Fake boobs, makeup, glitter and colorful wigs were some of the things found last Wednesday at Suffolk University’s annual Drag Show. As the queens were transforming themselves backstage, students were transforming the Donahue café into a stage, decorating the room with colorful tables full with candy and snacks.
The beginning of what is now a tradition at Suffolk started at 7 p.m. when the Rainbow Alliance President Amy Kerr opened the doors for the guests to walk in. Students began to sit-down and prepare themselves for a night of enjoyment.
The show, which was organized by the Rainbow Alliance, was also co-sponsored by the Performing Arts Office. The show offers the chance for performers to cross-dress solely for fun, while gaining a greater understanding of the culture inside the LGBTQ community.
The show started with Kerr warming up the audience with some questions related to LGBTQ history. After thanking the audience for attending, Kerr introduced the first act of the night. Miss Rainbow Frite opened the show with a masterpiece for drag queens to perform, “Sweet Transvestite” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. She followed up the cover by performing her own special rendition of “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll.”
Misery, another performer, took the stage next. She began her act by doing a split while the song “Rather Be” played, and then proceeded to interview people around the room about their sexual orientation. “Are you a lesbian?” The queen asked an audience member. After the girl said no, Misery responded saying, “Honey, you are in college. I will ask you one more time, are you a lesbian?”
Other similar questions were asked to many members of the audience, engaging everyone in the room. Many were aching from laughter by the end of her set.
During Misery’s second set, she realized someone was checking their phone and began to make jokes and sly remarks. What started out as a joke directed at an audience member evolved into jokes about the recent slew of Suffolk alerts that have been sent to students via text message.
As usual, the wild event drew a large crowd.
“Honestly, I’m pretty sure that’s the biggest turnout we’ve had, at least in my three years here,” Kerr said. “I’m not sure how many people exactly were there but it was definitely over 100.”
The annual drag show is typically held at the end of LGBTQ history month. This year’s theme sought to focus on arts, community and healing. The show represented the arts inside the LGBTQ community and it was a great way to get allies involved with the community.
“What’s more healing than a night of laughter and watching a performance with your friends?” Kerr asked.
