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drag

    DRAG DESK

    Sapphira Cristál Keeps It in the Family

    The drag queen and opera singer is a grand marshal for this year’s Carnival parade

    By

    Don’t tell JD Vance, but a church is a great place to nurture a future drag queen. She can develop an arsenal of talents: singing, sewing, working a crowd. And the church itself, with flowers on the altar, stained-glass windows, and the priest raising a gold chalice to his lips, can teach a queen a thing or two about ornamentation, theatricality, and hitting your mark.

    Drag queen Sapphira Cristál is a classically trained opera singer. (Photo by Joe Mac)

    “Church taught me that I’m capable of anything I put my mind to,” says Sapphira Cristál, who grew up attending the same church in Houston as Beyoncé and who achieved national fame as runner-up on season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race earlier this year.

    Cristál will be one of the grand marshals for this year’s Provincetown Carnival parade on Thursday, Aug. 22 alongside drag performer Kevin Aviance and state Rep. Sarah Peake. The night before the parade, she’ll perform with her drag daughter Qya Cristál at Provincetown Town Hall.

    Houston felt like a sprawling wonderland of art and music to the young Sapphira, who was born in Bryan, Texas in 1988 as O’Neill Nichol Haynes. “My experience growing up in Texas was different than what I later heard it was like for others,” she says. “I loved it. My mom played classical music for me in utero. When I was a kid, she would take me to the opera, the ballet, and classical music concerts.”

    In middle school, Cristál would go to the library and listen to recordings of Paul Robeson singing spirituals. “I was obsessed with his voice,” she says. During Black History Month one year, a classmate was assigned the premier solo, singing “Wade in the Water.” But she was doing it all wrong, Cristál says — there was no oomph to her voice. “So, in the middle of the classroom, I just started singing it.” The music teacher turned around, and the solo was promptly reassigned.

    Cristál went on to Houston’s Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. “It was really formative for me,” she says. “I was surrounded by people who took this life seriously.”

    After graduation, Cristál enrolled at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where she studied composition and opera. One night at a gay bar she saw the drag queen Delicious performing.

    Cristál was the runner-up on season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. (Photo by Jacob Ritts)

    “When I saw her on that stage, I thought, ‘I need to be a drag queen,’ ” Cristál says. She approached Delicious and asked for help getting started. “She sighed and said, ‘OK, fine,’ ” Cristál recalls. “It was the first day of the rest of my life.”

    Drag wasn’t a far cry from opera. “I think all opera is drag,” Cristál says. “It’s so gaudy, it’s so big, it’s so grand, it’s so everything.” Her performances are operatic: wearing a ball gown and a two-foot-tall wig, she either sings or lip-synchs arias while doing splits and bouncing up and down across the stage.

    “People who don’t see lip-synching as an art aren’t seeing good lip-synching,” Cristál says. “Proper lip-synching is true connection to music, just like singing.”

    Cristál’s lip-synching is mesmerizing. It’s a bit of a mind warp — her gestures are so precise that you find yourself wondering if it isn’t really her producing the sounds. “I’m listening to every beat, every note, every breath and where it comes in,” she told Philadelphia Gay News.

    In her version of Puccini’s soprano aria “O mio babbino caro” she flies up and down the scales with preternatural ease. The lyrics are in Italian, but Cristál’s voice conveys the emotions of the song perfectly whether you understand the words or not.

    Cristál moved to Boston to study at the Longy School of Music, and in 2011 she found herself homeless. One day, she says, she got a call from Ryan Landry. “He said, ‘Girl, you need to come to Provincetown.’ ” Landry got her a job and a place to live and paid her first month’s rent. Cristál came back to Provincetown for the following three summers.

    That kind of caregiving is a staple of the drag community, and Cristál has continued the tradition. She is the drag mother — the term for an established drag queen who “shows a new queen the ropes,” Cristál says — of Provincetown singer and performer Qya Cristál.

    “Some drag mothers are literally your second mother,” says Sapphira. “They’ve taken you in, they feed you, they clothe you. A lot of people have lost their families through the art of drag or just through coming out as gay.”

    One summer when Cristál was visiting Provincetown, people kept telling her there was a young queen who was the spitting image of her. “I said ‘OK, whatever,’ ” says Cristál. “How much could she resemble me? But then I met her. I don’t usually seek out my daughters. I let them come to me. But Qya had such star power.” The family resemblance is evident: like Sapphira, Qya is a powerful vocalist who knows how to capture and hold the attention of her audience.

