This review originally ran in the November 30, 2017 issue of Twin Cities Gay Scene magazine.
Ho, ho, ho indeed! Held at the same venue as previous DragFans.com ensemble shows, Murray & Peter Present - A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour lived up to its name with a bigger, naughtier "RuPaul’s Drag Race" alumni show. Twin Cities Gay Scene came out to celebrate with the festive bunch.
Photo: DragFans.com
Photo: @derekplease
The Minnesota weather jokes came up often, but the heat inside the venue kept turning up. Like when host Trinity Taylor recognized a hunky audience member from the last tour; Ms. Taylor had him stripping on stage last time, but this time she settled on having him flash his toned torso.
Trinity wore a full Catholic nun outfit for the first half of the show, which she finally ripped off to reveal a fake, saggy nude body. It got the biggest laugh of the night, and everyone whipped out their phones to snap the moment.
Each queen gave a monologue after their first performance. Some girls seemed more comfortable with that than others, but each shared words of wisdom. Minneapolis legend and “Drag Race” season 1 winner Bebe Zahara Benet encouraged the audience to support local drag queens. This was met with roaring applause, a nice reminder of how much we Twin Cities LGBT value our own talent. It was cool to see a major touring drag show pay it forward to local clubs in this way. She wasn’t just there to talk, though. Bebe’s performances featured the tightest lip syncs of the night. She knew every word.
Photo: @derekplease
Latrice Royale was as perfect as we’ve come to expect. Her performances were daring; she performed an intricate color guard routine in spectacular red costuming. It was cool seeing her in another ensemble show even after she sold out headlining The Cowles Center here on her own.
Farrah Moan’s sultry performances were equally cutesy and thrilling. She seems to have found a perfect balance between her pop star and burlesque sides. Farrah lip-synced YouTube queen Trisha Paytas’ cover of “Santa Baby” while performing a burlesque routine. Like Trisha’s own music videos, Farrah’s performance felt inspired by Britney Spears’ Las Vegas show, in the best of ways.
Trinity Taylor got a huge reaction with her only performance of the night, a lip-sync of Faith Hill’s Grinch classic “Where Are You Christmas?” She played it as a physical comedy piece, and it was one of the highlights of the night.
Photo: @derekplease
Aja’s performances were wild. She performed a number as the demon goat creature Krampus, while pretending to eat baby dolls. It was hilarious and intense at the same time. It made us excited to see what she does on All Stars 3 this winter.
Lots of Holiday music medleys were lip synced, featuring yuletide hits from legendary acts like Destiny’s Child and Lady Gaga. But Chi Chi DeVayne shocked the audience with a fully live vocal rendition of “O Holy Night.” It wasn’t perfect, but it was an impressive decision that stood out. Her lip-sync performance of RuPaul’s edgy 90s classic “All I Want for Christmas” had the audience in stitches.
Eureka O’Hara’s first performance was cute, but her second performance - she snapped! She flew off into the audience like a firecracker. Her makeup throughout the night seemed very Divine-inspired, which was delightful.
Photo: @derekplease
Fan favorite Shea Coulee brought the house down with Ariana Grande’s “December,” a rousing, sassy Christmas album with more than a little sex appeal. It was a great showcase of her lip-sync talent, amazing costuming, and infectious energy.
When the show ended, security had to kindly ask the audience to keep moving out the exits. It seemed like everyone had enjoyed themselves so much, they didn’t want to leave into the cold. That’s what Murray & Peter drag shows feel like… a toasty fire in a cold world.
Highly Recommended.
Tickets for the remaining dates of "Murray & Peter Present - A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour" are available at http://dragfans.com
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