This year’s drag show fell short
SAB brought in Sh*tty Princess, NYX and Jessica Wilde to give us another fabulous drag show to follow last year. However, from awkward DJing to false starts, this year fell flat compared to last year. I had the opportunity to stand right in front of the queens throughout the performance, and although it began with low momentum, it picked up and became a decent show in the end.
The night started with Sh*tty Princess DJing several Taylor Swift remixes. I personally enjoyed the song choices, but there was no solid transition between songs. After she finished her bit, there were moments of awkward silence as we waited for Nyx. She was trying to keep the energy high by playing her other remixes, but I was becoming desperate for the next queen. As I looked around, I saw so many blank, bored faces as everyone’s impatience grew.
Thankfully, the start of a Lady Gaga song turned the whole event around. Once the music began to play, Nyx entered with a dramatic flair and completely elevated the vibe while dancing to a Lady Gaga remix in a stunning black dress. She was mesmerizing, yet I felt as if she lacked physical range at some points in her performance.
For me, Jessica Wilde took the cake. She put effort into hugging and engaging with the crowd in a rainbow one-piece. Eventually, she got into the crowd and jumped with us. As a former RuPaul queen, she was extremely polished and was clearly a fan favorite. I appreciate that she took the time to immerse us into the performance through her sweet interactions.
After a while, I began to vibe with Sh*tty Princess’ performance more – though, she did throw me into a loop when she said, “You all know the actions to this song!” The people around me prepared for “HOT TO GO,” but were immediately surprised with “The Greatest Showman” instead.
At the end, all three queens performed “Rain On Me” by Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. I loved watching Nyx and Jessica Wilde dance and interact with one another, but their third counterpart hung out at her station behind them for a minute. When Sh*tty Princess finally came forward from behind her set to dance with her other queens, she pointed at me to tie her sneakers after skipping across the stage.
Overall, it was still a great experience and a fun night spent with my friends. I feel extremely spoiled from last year with the entire drag cast being past RuPaul contestants who were experienced with crowd work. Though, I do appreciate that SAB was able to offer a handful of students a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the queens. Even with the hiccups, I hope Truman and SAB continue to bring in drag performers for years to come.