    Sapphira says she’s excited to reunite with Qya and about returning to Provincetown. “It has an energy unlike any other place I’ve been,” she says. “I want to give Provincetown the performance it deserves.” Expect to see her end her show with a familiar ritual: she asks everyone in the audience to hug themselves and say, “I truly love and accept myself.” It’s Cristál’s way of extending drag’s ecosystem of care — from the stage all the way to the back row.

    One Night Only

    The event: Sapphira Cristál performs with her drag daughter Qya Cristál
    The time: Wednesday, Aug. 21, 8:30 p.m.
    The place: Provincetown Town Hall, 260 Commercial St.
    The cost: $85-$165 ($45 for under 25; I.D. required) at ptown.org

    OUTER CAPE PORTRAIT

    A Joyful Shift

    PETER GHERARDI AND MARK BOUCHER / AT HOME / PROVINCETOWN

    By

    Mark Boucher

    Peter Gherardi

    Peter Gherardi, a psychiatrist, and Mark Boucher, a lead patient service representative, retired in December 2023 from Outer Cape Health Services in Provincetown. I spoke with them about their experiences doing drag together.

    Mark Boucher: The first time that I saw my husband in drag was during a Halloween party last year. We bought Peter a beautiful sequin dress with flats and a lovely little bob wig. I did his makeup, which I overdid, actually. He looked a little garish, but I thought he was lovely.

    Peter Gherardi: My husband happens to be very much of an extrovert. Since we’ve been living in Provincetown, he’s been really into dressing in drag and has developed a persona that allows him to be even more flamboyant than his baseline over-the-top self. When I see him in drag, a part of me is wondering, what’s he going to do next? How far is he going to take this? 

    Mark: It was interesting to see my partner, who had never done drag before in his life, get really into it and accent and show off his feminine side. His voice changed, his gait, his gaze, his whole body morphed into something different. It was really lovely to see. As gay male partners, there’s a lot of masculinity around our intimacy, of course. When we had the opportunity to dress in drag and be photographed in our garden, it almost felt as if we were two women gazing at each other and allowing, or feeling, each other’s feminine qualities come through. It was very sweet. It was really sweet.

    LISTINGS

    The Week Ahead in Provincetown Drag

    By

    Crown & Anchor

    Paige Turner performs at Pilgrim House this week. (Photo courtesy Paige Turner)

    Uptown Girls, “Illusions,” Sat. at 6 p.m., $39

    Dina Martina, “Chariots of Failure,” Sat. at 7:30 p.m., $44

    Pilgrim House

    Paige Turner, “Joy Ride,” Fri.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m., $30-40

    Miss Richfield 1981, “40 Years on the Throne,” Fri.-Sat. at 9 p.m., $30-40

    Drag Brunch, Sun. at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., $15

    Post Office Café and Cabaret

    “The Anita Cocktail Variety Hour,” Fri.-Sun. at 7:30 p.m., $35

    “Anita Cocktail’s Changeover Brunch,” Sat. at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., $10

    LISTINGS

    The Week Ahead in Provincetown Drag

    By

    The Art House

    Ginger Minj, Thurs.-Sat. & Wed. at 9 p.m., $40

    Crown & Anchor

    Varla Jean Merman, “Little Prick,” Thurs.-Sat. & Tues.-Wed. at 9 p.m., $49

    Dina Martina, “Chariots of Failure,” Thurs.-Sun. & Wed. at 7:30 p.m., $44

    Uptown Girls, “Illusions,” Sat.-Mon. at 6 p.m., $39

    Mackenzie, Lakia Mondale, and Roxy Pops, “Divas by the Sea Drag Brunch,” Sun. at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., $12

    Thirsty Burlington, “One Night Only With Cher,” Mon. at 7:30 p.m., $39

    Fishermen Hall

    Ryan Landry’s “Showgirls,” Mon. at 9 p.m., $30 (tickets available for purchase at House of LaRue, 244 Commercial St.)

    Pilgrim House

    The Golden Gays NYC perform at Pilgrim House this week. (Photo Darin Kamnetz)

    Paige Turner, “Joy Ride,” Thurs.-Sat. & Wed. at 7:30 p.m., $30-$40

    Miss Richfield 1981, “40 Years on the Throne,” Thurs.-Fri. at 9 p.m., $30-$40

    “The Immaculate Miss Conception,” Sat.-Wed. at 6 p.m., $30-$40

    Paige Turner, “Sunday Service Drag Brunch,” Sun. at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., $15

    The Golden Gays NYC, “Hot Flashbacks,” Mon.-Tues. at 7:30 p.m., $30-$40

    Post Office Café and Cabaret

    “The Anita Cocktail Variety Hour,” Fri.-Sun. at 8:30 p.m., $35

    “Anita Cocktail’s Changeover Brunch,” Sat. at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1 p.m., $10

    Provincetown Brewing Co.

    RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars viewing party with Mackenzie and Austin, Thurs. at 7 p.m.

    LISTINGS

    The Week Ahead in Provincetown Drag

    By

    The Art House

    Ginger Minj, Thurs.-Sat. & Wed. at 9 p.m., $40

    Crown & Anchor

    Varla Jean Merman, “Little Prick,” Thurs.-Sat. & Tues.-Wed. at 9 p.m., $49

    Dina Martina, “Chariots of Failure,” Thurs.-Sun. & Wed. at 7:30 p.m., $44

    Uptown Girls, “Illusions,” Sat.-Mon. at 6 p.m., $39

    Mackenzie, Lakia Mondale, and Roxy Pops, “Divas by the Sea Drag Brunch,” Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., $1.

    Thirsty Burlington, “One Night Only With Cher,” Mon. at 7:30 p.m., $39

    Fishermen Hall

    Ryan Landry’s “Showgirls,” Mon. at 9 p.m., $30 (tickets available for purchase at House of LaRue, 244 Commercial St.)

    Pilgrim House

    Paige Turner, “Joy Ride,” Thurs.-Sat. & Wed. at 7:30 p.m., $30-$40

    Miss Richfield 1981, “40 Years on the Throne,” Thurs.-Sat. & Mon.-Wed. at 9 p.m., $30-$40

    Paige Turner, “Sunday Service Drag Brunch,” Sun. at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., $15

    “The Immaculate Miss Conception,” Thurs.-Fri. at 6 p.m., $30-$40

    Post Office Café and Cabaret

    Lady Bunny performs at the Red Room this week. (Photo courtesy Lady Bunny)

    “The Anita Cocktail Variety Hour,” Fri.-Sun. at 8:30 p.m., $35

    “Anita Cocktail’s Changeover Brunch,” Sat. at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., $10

    Provincetown Brewing Co.

    RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars viewing party with Mackenzie and Austin, Thurs. at 7 p.m.

    Red Room at Velvet

    Jackie Beat, “See Me While I’m Still Alive,” Thurs.-Fri. at 9 p.m., $35

    Lady Bunny, “Pig in a Wig,” Fri. at 7:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. & Tues. at 9 p.m., $35

    BOOK REVIEW

    Diary of a Drag Queen Reveals a Year of Living Dangerously

    Crystal a.k.a. Tom Rasmussen’s life is an open book

    By

    Drag queens are a familiar part of street life in Provincetown, and thanks to stars such as RuPaul and his Drag Race reality show, they’ve become a familiar part of the media landscape. Audiences straight and queer have flocked to drag performances in town — they’re even a hit for bachelorette parties. British writer Tom Rasmussen, who as a drag performer goes by the name Crystal, has been the beneficiary of that familiarity. But how much do we know about the inner lives of drag queens? Rasmussen attempts to satisfy our curiosity with an equally outrageous and perceptive account of one year in such a life, titled Diary of a Drag Queen. Though Crystal is often referred to in the press and by the public as she/her, Rasmussen’s gender identity is nonbinary, using they/them, which highlights the fact that two personalities are telling this story, since both Crystal and Tom are listed as authors of the book.

    Crystal Rasmussen
    Quentin Crisp, eat your heart out: Crystal Rasmussen, British drag queen extraordinaire, has written a year-in-the-life chronicle of exploits. (Photo Edo Chang)

    In it, Rasmussen takes us through that defining year with brutal honesty. Born in Lancaster in northern England to a working-class family, Rasmussen went to Cambridge to study veterinary medicine. While at Cambridge, they were always keenly aware of a sense of otherness — not only in terms of sexuality, but also in the social, class, and economic differences that had to be recognized and overcome. “I came from the bottom of the mountain, a place where I had never even known about class because the top was not in view,” Rasmussen writes.

    The book opens in New York City, with Rasmussen working in the publishing industry as a personal assistant for a fashion magazine editor. Realizing that they were never going to make it in the world of fashion, Rasmussen heads back to the U.K. to pursue a career in London and to be near family, friends, and, especially, Ace, their best friend and true love.

    In London, problems persist. As a drag performer, Rasmussen is not able to find steady work. Ace is dating another man, so the hoped-for romance flounders. Rasmussen gets an internship at the fashion magazine Chic but is soon fired for telling the editors that the publication is too racist. And finances are tight — they are continually overdrawn at the bank.

    As the year progresses, things begin to turn around. Rasmussen joins a drag troupe called Denim, which starts performing in high-profile queer venues in London and all over the U.K. Rasmussen’s talents as a journalist find an outlet in periodicals. And Ace eventually comes to realize that Rasmussen is the love of his life.

