lucky, she’s a star, but she cries, cries, cries in her lonely heart…” She seemed a combination of Blanche DuBois and Blanche Devereaux, with a mischievous glint in her eye, as if to reassure us that this was all in fun.
There was a casual, slightly goofy feel to the evening. Scarlet herself told us the script didn’t really matter, and throughout the show she pulled pages from a prop script, balled them up and tossed them away. She even offered, jokingly, to sell them for $3 apiece! She poked fun at her “Drag Race” experience: “Do you watch Drag Race?” she asked, and in a faux-sorrowful tone, added “Yeah…me too…” She told us she chose her opening number because she too “cries, cries, cries” like the girl in the song—because she was eliminated from RuPaul’s show. She explained that while her show was called Reflections, it was mostly a collection of what she likes on iTunes. Clearly, Scarlet had her tongue planted firmly in her cheek.
Reflections featured a strong female-based through-line, noticeable in both Scarlet’s songs and patter. She spoke of being inspired by her two Moms, and told us how grateful she was to her Nana, whom she forced to watch her nascent drag “shows” when she was still a child. She gave a shout-out to all women, calling them incredible, powerful beings and asked the audience to “give it up for all the women in your lives,” which got a huge round of applause. And though the moment bordered on seriousness, her dry, sardonic humor kicked in again, when she said she had only made us applaud so she could look at her notes to see what came next! Indeed, there was a feeling that Scarlet was a little unprepared, and that everything was off-the-cuff, but honestly, she made it work. At one point she even said the show itself was “loosey goosey, like me… which means really fucking good!”
Her songs, all sung in that same languorous manner, were also very feminine in nature, and well chosen for her particular style. With sensitive piano accompaniment by Musical Director Paisley Fields, Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” was delivered slowly, with a soft drawl, and Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness,” fit her like a sexy, red silk opera glove! One of the loveliest moments in the show came as she told of her grandfather who was a hardened Navy man, yet accepted and loved her for who she was. In tribute, she then dedicated Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” to her grandparents, as it was one of their favorite songs.
I should note, however, that the sultry songs, while mesmerizing, lent the show a very one-note feel—each song felt exactly like the one before. The set list could’ve benefitted from a little variety. I would’ve enjoyed some uptempo or comedic numbers. Sondheim and Mary Rodgers’ “The Boy From,” for instance, would have fit the 
evening’s mood, and Scarlet, being so naturally funny, would’ve done the song great justice! Even one of her last numbers, Donna Summer’s “Last Dance,” seemed a missed opportunity. “Last Dance” was the song that sent her home from “Drag Race,” not because she couldn’t lip sync (she can), but because she wasn’t a good dancer. In her arrangement at the Beechman, she started slowly, as does the original recording, but then on the release, rather than continue at that same unhurried pace, she could’ve brought in a rhythm track with a disco beat, then purposely danced around badly, owning her “flaw” and milking it for laughs!
Despite these minor quibbles, Scarlet’s show was still quite enjoyable. It seemed appropriate that she should quote Raquel Welch, who said “You know what’s the sexiest thing of all? A little mystery!” Yes, there was a slight air of mystery about Scarlet Envy. You never knew what she would do or say next, and that made Reflections quite intriguing indeed.
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