Life is a Cabaret

The Lady Chablis

 After a very long week of hanging out with Shaunna Rai, and Vanila, we took Friday night off from anything drag related, which meant, we missed opening night of Mama's Cabaret, in Lewiston. The press for the opening promoted having Lady Chablis, of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" fame.

The night off Friday night was a welcome change.  Dan and I spent the night at home, catching up on sleep and tv.

Saturday night, though, we were ready for date night.  And, a little birdie told me that Lady Chablis was still in town, for Mama Savannah's Birthday.  So, we decided to take the trip to Lewiston to check it out.

I had been there once before in a previous incarnation, which, coincidentally was the first time that I'd ever met Dan in person, although, at the time I was too shy to talk to him, since I thought that he was with someone.

Mama Savannah and Lady Chablis

So, I wasn't really sure what to expect of the venue. The layout of the building was still the same, which meant, the bar was on a lower level, and the rest of it was dance floor and general seating. As Mama's is a restaurant as well as a bar, we decided to get dinner.  As we arrived at our table, our waitress asked for our drink and appetizer order, before we'd even sit down, much less looked at the menu.

I ordered the Poutine, because it was something that I've heard of that I always wanted to try.  And, fortunately, it didn't disappoint. Dan ordered jambalaya, which was equally as good.  About the same time that our entree came, (Steak tips, with dirty rice and smashed potatoes) so did "Mama".

Mama walked in, with her larger than life hair, in full on drag, with sneakers.  The sneakers cracked me up, as did the fact that as soon as she spotted Dan, she made a beeline for our table, and then later cracked a joke about the fact that Shaunna Rai hadn't commented on them.  Before the show, Mama was making the rounds, and said to me, "This is a great song, I love the video." I'd never seen or heard it before, so I did the polite thing, and smiled and nodded. Unfortunately, for me, she read me. "You don't know it, do you?"  "No."  "You can tell that you're a drag husband, she said." The first time that I've been referred to as such.

Mama asked if we'd tried the Alligator Bites. We hadn't tried them yet, so she disappeared into the kitchen and in two shakes, was back with them.  I was a bit nervous about trying them, because Alligator just isn't something that I ever thought I'd be putting in my mouth.  It was much better than I imagined that it would be.  And, it really is like they say, it kind of does taste like chicken.

The show started, and Mama did the first number. Then came the Lady Chablis.  Shaunna Rai had worked with Lady Chablis during pride, years ago, so Dan had different expectations of her performance than I did.  I took the whole number in, from the outfit, to the fact that I think my calf muscles are bigger around than Lady Chablis.  And, I might have been a bit in awe of the fact that she is famous.  After her number, she said a few words about Mama Savannah, and then disappeared for the rest of the night.  Next up, were Mama's "House Girls," Paris Lynne, Mikayla Loveheart and Natilee-Marie Poliquin (Kimi) who also did double duty as VIP hostess.

After the show was over, the floor was opened up for dancing.  We stayed for a little bit after the floor was opened up, and then, made the trek back from Lewiston.

Overall, Mama's Cabaret exceeded my expectations. I'm looking forward to the next time I go back, which should be this Saturday, for the after party of the 5th Annual Lewistunning Dragapalooza show.

A Little too Close for Comfort...

Coming off a crazy week of driving for shows, I was actually really excited to go to Club Cafe, for Shaunna Rai and Vanila Honey-Bush's face-off as P!nk and Kelly Clarkson.  That, is, until the Monday before the show... The Boston Marathon Bombing.

I was at work when the special report came on, cutting off whatever was on. And, I ended up being glued to the tv for the rest of the night. Mostly, because I was trying to figure out how close the bombing was to where the girls were going to be performing.  Being the geek that I am, or the Google King, as Dan likes to call me, I Googled it. Club Cafe was a matter of blocks away from the bombing.  SO, I spent the rest of the week, watching every report I could, about the bombing, and the bomber(s).  And, stressed.