    The path to a more satisfying existence is hardly seamless, however. As we take the journey with Rasmussen, we are treated to vivid and hilarious stories of adventures good and bad, not to mention the graphic details of many erotic encounters, the cumulative effect of which can be a little much. Rasmussen does not shy away from sharing their exploits, as well as the harassment and suffering they endure, the moments of low self-esteem, or the vicious physical attacks.

    “Drag is about both sisterhood and stardom, and those two things require respect: for each other and for yourself,” Rasmussen writes. “As queer people, we are taught to disrespect ourselves because we’re constantly disrespected, and so becoming a drag performer is so much about unlearning that.”

    In one horrific incident of physical abuse recounted in the book, Rasmussen, who had just left a drag performance, describes a man screaming vile homophobic slurs, smashing a bottle, and chasing after them. Unbeknownst to the man, a bus is careening down the street towards him. Rasmussen instinctively stops and pushes the attacker out of the bus’s path, averting a likely lethal accident. After the bus passes, the two look at each other, and the man earnestly thanks Rasmussen. Then, looking Rasmussen squarely in the eye, he reaches up and strikes the drag queen so hard in the face that “I heard my nose crack and my brain bounce around my skull,” Rasmussen writes. “My sight disappeared; my mouth filled by blood coursing from some unknown location on my face.”

    Of this surreal attack, Rasmussen says, “Imagine a scenario in which someone despises your existence so vehemently, so fervently, that, even when you have genuinely saved their life, they feel you still deserve physical punishment for being.” Rasmussen’s level-headed observations of moments like this are what give the book depth.

    Diary of a Drag Queen
    Diary of a Drag Queen, by Crystal Rasmussen, with Tom Rasmussen, was published by FSG Originals on April 14.

    And the book is filled with insightful reflections on drag culture. “People think drag queens are stupid,” Rasmussen writes. “This is misogyny in action: they think that because we feminize ourselves, because we spend a lot of time on makeup and hair and getting exactly the right look, we are vapid, bitchy, and stupid. We created a culture that the world marvels at. We know how to make a mockery not of women, but of what you (men) think women should be, whereas you (men) just, simply, mock women. It’s stupid to think drag queens are stupid.”

    Diary of a Drag Queen is anything but stupid. Rasmussen tells the daily stories of his year-long journey with intelligence and wit. The amount of explicit sex recounted might be off-putting to some, but what Rasmussen has written, as Crystal and Tom, is raw and powerful, entertaining and thought-provoking.

    Arts Briefs and Listings

    Arts Briefs and Listings for Feb. 20 through Feb. 26

    By

    Cori Redstone’s Art of Protest

    Artist Cori Redstone, who was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and got her M.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts, organized her first protest, a middle school walkout, at age 14. She remains an activist through her work.

    Redstone will be giving a talk, “Why Make Art When the World Is F#@cked?” on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. at the Fine Arts Work Center at 24 Pearl St. in Provincetown.

    The event is free and open to the public.

    Ellis Paul in Concert at First Encounter

    Maine-born, Boston-based folk singer-songwriter Ellis Paul, an award-winning performer for 30 years, will appear in concert on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Encounter Coffeehouse at Chapel in the Pines, 220 Samoset Road in Eastham. He has released 20 albums and two children’s books.

    Tickets are $25 at the door.

     

     

     

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Reading of Elizabeth Hemmerdinger’s Squall

    The next installment of the Provincetown Theater’s Winter Play Dates series of full-length staged readings of new work will be Squall, by Elizabeth Hemmerdinger, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. at the theater at 238 Bradford St. The performance is free and open to the public.

    Squall is a psychological thriller about two women trapped on an island off the coast of Maine. The reading is directed by Gary Garrison and features Vanessa Rose and Anne Stott. It will be followed by a talkback.

    Hemmerdinger, who got her M.F.A. from New York University, is a producer of the documentary film Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me and associate producer of The Homestretch.

    Rick Drost at Coffeehouse at the Mews

    Rick Drost, a singer-songwriter from Cambridge, will be the featured act at the Coffeehouse at the Mews open mic on Monday, Feb. 24, at 429 Commercial St. in Provincetown.

    The coffeehouse is hosted by Peter Donnelly. There’s a $5 donation added to your restaurant bill that benefits WOMR and the Provincetown Theater. Reservations are suggested.

    Drost has been writing songs since the ’60s and performing full-time since he retired as a software engineer in 2015.

