By Hanna Littmarck
October 17, 2019
The Post Office Cafe & Cabaret in Provincetown.
Extravagant Lady Gaga-like makeup? Yes. Flamboyant pink hair? Oh, yeah. Split your pantyhose-type comedy? YUP!
After a long trip sailing through the unforgiving waters of the Mass Bay, my four friends and I were ready to have an experience that would make the journey worth it. We docked in Provincetown, MA and pretty soon after were memorably greeted by a tall, powerful figure we quickly came to know as [explicit]. An esteemed woman, she stood at roughly 6 ½ feet tall in heels with pink curly hair of proportionate size; a glammed-up face of silver, purple, brown, and cream hues; and an eccentric violet dress with even more sequins than your old Justice® shirt from 7th grade.
After seeing her strut the sidewalk showing off her vivacious personality, my friends and I were sold on going to her show. We bought the $35 tickets and had no idea what to expect at 7:00 PM at the Post Office Cabaret. The one thing we did know, however, was that we were in for a memorable night after the ticket vendor deviously laughed when we nervously confided that this was our first drag show.
When the time came, we lined up along the gold-encrusted fence and were quickly seated by an usher. Not too long later, the lights dimmed, and there she emerged out of a life-sized Barbie Doll® box- pink, sequined, and as vivacious as ever.
Right away, she belted her opener with an incredible vocal range, a biographical song that set the tone for the remainder of the show. Once she had finished, she began interacting with the crowd. She would give verbal shout outs to certain groups of people within the crowd. Specifically, she evoked a cheer from the crowd when she stated a certain sexuality- straight male, straight female, gay, lesbian, and bisexual.
When it became our turn to cheer, she quickly noticed the young voices and diverted her attention to us for a second. “Oh, so young! Is this your first drag night?” “Yeah!!!” “How exciting! I hope you’re ready to be corrupted!”
It was absolutely hilarious when she made a shout out to the straight men who exerted a meager, yet hardy whoop, and she pointed out that they were only here for one of three reasons- they are a boyfriend, they are a dad, or they haven’t come out yet.
As she went through the audience interacting with everyone, It became apparent how diverse the audience was. The largest population, however, was the gay men, which was no surprise to me as this rainbow-embellished city is one of the most popular vacation spots for the LGBTQ community.
She then continued the singing portion of the show with a song honoring her cats. She sang about how no matter how many times she moved back and forth between Mexico and New York, Mittens never left her side. What really escalated the performances was when she would stroll up and down the aisles, belting notes of unbelievable octaves just feet in front of us.
After two songs, she began a monologue again, this time about her in-school experience. She seems to have gotten through middle and high school confidently and brazenly. She acknowledged the fact that most gay people take a long time to come out, but it was different with her- the moment he knew he was gay, the whole world knew (it’s important to note that when not in drag, they use the pronoun “he,” and when in drag, they use “she.”) If I remember correctly, he grew up in Texas and was one of the best players on his school’s football team. Every day he would get snarky comments and measly attempts at bullying, but he had an entire arsenal of comebacks, many of which involved the offender’s dad.
The next time she went on a tangent was when she stressed the importance of letting each other be whatever they want without harassing them. In the end, the only person, besides maybe our mom, that knows what’s inside ourselves is us, and that’s the only thing we should be concerning ourselves with. How does someone else’s homosexuality or any other LGBTQ identity affect us really?
After her tangent about spreading love and kindness rather than shame and hatred, she concluded the hilarious show with a piece that reminded me of “La Vie en Rose” by Lady Gaga in A Star is Born. Long, dramatic notes defined this true song of the heart, leaving the listener yearning for more.
And with that, she was gone just as quick as her magenta sequins had arrived. Much of the audience waited outside to take pictures with her, my group included. Today, we have a perfectly-lit photo of the queen towering in the middle of all us 5’5”-and-below teens. “We all look SO good” asserted my friend, concluding a perfect night.
Not only did I learn how long it takes a drag queen to get ready (hint: it’s long), but I also learned that every single person around us is unique, and judging each other only sets us back as individuals and as a society. I also found out that going out and doing something you never really imagined you would do is both exhilarating and rewarding. The drag show was one of the highlights of my entire summer, and so I encourage you, loyal reader, to join me and do something you have never done, and didn’t think you ever would do, once every month! Who knows, maybe you’ll discover something that you never knew you needed.
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