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| Jujubee |
So, the Seacoast Rep Theater invited Shaunna Rai back for a second round of Midsummer Night Queens. They also invited Rainbow Frite, Lili Whiteass (who had done a winter version) and Cherry Lemonade (for her first time.)
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| Bunny Wonderland |
Everything was on point, we were ready to go early, and everything. So, it felt like something needed to go wrong. Because, well, you know, that's kind of how my luck goes. Surprisingly, nothing did go wrong. Although, it did feel a little strange leaving to go to Portsmouth, and not stopping to pick up Miss E,on.
We left early, to stop for lunch. And then, did some shopping while we killed time before we were supposed to pick up Cherry. At 3:30pm, sharp, we were at Cherry's getting the car loaded, for the trek out of state. And, everything went so smoothly...until we got to York.
Traffic went along great, and then we got to the York toll booths. And, what with it being Sunday, everyone was headed south. I kid you not, it took almost half an hour to make a 10 minute drive across the state line.
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Lili Whiteass does Little Edie
from Grey Gardens |
We got to the Rep, and I was given strict instructions. Park in the bank parking lot, not the church parking lot. If you park at the church, you will be towed! (They share the same lot, but they're separated by a partial brick wall.) Easier said than done. I drove around what seemed like forever, trying to find a spot.
Conversation for much of the trip down, revolved around shows, and drag as a career. And, how seriously people take their drag. And, how occasionally, you have a great queen, who could really wow people if they took themselves a little more seriously, and decided not to rely on the camp they could become a force to be reckoned with.
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| Cherry Lemonade |
I got drinks, and really appreciated the fact that I was essentially touring with the Maine queens and got to take a little advantage of the drink tickets...not that I took a lot of advantage of it...two drinks and I'm pretty much done. After a quick tour of the stage, Jujubee showed up, in "boy drag". And I realized that this was the first time I had met Airline in person, although I have met Jujubee a number of times. A run through of the introduction, and then faces started to go on.
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| Shaunna Rai does Proud Mary |
While I love to sit and watch Shaunna Rai put on her face, I enjoy watching everyone else get into face more...Because they're all so different. And, so, I watched Jujubee, Cherry Lemonade and Bunny Wonderland get into face.
Watching Shaunna put on a face, I more or less know the timeline for how long it takes for Dan to start looking like Shaunna. So, seeing the speed at which Airline became Jujubee, I was in awe...And so was Dan. It became a topic of conversation for the rest of the night.
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Rainbow Frite as Frank N Furter
(Sort of) |
Since Jujubee, Lili Whiteass and Rainbow Frite are all Boston girls, of course some talk was about the drag scene in Boston. There was a little talk about the upcoming season of Drag Race and All Stars 2.
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| Lili Whiteass as Elsa Mars |
The best and worst thing about working with someone who is/has been on a tv show, is that you get inside information, on occasion, but then, you have to sit on that information, until the show airs. Then, when you say, "I've known since, whenever," people write you off as making it up. So, I'll say it now, I know a couple things about a couple things, but I can't say a word about them.
I of course, in an attempt to actually talk to someone who I adore, started talking about my blog, and my less than favorable review of Pandora Boxx at the BOTS Tour, and that Pandora had seen and commented on the reciew. Jujubee then, jokingly said that I would need to go, because If I was a blogger, she couldn't be quoted talking about the show. (And I wanted to hide my head in shame. Until I realized she wasn't totally serious about it.)
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| and again as a tap dancing Skeleton |
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| Bunny Wonderland |
Shortly after that, it was almost showtime. I went up to claim my seat before the doors opened, leaving my camera bag and a shirt. I grabbed last minute drinks for Shaunna and Cherry and went back to the dressing room. Making sure that everyone was good, I went back to claim my place. And, immediately went into a panic. My camera bag, with camera, was still there, but my shirt was gone. (A brand new shirt, I'd only worn once before.)
Wendy came, and took the seat next to me, with her friend, the boys (Cody and Frank), Jodi and her partner, were all there. And a few new people who I knew from other places as well.
During the introduction, I pointed out for Wendy (who was video taping) where the girls were going to make their entrances from.
The show went off without a hitch. As usually happens, I got lost in trying to capture everything and lost some of the music.
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| Brian actually did smile... |
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| Cherry Lemonade |
A few things stand out, as they usually do. Rainbow Frite did Somewhere That's Green, from Little Shop of Horrors, and, somehow I remember hearing that the version that she had was not the version she meant to have, because it changed the content of the performance. Rainbow also did a Britney Spears mix of sorts...as a parody, with "I love Cock and Balls", as one of the parody songs. Which was great, until it turned a little awkward, when Rainbow grabbed Wendy's hand and made her simulate a hand job on me.