    Jon Richardson Back at the Bench

    Provincetown’s own Jon Richardson is back warming up the crowds at the piano at the Crown & Anchor’s Dive Bar on Friday and Saturday nights from 9 p.m. at 247 Commercial St. in Provincetown.

    Richardson, who performs as a duo with Peter Donnelly and produces recordings of his own and others at his home studio here in town, plays piano bars throughout the season at venues in Provincetown and elsewhere, including Tin Pan Alley.

     

     

    Arts Listings

    Music and Theater Highlights

    CONCERTS

    Sarah Burrill: Friday, Feb. 21, 5-7 p.m. at Truro Vineyards, 11 Shore Road, Truro. No cover.

    Crowes Pasture: Monique Byrne & Andy Rogovin: Winter Music Series, Saturday, Feb. 22, 1 p.m. at Truro Public Library, 7 Standish Way. Free.

    Denya & Friends: Irish Folk Sessions: Friday, Feb. 21, 7-9 p.m. at Provincetown Brewing Co., 141 Bradford St. No cover.

    Rick Drost: Monday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., with open mic, at Coffeehouse at the Mews, 429 Commercial St., Provincetown. $5 donation benefits WOMR and Provincetown Theater.

    Kathleen Healy: Saturday, Feb. 22, 5-7 p.m. at Truro Vineyards, 11 Shore Road, Truro. No cover.

    Lower Cape Resistance Chorus: community sing of protest songs, Monday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St. Free.

    Mardi Gras Dance Party with Sugarcane Duquesne: Friday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St. $15 in advance at wellfleetpreservationhall.org; $16 at door.

    Ellis Paul: Saturday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. at First Encounter Coffee House, 220 Samoset Road, Eastham. $25 at door.

    Kareem Sanjaghi: Rowena Myers Waking Up Winter With Music Series, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2 p.m. at Snow Library, 67 Main St., Orleans. Free.

    Toast and Jam with Tim Dickey, Julie Charland, Blake Newman, and Alice Malone: Saturday, Feb. 22, 3 p.m. at Wellfleet Public Library, 55 West Main St.

    Bart Weisman Klezmer/Swing Band: Winter Music Series, Saturday, Feb. 22, 1 p.m. at Eastham Public Library, 190 Samoset Road. Free.

    PIANO BARS

    Mike Flanagan: Thursday, Feb. 20, 7-10 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 21, 8-11 p.m. at Tin Pan Alley, 269 Commercial St., in Provincetown. No cover.

    Jon Richardson: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 21-22, from 9 p.m. at Crown & Anchor, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown. No cover.

    THEATER

    Assassins, by Stephen Sondheim: Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m., through March 1 at Eventide Arts, 713 Route 6A, Dennis. $25 at eventidearts.org.

    Rumpelstiltskin: performed by the Dream Tale Puppets, Saturday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m., at Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre, 105 Division St., Harwich. $12 at capecodtheatrecompany.org.

    Snow White: Thursday & Saturday at 7 p.m., Friday & Sunday at 2 p.m., at Academy Playhouse, 120 Main St., Orleans. $20, students $10, at apacapecod.org.

    Squall, by Elizabeth Hemmerdinger: staged reading, directed by Gary Garrison, with Vanessa Rose and Anne Stott, talkback following performance, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m., at Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St. Free.

    Winter Vacation Magic with the Amazing Richard & Co.: Thursday-Friday, Feb. 20-21, 2 p.m., at Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre, 105 Division St., Harwich. $15 at capecodtheatrecompany.org.

    DRAG

    Drag Bingo with Tiki Bronstein, Wednesday, at 9:30 p.m. at Atlantic House, 4-6 Masonic Place, Provincetown.

    Drag Karaoke at Governor Bradford, 312 Commercial St., Provincetown: Dana Danzel, Friday-Saturday, at 9:30 p.m. No cover.

     

     

    this week

    Arts Briefs & Listings for November 14 through 20

    exhibitions, music, theater, and other happenings on the Outer Cape this week

    By

    BRIEFS

    Badland Film’s a Fund-raiser for HOW and PFS
    It’s an interesting idea for a Western: a bounty hunter who goes after Confederate war criminals. Badland, a feature film starring Kevin Makely, Mira Sorvino, Bruce Dern, Wes Studi, and James Russo, will be preview-screened on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Waters Edge Cinema at 237 Commercial St. (Whaler’s Wharf, 2nd floor) in Provincetown. Tickets are $20 at the box office or watersedgecinema.org, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Helping Our Women and the Provincetown Film Society.

