Don't be a Drag Just see a Queen

There have been two significant changes since my last address. The first one is that the Chrome Cat in Old Town has settled on Wednesdays for its drag night. The bar began a Tuesday drag show around the time that Club X-Cel was ending its shows, and changed it to Wednesdays last fall. Co-owner Lisa Whitehead appreciates the power of drag. “They have had quite a following, and since (the move) our Wednesdays are usually packed.”

While the Chrome Cat is commonly considered a lesbian bar, Whitehead believes in promoting an environment that welcomes all.

“We don’t want to be just a women’s bar,” Whitehead explains. “We want to be a representation of the community, and the community is diverse.” To that end, Chrome Cat has added a drag king to its show, “because we like the diversity within the drag culture as well.”

The queens and kings take full advantage of the Chrome Cat floor plan. The intimate space ensures that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The stairwell allows for dramatic entrances and dance moves, as does the pole on the stage. While it is a theatrical space, the queens are stepping up the theatrical aspects of their performance with a new theme night down the road at Spiral Dance Club.

Spiral has been offering drag nights for six years. For the past two years Spiral has featured “Drag Queens Gone Wild” on Sunday evenings. This is a true showcase of area drag queens and kings, who perform club-oriented dance, R&B, and hip-hop songs in a flurry of sequins and sass.

The queens and kings have recently taken it to the next level by introducing Broadway theme nights on the last Sunday of the month. In January they test-drove the idea by doing “Rent.” The event was a success, and planning began for monthly theme nights.

The lip-synched performances are more than a revue of song selections from the shows; they give a fairly complete idea of what the show is like. Interspersed between numbers are the usual audience-participation breaks when birthday boys and girls, drag virgins, and other special guests are rewarded with shots and potshots.

Spiral manager Darren Canejo strongly supports the theme nights. “It’s something new,” he says, pointing out the uniqueness of the shows in the greater drag scene. “You’re not seeing this anywhere in Michigan that I know of.”

On Sunday, the group will present “Dreamgirls,” with a cast of nine queens and kings. The Dreamgirls themselves will be played by iconic queens Delicious, Karma Vuitton and Eva Angelica. Upcoming shows will include “Grease,” “Chicago,” “Hairspray” and — fingers crossed — “The Nightmare Before Christmas” around Christmas. The group will produce “The Lion King” for Pride Week.

This is a true labor of love for the cast, who take it very seriously. They are consummate performers who spend a big chunk of their free time creating costumes, refining their makeup and hair, and rehearsing songs and choreography.

Vuitton acknowledges that with a group of strong personalities like these, “there’s been a couple of screaming matches.” No surprise that these cats have claws — sleek, sharp, artificial ones. This is, after all, a group for whom “bitch” is a term of both belittlement and endearment.

Still, Vuitton believes that their strengths will ensure success. “With Ace’s craziness, Eva’s competitiveness and Delicious’ name, we can make something happen here.”

Delicious reiterates the strong sense of professionalism. “It takes a lot of commitment, energy and time, but once we come together, we’re here to work, get it done, do a fabulous show.”

The queens and kings agree that there is more than enough room in this town for two drag nights.

“Our drag community has so much talent that it was a good decision to have two shows in this area,” says Aaliyah Martinez, who performs at both venues. In fact, most of the queens and kings perform at both venues, and Whitehead and Canejo are supportive of each other’s events.

It would be tragic for interested audiences to be trepidacious about attending a drag show. If Spiral’s dark, industrial club atmosphere seems too intimidating, start out at the Chrome Cat, which Delicious describes as “more laid-back.” All are welcome at both venues.

One hint for the uninitiated: While Eva Angelica, Delicious and Karma Vuitton performed last week at Spiral Dance Club. “It takes a lot of commitment, energy and time," Delicious says of the Spiral productions, "but once we come together, we’re here to work, get it done, do a fabulous show.”

being identified as a drag show virgin might be mildy embarrassing, it might also get you a free shot.

You don’t know until you try.