Mason Drag Show Wows Crowd

By Broadside Staff Writer Emily Sharrer

The most anticipated and acclaimed event of Pride Week came and went this past Friday night, but left the people who witnessed the drag queens’ and kings’ on-point performances plenty to rave about until next year’s show. Remixes and original tunes by popular artists like Cyndi Lauper, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and more, roared through the Johnson Center Atrium and had the audience’s bodies swaying, toes tapping, lip synching and heads bobbing along with a long list of drag queens and kings from Mason and the D.C. area.

Hosts Reann Ballslee and Oliver Clothesoff, (Ryan Allen and Mason alum Claire Gault respectively) introduced performances by several area drag queens throughout the show. Ophelia Bottoms, to the audience’s delight, opened the show outfitted in a rainbow colored duct tape corset, a large red wig, and chunky heels reminiscent of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz’s ruby slippers.

As the show continued, audience members’ mouths gaped, they laughed, and stared in wonder as Reann Ballslee, Oliver Clothesoff, Regina Jozet Adams, Brianna Spice, Kim Chi, Jezzibell Bottoms, E-Cleff, Macy Penny, Brenda Tittlesworth, Jake Wolf and Esmerelda Kane Jaymes went on to give over-the-top performances in some very revealing costumes.

When people inched up to the stage to hand their favorite performers dollar bills, they were greeted by the kings and queens with private dances or had the pleasure of getting their hands – or faces – playfully pulled to certain body parts to the shock and laughter of the students in attendance.

The highlights of the performance included Regina Jozet Adams’ mocking Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (complete with sparkly black two piece) and E-Cleff doing spot on impressions of Chris Brown and Michael Jackson during “Wall to Wall” and “Billie Jean.”

Also, Brianna Spice, a first-time drag show participant, danced to “Who Do You Think you Are?” by the Spice Girls, then throwing massive amounts of condoms into the audience toward the end of the show.

And, as expected, the finale was – to use the word of the night – fabulous. It featured Reann and her drag daughters who are all second-time performers and only choose to perform once a year for the Mason Drag Show.

The last number began with Macy Penny and Kim Chi doing the Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera parts of the song “Like a Virgin” as performed by the starlets and Madonna at the 2005 MTV VMAs. Before they had they chance to kiss however, Ballslee switched into the song “Hollywood” and eventually Brenda Tittlesworth came and broke it down to a couple lines from “Work It” by Missy Elliott.

The audience left just as excited as they had came and the performers were happy that so many people showed up to show their support sporting signs and applauding and cheering.

“I am so happy people always come out and support us every year for the drag show. It’s something that the community looks forward to, even outside of the Mason area,” Gault said.