    Art From Debris Enlivens Local Bounty Banquet

    The Center for Coastal Studies is hosting a fund-raiser for its Ghost Gear Recovery Project on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at CCS and St. Peter’s Hall. This sculpture by Orly Genger, titled “Red, Yellow, and Blue,” was installed in Madison Square Park in New York City about seven years ago. It was created from rope recovered from the commercial lobster fishery. (Photo courtesy Laura Ludwig)

    The Center for Coastal Studies will host a Local Bounty Banquet on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. (social hour at CCS, 5 Holway Ave. in Provincetown) and 6 p.m. (banquet at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 11 Prince St. in Provincetown). The event is a fund-raiser for the Ghost Gear Recovery Project, with the aim of raising matching funds in support of an ongoing effort to recover lost, abandoned, or discarded fishing gear from the ocean.

    At the banquet there will be a buffet, a presentation on the Derelict Fishing Gear Recovery Project, music by special guests, and an exhibit of artwork featuring marine debris contributed by diverse artists.

    Tickets are $100, $90 for CCS members at coastalstudies.org. At the website, click “Connect and Learn” and then “Special Events.” Also available are banquet T-shirts whether you attend or not.

    Critchley Unveils Revised Feminist Mayflower Compact
    As part of his ongoing project “Democracy of the Land,” in tandem with Provincetown 400, local artist Jay Critchley unveiled a pop-up installation now on display at the Provincetown Public Library of his revised and illustrated Mayflower Compact with all women signers, including Cher, Rosa Parks, Gertrude Stein, Whoopi Goldberg, and Sojourner Truth. The original was signed in 1620, almost 400 years ago. (Photo Nancy Bloom)

    Radio Play Version of It’s a Wonderful Life to Open at Provincetown Theater
    Starting Thursday, Nov. 21, and running through Sunday, Dec. 8, the Provincetown Theater will feature Joe Landry’s It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, a version of the classic Frank Capra film adapted for radio, with live sound effects. Directed by the theater’s artistic director, David Drake, the show features a cast of 10 (in alphabetical order): Laura Cappello, Colin Delaney, Nicholas Dohr, Paul E. Halley, Beau Jackett, Alex Juchmejwich, Kenneth Lonergan, Racine Oxtoby, Julia Salinger, and Anne Stott.

    Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Provincetown Theater at 238 Bradford St. Tickets can be purchased online at provincetowntheater.org or at the theater’s box office, weekdays 1-4 p.m. or call (508) 487-7487.

    Arts Listings

    CONCERTS
    Quartett Giocosa, “Macabre”: Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden,” Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Moussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” and Saint-Saens’s “Danse Macabre,” Saturday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m. at Federated Church of Orleans, 162 Main St. $22.

    The Broughams, “Rock to Stop Homelessness,” Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m. at Hog Island, 28 West Road, Orleans. $20 donation.

    Gregg Sullivan, Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St. $15 at wellfleetpreservationhall.org.

    Peking and the Mystics, Saturday, Nov. 16, 3 p.m. at Wellfleet Public Library, 55 W. Main St. Free.

    OPEN MICS
    Kathleen Healy, featured act, Monday, Nov. 18, from 7 p.m. at Coffeehouse at the Mews, 429 Commercial St., Provincetown. $5 donation (cover).

    Feed Your Love Open Mic, Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 7 p.m. at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St. Free.

    PIANO BARS
    Jon Richardson, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16, from 9 p.m. at Crown & Anchor Dive Bar, 247 Commercial St. in Provincetown. No cover.

    Tin Pan Alley, 269 Commercial St., Provincetown: Cassandra Marsh, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16, 8 -11 p.m.; Gerald Goode, Sunday, Nov. 17, 7-10 p.m.; and Jim Brosseau & Friends, Monday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m. No cover.

    THEATER
    Something Rotten! book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick: Tuesday-Thursday 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. through Dec. 8 (no shows Nov. 26-28) at Cape Rep, 3299 Route 6A, Brewster. Tickets $35-$40 at caperep.org

    To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted from the film by Aaron Sorkin: Thursday-Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2:30 p.m. through Nov. 23 at Eventide Arts, 713 Main St. (Route 6A), Dennis. Tickets $25 at eventidearts.org.

    DRAG
    Drag Karaoke with Dana Danzel at Governor Bradford, 312 Commercial St. in Provincetown: Friday-Saturday from 9:30 p.m. No cover.

    RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (on TV) With Thirsty Burlington and Bang: Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at Crown & Anchor Wave Bar, 247 Commercial St. in Provincetown. No cover.

     

     

    performance

    The Metamorphosis of a Drag Queen

    How a person named Eddy becomes Drunkerella

    By

    Final bow, when Eddy is Drunkerella
    “For me, it started with some bad wigs, a couple of bad outfits hanging in the closet, and finding a pair of heels that fit, ’cause being a man, your feet are bigger than a woman’s,” Eddy says. “Some queens come out and want to be completely perfect, they don’t want to look stupid in any way. Whereas I’ll come out and tumble on the floor. I’ll wear pink fuzzy slippers, I’ll eat food off someone’s plate, especially if it’s French fries, or drink their cocktail.”

    By Susannah Elisabeth Fulcher |  Photographs by Marcia Geier

    Walk down Commercial Street in Provincetown pretty much any time of year and, if you’re lucky, you might encounter a tall, exuberant queen with bouncy blond curls, a round-faced smile, and obvious hip extenders under her 3XL dress, sashaying gleefully in high heels. She isn’t handing out leaflets or calling you into a show. She wants nothing of you but to make you feel happy for a moment and, maybe, to laugh. She has a rare kind of innocence, and she exudes it. Her name is Drunkerella — though she rarely drinks — and she is still learning to become a drag queen. A large part of her charm is that she’s imperfect, stumbling and bumbling as she goes along.

    Behind this extravagant persona is a quiet, youngish man with a fresh face, sad eyes, and a keen knowledge of LGBTQ history and culture. Eddy Lupien Jr. manages two Provincetown businesses: the Carpe Diem Guesthouse and Namasté Spa. He commutes every day from his home in South Wellfleet, where he lives with his husband and his mother, Theresa.

    Eddy moved from Rhode Island to Provincetown more than 10 years ago. The first time he did drag was Halloween 2015. “When the wig went on, I transformed, and it was amazing,” he says. Before that happened, Eddy didn’t really know much about drag. “I thought it was that you wanted to be a woman,” he says. “And I like being a man. Drag allows me to be someone else. And feel free.” Eddy senses that when people are with Drunkerella they feel that freedom and enjoy it. “As Drunkerella, I can go up to someone on the street and say, ‘Where did you find that sweater — it’s disgusting!’ I can rip everyone up like that and they love it. They say, ‘Do you know how fabulous you are?’ and the answer is, ‘Yes, of course!’ Drunkerella needs to go out, to spread love, joy. It’s fun.”

    After the whirlwind of Carnival week had subsided, Eddy invited a photographer and reporter into his home to document his transformation for the newspaper and to get to know Drunkerella better. And the rest is herstory.

    Make up and lashes await
    Eddy notes that it’s very typical for a new drag queen to have a drag mama — a more experienced queen who notices the newbie’s talent and shows interest. “My drag mother, Mama Chichi, helped me by bringing me out and educating me,” Eddy says. “You have someone to hang out with and ask questions, like what kind of lashes to buy. They’ll tell you where to buy things and give you wigs or other hand-me-downs.”

     

    Putting on lipstick
    “I haven’t been doing drag that long, only about five years, if that, so Drunkerella is just a baby,” Eddy says. “She’s still learning the little tips and tricks, like how to do her makeup better each time, what to wear underneath, and what to help with comfort. At first, I was very quiet, wondering, What will people think? Do they know who I am? Should I be embarrassed, ashamed? I don’t think I was as outgoing the first couple of times, but each time it’s a little bit more fun, a little bit more exhilarating.”

     

    contemplation
    “Drunkerella has some great cleavage, and it’s my own boobs that get lifted up,” Eddy says. “Women are lucky, they have fat pockets.” He points to his chest. “But mine are not that big, so I have to push them up in place to make cleavage for her. I roll up socks and stuff them in layers of bras to make a shelf.” On the days when Drunkerella goes out, Eddy works all day at Carpe Diem in drag. “I did drag for Pride Week from about 7 in the morning until 1:30 the next morning, which was exhausting. It hurt, but it’s worth it.”

     

    Eddy gets dressed, with his mother's help
    When Eddy transforms into Drunkerella, his mother, Theresa, helps out, comments on his makeup, and fastens the three bras and corset he wears. “He’s happy when he does this — that’s when he’s himself,” Theresa says. “He’s happiest when he’s a drag queen. All the other times, he’s not so happy. I think he’s fabulous.”

     

    Flipping her wig
    The name “Drunkerella” is a pun that was born years ago, when Eddy was working a different job in a different town, complaining about the amount of cleaning he was asked to do. He told a friend that he felt like Cinderella, to which his friend joked that, given his dance style, he should call himself Drunkerella. It’s not about being drunk, though. “It’s all good fun, and drag is always about word play,” Eddy says. “Anita Cocktail has been sober for years. Sharon Needles doesn’t do drugs or promote drugs.”

