Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – DRAG: THE MUSICAL follows a familiar formula but makes for a mighty entertaining evening

• By drediman
• October 22, 2024
• No Comments

It’s hard not to have a good time at Drag: The Musical, the crowd-pleasing new Off-Broadway musical that opened last night at New World Stages. Fabricated from a familiar concoction — taking tried-and-true elements from musicals like Kinky Boots, Rock of Ages, and Chicago, as well as a good dash of the television shows Pose and, of course, RuPaul’s Drag Race (unsurprisingly, a handful of beloved drag queens from the popular reality television series are prominently featured in the musical) — the show tells the story of two rival drag houses, the Fish Tank and the Cat House, each of which must navigate the fiscal challenges of running such queer establishments in an ever evolving urban landscape.

Although drag queens once existed well in the outer fringes of society, they’re now firmly mainstream — and so is this show. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. To be sure, there’s plenty of sass and shade to go around, but Drag: The Musical is at its core a safe, wholesome show about family (both chosen and biological), queer pride, and identity. It’s a solidly crafted musical — certainly more cohesive than any “Ruesical” ever aspired to be — featuring a heartfelt if predictable book and a pseudo-generic score with the occasional ear worm (book, music, and lyrics are collectively by Tomas Costanza, Justin Andrew Honard, and Ashley Gordon). Although some of the songs wouldn’t be missed if they were cut from the show, they all sound terrific as played by a rollicking onstage five-piece rock band. Indeed, the silly ditty “Drag is Expensive” still lingers between my ears and won’t dislodge itself. All in all, the musical goes down as easily as your favorite comfort food.

Although the running time is two hours without an intermission, the production flies by, thanks largely to Spencer Liff’s appropriately peppy and immersive production, as well as the slew of colorful performances. Stage veteran Nick Adams contributes ample charisma and bonafide Broadway polish as the head drag queen of the Fish Tank, while distinctive RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Alaska Thunderfuck is the epitome of delicious deadpan attitude as the drag mother of the Cat House. Speaking of Drag Race, it’s nice to see a number of the show’s drag alums (e.g., Jan Sport, Jujubee, Luxx Noir London) flex themselves within the confines of musical theater. Other standouts in the very good cast are New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre, Liisi LaFontaine, Eddie Korbich, and J. Elaine Marcos — all of whom are clearly having a blast in the show, and their joy transcends the fourth wall.

RECOMMENDED

DRAG: THE MUSICAL
Off-Broadway, Musical
New World Stages
2 hours (without an intermission)
Open run