Off-Broadway Musical Ain’t No Drag
Drag: The Musical is an exuberant, lively time at the theatre. For those expecting a bunch of RuPaul queens lipsyncing for their lives will be in for a big surprise.
This show, playing Off-Broadway at New York’s New World Stages, is a fully developed two-act musical with actual singing and acting and not a series of sketches and spoofs.
While the story of two competing drag clubs, both needing some financial help, isn’t a serious one, it is still a fun story worth being heard.
In club one, we have Alaska Thunderfuck, a true star of RuPaul’s Drag Race, who has proven not only on the TV show but through other acting gigs, that she is a queen with great timing and stage presence.
Our second club’s leader is played by Nick Adams, who isn’t a drag queen by trade but has performed as one in other productions, most notably Broadway’s Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert. Adams’ singing voice proved to be a great surprise as he’s more known for his award-winning dancing (rumor has it that he was so good in A Chorus Line that Mario Lopez tried to get Adams out of the limelight). True or not, Adams proves to be a triple threat and a talent to be reckoned with.
Both drag houses are composed of a great ensemble of supportive queens. But there is a standout, scene-stealer among the supporting cast: J. Elaine Marcus. She plays a few supporting roles and mostly each of her characters has one scene. But she comes in, cracks us up and then leaves. Her exit line is also very memorable.
Another interesting feature in this show is having the one main straight man be played by a theatre or music icon…or at least I think that’s their intention. Currently, Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block fame is in this role but Tony-nominated Broadway star Adam Pascale is next on deck to take over the role.
Most of the success to the show is a tribute to the sense of humor from its several creators. Co-creators Justin Andrew Honard (who happens to be Alaska Thunderfuck in drag), Tomas Costanza, Spencer Liff and Ashley Gordon have put together just a fun time at the theatre, full of jokes, shade and singable songs.
Wisely, these creators know that to get people to attend, they need to go beyond what you can see on TV and their bringing all of these aspects together make for a magical time at the theatre.
Tickets are now on sale through March 2025. Get more information at http://www.dragthemusical.com.