     

    this week

    Arts Briefs & Listings for November 7 through 13

    exhibitions, music, theater, and other happenings on the Outer Cape this week

    By

    BRIEFS

    Sparky and Rhonda Rucker Perform at First Encounter

    Sparky and Rhonda Rucker — musicians, authors, and teachers — will perform a variety of folk songs, spirituals, and historical ballads on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) at the First Encounter Coffeehouse at Chapel of the Pines, 220 Samoset Road in Eastham. Admission is $20 at the door.

    An Adam Graham painting
    The untitled work by Adam Graham pictured here is part of the series “Noir,” which will have an opening on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Adam Graham)

    Adam Graham’s ‘Noir’ at Seashore Point

    “Noir,” a show of new work by Provincetown artist Adam Graham, untitled black-and-white mixed media (charcoal, pastel, acrylic, and oil) paintings on paper, will have an opening reception on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. at the Residences at Seashore Point at 100 Alden St. in Provincetown. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

    Madama Butterfly Live From the Met

    The Metropolitan Opera’s exquisite production of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, directed by the late Anthony Minghella and using Bunraku puppets, will be simulcast live in HD on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 12:55 p.m. at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater at 2357 Route 6. The performance will be conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi, and features Hui He as the tragic Cio-Cio-San, Andrea Carè as Pinkerton, Elizabeth DeShong as Suzuki, and Paulo Szot as Sharpless. Tickets are $30, seniors $27, and students $12 at what.org.

    Provincetown Film Art Series Opens on Sunday

     The Provincetown Film Art Series, now in its 14th year, will have its Kickoff Celebration fund-raiser screening, of Edward Yang’s Yi Yi (2000), at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. reception) at Waters Edge Cinema at 237 Commercial St, 2nd floor of Whaler’s Wharf. The series, presented by the Provincetown Film Society and Provincetown Art Association and Museum, is curated and hosted by Howard Karren, arts editor of the Provincetown Independent.

    Bi-weekly screenings, which begin this Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. with Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, continue through May 13, 2020. Season passes for $185 (or $135 for PFS or PAAM members) can be purchased at paam.org or provincetownfilm.org. Individual tickets are $12, or $8 for PFS or PAAM members. Tickets to the Kickoff Celebration screening are $40.

    Dance on Film Series Comes to WHAT

    The Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater will present Dance on Film, a series of screenings on four Fridays in November at 7 p.m., beginning on Nov. 8 with the 1948 classic The Red Shoes, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a ballerina (Moira Shearer) and the shoes that possess her. The films will be introduced and followed by a short discussion led by Marc Strauss. Tickets are $12 at what.org.

    LISTINGS

    CONCERTS

    Ball at the Hall: A RAICES Benefit with music by Bittersweet, Sunday, Nov. 10, 7-10 p.m. at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St. Tickets $30 in advance at wellfleetpreservationhall.org, $35 at the door.

    Music Salon With Zoë Lewis, Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 1:30 p.m. at Provincetown Council on Aging, 2 Mayflower St. Free.

    Out Late With Diana Di Gioia, Saturday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. at Provincetown Public Library, 356 Commercial St. Free.

    Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m., at First Encounter Coffee House, 220 Samoset Road in Eastham. $20 at door.

    PIANO BARS

    Jon Richardson, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 8-9, 9 p.m. at the Crown & Anchor Dive Bar, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown: No cover.

    Tin Pan Alley, 269 Commercial St., Provincetown: Clare Hogan, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 8-9, 8-11 p.m.; Gerald Goode, Sunday, Nov. 10, 7-10 p.m.; Jim Brosseau & Friends, Monday, Nov. 11, 7-10 p.m. No cover.

    THEATER

     Crude: The Climate Change Musical, by Maureen Condon: Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. (last performance), at Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre, 105 Division St. in Harwich. Tickets are $27, seniors $25, under 21 $15 at capecodtheatrecompany.org

    Mosquito Story Slam, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”: Saturday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St. $15.

    Something Rotten! book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick: Opens Nov. 6. Shows Tuesdays-Thursdays 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. through Dec. 8 (no shows Nov. 26-28). Tickets $35-$40 at caperep.org

    OPERA

    Madama Butterfly, by Giacomo Puccini, live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera, Saturday, Nov. 9, 12:55 p.m. at Wellfleet Actors Harbor Theater, 2357 Route 6. Tickets are $30, seniors $27, students $12 at what.org.

    DRAG

     Drag Karaoke at Governor Bradford, 312 Commercial St. in Provincetown: Thursday-Saturday at 9:30 p.m.: Dana Danzel. No cover

    RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (on TV) With Thirsty Burlington and Bang: Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at Crown & Anchor Wave Bar, 247 Commercial St. in Provincetown. No cover.

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