A Space Filled with Talent, Passion and Vulnerability

Many talented drag queens and burlesque performers took the stage at the amateur-produced DIY Kiss and Tell Cabaret on Friday, February 23rd. Behind their confident, exuberant personas on the big stage, the performers reveal passion and vulnerability.

Cast of the Kiss and Tell Cabaret. Photo by Jana Simovic.

The Kiss and Tell Cabaret had a prominent Valentine’s Day theme to it. As soon as you’d walk into the room, you were blinded by a myriad of pink and red lights, greeted by performers dressed from head to toe in red with hearts on their eyes and cheeks. 

The DIY feel made the performance all the more welcoming. The lighting crew swapped spotlights for flashlights, and only pieces of carefully placed tinsel separated the audience from the performers’ stage.

Produced by a drag performer who goes by the name “Papa Squat,” the Cabaret became a massive success. The event sold out just days after it was advertised. This meant Squat could pay all the crew and performers, which is a major struggle in the theater industry, according to Squat. 

“You want these people to be paid. There’s a big pay gap in terms of the queer entertainment industry,” Squat said. 

Tickets were only $7 in advance and $10 at the door. One of Squat’s goals when creating this event was for LGBTQ+ people to have an affordable and entertaining safe space, and they felt having a house drag show was the best way to do that. 

“I don’t see enough affordable events in the queer community and ally community that are in the local area,” Squat said. 

Squat beautifully sang the iconic pop-rock song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler, collaborating with their friend Joe Powers (also known as Joe Gabba Gabba) on piano. 

Drag performer Papa Squat sings “Total Eclipse of the Heart” while Joe Powers plays piano behind them at the Cabaret. Photo by Gia Clarke.

A sentiment shared between the performers was that drag is one of the most utilized ways of expressing queer identity. This has been shown not only through the Kiss and Tell Cabaret but throughout history, as it was a prominent feature of the queer liberation movement.

“I think drag is one of the most outward ways of expressing queer identity because it’s in your face on purpose. We get out there and we’re taking clothes off and being a different persona for even a little bit. And it’s so vulnerable,” Squat said. 

Astari Skye was another performer at the Kiss and Tell Cabaret. Her exhilarating, upbeat performance was to the song “Yuck” by Charli XCX, and featured many Clueless references. She starts by wearing schoolgirl attire but quickly rips those clothes off to show a bright red dress underneath, a homage to Cher’s Alaia dress. 

Her performance captured the fierceness of Dionne, Cher’s best friend in the iconic ‘90s film.“Who isn’t a huge Clueless fan, right?” Skye said. 

Drag performer Astari Skye performs her set to Clueless dialogue at the Kiss and Tell Cabaret. Photo by Gia Clarke.

Skye said she’s inspired to perform burlesque because she doesn’t see enough Black trans people who are burlesque performers.

“I want there to be someone who looks like me who can do that,” Skye said, “And until that person is there, that person is gonna be me.” 

Despite often feeling pigeonholed to do drag as a trans person, Skye loves to perform burlesque anyway because it makes her feel feminine. Unveiling the humanity behind the crafted persona, Skye said she often feels like “a boy in girl’s clothes,” and how it’s exhausting for her to consistently feel like she has to perform her own femininity.

“I have to wear all this gorgeous makeup and hair, and sometimes it can be so extremely taxing, and performing can sometimes feel like the final nail in the coffin. You gotta put another wig on, you got to do more makeup. You have to go show your womanhood to more people, and it can be really hard,” Skye said. 

Despite her insecurities, however, Skye loves to perform, because she loves the gratification she gets from others. She loves seeing people from cast to audience members love her performance. Skye said the call to perform is a “primal” instinct she gets. 

“Meeting photographers, meeting people in the audience, it is so electrifying that it completely trumps my feelings of performing my femininity,” Skye said. 

Another performer, Tender Blossom, did their burlesque performance to a slower, more sultry song, “Look of Love,” popularized by Dusty Springfield and originally written by Burt Bacharach. Their performance was an homage to their partner, who played Blossom the song for Valentine’s Day. 

Drag performer Tender Blossom performs their set to “Look of Love” at the Kiss and Tell Cabaret. Photo by Gia Clarke.

“Burlesque specifically inspired me because I love sensuality, and I think it’s a really excellent way to express it and feel it and live it,” Blossom said. 

Blossom also loves that drag lets performers create their own persona. Their experience in the typical theater community made them feel like they had to mold themselves into what others wanted them to be. That’s when they “got anxious and didn’t like performing.”

“Through creating my persona and different work, I have control. I have the autonomy of what I make and the things that I perform,” they said. 

Blossom wants people to know that anyone can perform drag, saying it’s “creative and liberating.” 

Not only was the whole cast passionate about what they were performing, but the overall show was a very inclusive and positive experience for the cast members. According to Blossom, there was no underlying competition or gatekeeping culture between them, and “everybody just wants to help each other.” 

The performers’ passion and teamwork did not go unnoticed. Audience member Lailah Fresquez had nothing but kind words to say about the show. 

“They’re all so entertaining and enthusiastic, and you can tell they just really love what they’re doing,” Fresquez said. 

Another audience member Dara Carneol also loved the show, declaring herself a “proud squatter,” in reference to Squat’s fanbase. 

“I thought the show was beautiful. My eyes and heart were opened, and I will never be the same,” Carneol said. 

Cards flood the floor of the tinsel-wrapped stage, with a performer’s skirt on the ground. Photo by Gia Clarke.

Header by Jana Simovic