How far will the 40 pageant 'girls' go to win that most glamourous of titles - The Queen of the Whole Universe - this Saturday in Wellington's St. James Theatre? And how high will the head-dresses get?
Jonathan O'Brien, also known as Miss Judy Chicago, also known as Miss India (Miss Putaconda Monsoon!) for this weekend's show, says it's been three weeks of intensive rehearsals, as the capital's gals gear up to out-glam many of Auckland's annual Queen of the Whole Universe pageant performers who are travelling down for the one-off fundraising event.
"We've had three Saturday workshops to catch up to the Auckland cast with pageant creative director Jonathan Smith and our choreographer Michael Sanders," the talented 25-year old tells us. "The numbers Jonathan has chosen are all so camp and make rehearsals a lot of fun. We've made great progress so far so it'll be interesting to see what our first rehearsal with the girls from Auckland will be like!"
We wondered if there was much rivalry behind the scenes. Have claws come out? "Honey, when you get this many drag queens together in one show there is BOUND to be rivalry," he laughs."A little birdie told me that Miss Kiribati has disappeared beneath the waves, all eyes are on Miss Bermuda Triangle - Sabotage!" You heard it here first.
O'Brien had just stepped into his very first training heels when he heard about the HIV-fighting fundraiser Queen of the Whole Pacific (the pageant's modest title back in 2004). "I thought it would be a great way to fast track my 'drag training' and get the opportunity to perform on a BIG stage.
"Learning some of the tricks of the trade in such a creative and supportive environment really helped to foster the development of my drag - I like to think of Buffy & