Paige Turner is a self-described “Barbie Girl” who grew up in Indiana, moved to Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, and now spends her summers in Provincetown. But ask her where she’s from and she’ll giggle, “Candyland!” (Or maybe Disney World: “Disney helped me find my drag,” she says.)
Turner is currently reeling in the years with “As If! It’s the ’90s!,” her hilarious live-sung show at the Post Office Café & Cabaret. She transports audiences back to the decade by dressing up as a Beanie Baby and plucking fans out of their seats to join her in a rendition of her own version of the song “Wannabe” by a group she cheekily calls the Spice Rack Girls.
Q: Your first time on stage: Forget about it or cherish the memory?
Cherish the memory! Oh my God! It was like a rock concert. This December, it’ll be 15 years. I was wearing a Betsy Johnson dress, off the rack, from Macy’s. I wish I still had it. I wasn’t expecting the audience to go as wild as they did.
Q: What’s your show’s secret ingredient?
Attitude. I think I spark a certain something in people. I knew when I saw drag queens and they would be a mess, or mean, I was like — huh, there’s got to be a way to do this that isn’t about me going on stage drunk or sharing my problems. It’s not my therapy session. And then from there, my drag branched out to the point where everyone’s invited. I mean, I have a huge straight clientele, which is really nice. It’s like everyone feels they’re my friend.
Q: What are your feelings about playing for mixed gay and straight audiences?
I love a mixed audience. A lot of people wouldn’t say that, but it tells me that people feel safe seeing me. People have brought their parents to my shows. I’ve had audience members from ages 5 to 92, and I love it. Provincetown is kind of like a gay Disneyland to some people. I’ve had people tell me they wanted to show they’re an ally, so they got in the car in Tennessee and drove here, or they tell me, “My son came out after your show.” For me, the crust of the pie is drag and then there are the layers and the filling — it’s just all the stuff you add to it. People say to me, “I don’t even think of you as a drag queen,” which is the best compliment, because what they’re saying is they see me as an entertainer, a personality.
Q: What’s your biggest source of inspiration as a performer?
My performing is all stuff I wasn’t able to express as a child, or that I was bullied for, that I now get to put into my drag unapologetically. I did a talent show when I was eight and dressed up as Peter Pan and lip-synched Mary Martin — a woman playing a boy — in drag. I was severely made fun of. But it went in the hamper, or the subconscious, and now it comes back out in a really great way. It’s extremely healing.
Q: Tell us something your audience would never guess about you.
That I really am that nice. And also that I love my alone time. And the only drug I take is on stage: the audience is my drug. I spend a lot of time taking care of myself so I can be as crazy and physical and vocal as you see. And I walk on the beach every day.