Finally, the time was here, to actually go to Boston. Well, to Lewiston, first, to pick up Miss E'on, and then to Boston.  As there was a car full, the Dragging up, happened before we went to Boston. Instead of packing suitcase upon suitcase, which is the usual for going to a show, the only things we had to pack, were boy clothes, for "the girls".

I had agreed to drive to just outside Boston, but not in Boston. Because, I don't drive in Boston. Like, ever.  So, Shaunna Rai set the GPS to get us there. I don't remember a lot of the conversations, on the way down, other than a couple of things that I said, that amused me. At one point, I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to go 57 cell phone towers, because I didn't get that the m was above the i for miles...and then, when we were coming into town, I said to Dan, "You tricked me! You didn't tell the GPS lady that I wasn't driving in the city."  And, that, is how I came to drive in Boston, for the first time.

Anywho, on the way to Boston, they got the music to do their lip-synch to.  It was a nice 6-7 minute mix that went back and forth between Pink and Kelly.

We got to Boston early, and the girls mingled a little bit. And, I just kind of waited. When they finally opened the doors to let us get in to where the show was going to be, I was ready to find a corner and sit.  I was still a little stressed that I ended up driving in Boston.  I asked the DJ and the host of the show if it was okay to take pictures, because I didn't want to get kicked out for doing something wrong. It was fine. The host, was Chris Knievel, a girl that I had met once before. The first time I met her, she had just found out that I hadn't been to many drag shows, and she gave me a lap dance, to a song, I think, about having a big schlong...

So, Chris does her number, and then brings my girls out.  (Yes, I may feel a little possessive of them, since I spend most of my spare time with them.)  The song starts, and they start playing off each other. And, they start bringing their acrobatics into play. After all, the winner of the contest is chosen by the audience. Vanila brings out a back handspring, and all of a sudden, she's down. And, I'm like, "Oh god, what just happened?" even though I watched what had happened. The floor was slippery, and  the recovery just didn't quite happen. Instead of landing on her feet, she landed on her back.  The only way that we knew that she was okay, was that, while she was catching her breath, she was dancing on her back, with her arms in the air. Shaunna Rai did a split-ish. She has a fishnet scar on her knee now. And Vanila decided to do a split as well. None of which went as it was supposed to.  (I'm thinking that the Boston performers must do less acrobatics?)  Finally, it's time to pick a winner.

Vanila won the money, and Shaunna got a nice booze basket.

After all was said and done, Dan told me that we were staying put for a little while. I wasn't sure what was going on, other than it was strongly suggested that we stay put.

It wasn't until later, that I found out that things were getting blown up, and people were being shot, and, just maybe, one of the bombers was killed...or that, a few hours after we got out of the city, on our way home, that they had the entire city of Boston on lockdown, hunting for the bomber(s).

And, of course, on the way out of the city, we drove by "ground zero" of the bombing. It freaked me out, a bit, because A) this was so close to where they were performing, and B) it reminded me that three people died there, and a whole lot more ended up going to the hospital...some with limbs that had been amputated by the blast...

Needless to say, I was never so glad to get home.

When You're Good to Mama...

The April 13th show at Altera, in Lewiston, finished out what I was referring to as "Hell" week. Dan and Ryan were in drag, just about every other day, and Dan's car had just died, so I became chauffeur.

Wednesday night was Danielle's Birthday show at Blackstones, which was a blast, as always. Miss E'on came from Lewiston, to see the show, and to go to the Phoenix awards with us. E'on, Shaunna Rai, and Vanila all got into face at Miss LaJoy's house.

This was interesting to me, as I had not seen Miss LaJoy before. So, was very curious about how she was going to look in drag. I came to the realization, during the putting on of face, that for whatever reason, the smell of makeup, is kind of comforting to me.

The show at Blackstones, as I said before, was a blast. New girls, new numbers, and Taffy with Red Bull curlers in her hair! The pictures I got were great.

Friday night, was the First Phierce Friday at Mainestreet Ogunquit, with DJ Aga. There were giveaways of light stick things, and Carly Rae Jepsen CD's. Shaunna Rai and Vanila performed, and I started to see just how athletic these girls are. I'm impressed. Splits, Back handsprings, all kind of acrobatic tricks.

