A strange feeling boils inside me as I approach the closed doors of the theater. The amount of secrecy is staggering; I knock on the door and ask to speak to the man in charge. After a minute goes by, I am given passage by the people inside, and as I approach the stage, it feels as if I am entering an exotic, colorful world.
And what a colorful world it is, indeed!
SpectRUM, a support group for both the LGBT and queer community, put on their Drag Show Musical in the Civil Engineering building last week. This is their second show after last year’s Spooky Drag Show, which was also a great success. Seeing as this was my first time going to a show featuring both boys and girls in drag (when someone of a specific gender dresses up and acts as someone of the opposite gender), I had no clue as to what to expect, but boy, did it blew me away.
From the very beginning of the show, the presenters demanded attention, not just for the performance, but also for how hard the artists worked on their costumes. This is especially true for the main drag, “Shady Or”, who had me laughing the entire show. The program featured fun songs, plentiful banter between the presenters and dancers, and the “Drag Olympics”, a collection of games for the audience to participate in. The Twerk-Off was particularly amusing, and the fact that the presenters encouraged everyone to participate was a nice change of pace.
The environment was clearly LGBT-friendly and designed to make everyone feel accepted. While most shows are just for spectating, what sets this musical apart is that level of audience interaction. SpectRUM did a bang-up job of making sure the music was right, and they struck a unique balance between keeping the show professional and not taking itself too seriously.
In the end, the spectacle was very fun and well thought out, even though SpectRUM had to deal with a last-minute change in locale. The activities and overall vibe was incredible, and you can really tell the staff worked hard to produce something for everyone. As a first-time drag show attendee, it gets two thumbs up for being both fun and provocative.