If you liked variety, you clearly weren’t disappointed at this past Saturday’s raucous evening of drag at Borgata’s Music Box featuring the talents of Sherry Vine, Katya, Pandora Boxx, and Ginger Minj. The queens presented what can best be described as a naughty variety show for Atlantic City audiences, featuring everything from a partying Elsa from Frozen to a stripping Adele.
The “ladies” all shared equal time on the Borgata stage, dancing and shaking their high-flying hair and glittery costumes throughout three distinct segments, including a celebrity impersonation act. The audience ate it up and consisted of quite a mixed group of folks: At one point, one of the performers asked who was straight, and nearly half of the crowd raised their hands. There were also plenty of hunky males throughout the evening as four good-looking dancers joined the girls on stage in various states of dress, including a final number where they rocked out to some itty-bitty red shorts (no one complained, FYI).
The performers, many of whom are Drag Race alumni, showed why they were billed as America’s drag stars. There were a host of memorable acts throughout the night: Katya rocked out to “All That Jazz” from the musical Chicago with Fosse-inspired choreography. Ginger presented a hysterical Adele number, were she transformed from skirt-wearing songstress to disco diva, thanks to a dance remix of “Hello.” Pandora was the naughty Elsa, referenced earlier, and sprinkled white powder all over the stage and the audience sitting in the front row, while Sherry Vine sang her signature covers of popular tunes.
It was a campy, fun evening for OUT at Borgata, and if the line to meet-and-greet the drag stars outside of The Music Box was any indication, the audience loved it. It was also great to see the wide spectrum of people who came out to the show: there were, obviously, gay men, but also plenty of lesbian women, and a few folks “dressed” for the occasion, wearing full drag. As Katya suggested during the show, it was amazing how the evening was a huge melting pot of people coming together to enjoy the performance. That alone is a pretty huge achievement.
Bryan Buttler has covered the Philadelphia-area LGBT beat for over two years, and also reviews theater, opera, and classical music. Along with his own writing, Bryan teaches communications at a local college. He lives in Center City Philadelphia. His favorite things at Borgata? The Water Club, the Grapefruit Mojito at Bobby Flay Steak, and the Table Thai Massage. Follow Bryan on Twitter @bryanb82 and Instagram @bryanbuttler.