The weekend ended at Altera, with Shaunna Rai and her Dolls.  This, while it was a show, so it was important for the performers, was probably more important for me. This was the first time that my parents were going to see Shaunna Rai. Knowing my parents, I really didn't have anything to worry about, but, knowing myself, I was worried anyway. What if they got offended? What if they were uncomfortable? The what if's were flying, and I didn't know how to stop them.

Finally, I got the text from my mom saying, "We're here", so I went to go meet them, with their tickets. I had maybe, purposely, although, I still rationalize it as accidentally forgotten to give them a few pieces of information, like that Altera was a gay bar.  Because, in my mind, drag shows don't necessarily happen in straight bars.

Once we got in, and got settled, mom turns to me, and tells me that she's crossed two things off her bucket list.  So, I tried to guess. "Um, you're seeing a drag show, and you went to a gay bar?"
"Ooooh. Three things then!" "Ok, so if the first two are seeing a drag show, and going to a gay bar, what's the third?" "Going to a bar, period."  I'd forgotten. My mom doesn't drink. Ever. Never, ever. So, she wouldn't have a reason to go to a bar, much less a gay bar.

On the way in, Jacinda, in boy clothes, took the tickets, and let my mom keep them, so that she could get signatures from the "girls" if she chose to.  She chose to.

Introductions were a little awkward, for me, because I'm still having a hard time with figuring out which name to introduce with. The girls were in drag, so I figured it was appropriate to use the drag name, and then later explain to my parents who they are out of drag.

Most of the night, I spent, going back and forth between my parents making sure that they're having a good time. Dad seemed a little uncomfortable, after he found out it was a gay bar, but Mom seemed to be having the time of her life. I knew that Mom was going to take a million pictures, because that's just what she does. The one show I was in, I ended up being tagged on Facebook, in over 300 pictures...And, thankfully, I wasn't wrong here. I tend to be the photographer, at Shaunna Rai's shows, just because I enjoy it. Unfortunately, having taken pictures two other shows that week, I'd drained my batteries in my camera, and forgotten to grab new ones. And, my camera died.

After the show was over, Mom asked if she could go meet the girls, since, they were all out mingling before the show. I said I thought that could be arranged. And, she started gathering her autographs.  Shaunna Rai, Vanila, Taffy, and Desta Toot, all were so good to my mom, and gave her autographs, and took pictures with her. And, the "I love your mom" responses I got from the girls made me really happy. And, the "I love them too!" that they got on a facebook response later, made the whole night  perfect for me.

Let's Give 'Em a Show They'll Never Forget

How much planning goes into a show? Before I met Dan and Shaunna Rai, I had no idea. Over the past few months, I've gotten a crash course in show planning.

Music, outfits, makeup, hair and self-promotion, these are all considerations for a queen, preparing for a show.

In my perception of how things should be, a show was set up more like a play. It would be all planned and choreographed and all a queen has to do is show up, and do her thing. Of course, that was before I started seeing what goes into it.

Being asked to do a show is the easy part. It's not just about saying yes, and expecting everything else to be done for you. Each show has different requirements for music or content. Outfits are picked, sometimes just before the show. The wigs are chosen to show off the best look of the outfit.

The biggest, most important thing, though, aside from showing up at the show, is promoting yourself.
Once the venue decides on a date and time, in theory, you can start promoting then. With the use of social media, like Twitter and Facebook,  having a poster makes promotion easier. Posters can be shared by friends and family, as well as by yourself. They can be printed and posted around town.

As venues sometimes pay performers what is earned at the door, a good performer will market herself to get the largest number of audience members possible,  and, potentially will get friends and/or family to do some promoting of their own.

Finally, after all is said and done,  comes the night of the show. With all the promoting that has been done, hopefully, the audience turnout will be great, and they'll tip well. The numbers will go off without a hitch, and the audience will get a performance that they won't soon forget.