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| Jujubee |
There was a guy (named Brian) and his girlfriend in the audience, that every single queen gravitated to. Poor Brian got lap dances and was teased mercilessly, due to the fact that he refused to smile, throughout the whole show. (Although, there is photo proof that he did in fact smile.)
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| Shaunna Rai |
Lili Whiteass did a mix that started out as Elsa Mars from American Horror Story: Freak Show and ended with the 1980's version of Puttin' On The Ritz. It was great, because it showed off her tap dancing ability. And, I loved it, because of the music. (Then again, I love it when I actually know the music, to begin with.)
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| Rainbow Frite's Somewhere That's Green |
Across the theater from Brian and Tricia, was another "couple" in matching peachy orange shirts. The guy went to lean over the railing and the railing let go, almost spilling him to the floor. I was mortified, not knowing whether to get up, or just let the show go on...I did nothing, but watched him retake his seat, and NOT lean on the railing again.
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| Lili Whiteass |
Sitting next to me, in the front row were a couple of young girls, who didn't look old enough to be there. (They were in their early teens.) At some point, I became a point of interest, because they were told that I was Shaunna Rai's "husband".
The show flew by, and before I knew it, it was over. As usually happens at the end of a show, I checked out back, to see if I was needed for anything. I was asked to take a couple of backstage pictures of the entire cast of the show, then, I undid Shaunna's corset, and then headed upstairs for the Meet and Greet.
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| Cherry Lemonade |
Unlike last year, when we went to the Gaslight, the Meet and Greet was held right at the Seacoast Rep. There were a lot of familiar faces, looking to get their pictures taken with Jujubee. And there were quite a few new faces.
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Shaunna Rai performs Donna Summer's
Last Dance |
The photographer in me was having a meltdown, because I wasn't getting every picture with every queen, buy I tried my hardest to get as many as possible. At least until Jujubee made her appearance, at which time, I decided that the reason I was there was for the pictures with Jujubee, and pretty much followed her around snapping pictures until I had made it through everyone waiting.
I always get my picture taken with the Rupaul girls, when I get the chance. But, for whatever reason, I got so into the zone of taking pictures and handing out my handwritten business cards explaining that the pictures would be on my Facebook page for the blog, that I forgot to get my picture with Juju. I'm half tempted to photoshop myself into someone else's picture...
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Rainbow Frite as
Morticia Addams |
After the Meet and Greet fizzled out, and everyone was pretty much gone, I went back downstairs to see what was ready to get loaded into the car. I had to pretty much sit on the suitcase to close it, but, it was ready.
I finally, officially met Jujubee's fiance, Chris. I say officially, only because I'd seen him before at shows, but never been formally introduced. I walked out with them, and said goodbye, then headed back in to get the rest of Shaunna's stuff, and see how Cherry was coming with hers.
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Bunny Wonderland and the Bad Idea Bears
from Avenue Q. |
On the way back from the car, I finally found my shirt. Apparently, because Avenue Q was playing before the Midsummer Night Queens show, someone assumed that the shirt belonged to one of the Avenue Q cast members, and so it just got stuck out back. I could finally stop panicking that I had lost my shirt.
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| Jujubee |
Once the car was loaded, we went out so that Cherry and Shaunna could have a drink, before we hit the road. One drink turned to two, and then it hit me, that I had to work a long day, the next day. We hit the road, and stopped in Kennebunk to get some food at the Burger King. While waiting for the food, Cherry decided to try to climb into the gazebo in the middle of the food court...while Shaunna took pictures. And the clerk at the counter couldn't stop laughing.
Finally, Dan (Shaunna) and I made it home. I realized how much further north Lewiston is from Portland, after dropping off Cherry in Portland, and helping bring his stuff up to his apartment. The last leg of the trip was killer. We finally made it home at about 3:30am, just in time for me to get to sleep before work.
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Back:Shaunna Rai, Lili Whiteass, Rainbow Frite, Jujubee
Front: Bunny Wonderland, Cherry Lemonade. |
It was a great start to the season. I think I loved it more than last year's incarnation. And, not just because it started with "my girlfriend," as Dan has been teasing me. And, it's nice to be able to say, "Hey, I know them!" and not feel like I'm being pompous, because I actually do know Jujubee...just not Airline. (Dan knows them both, and was told to call or text any time that we're in Boston, to see if they're around.) Which, I think is totally cool.
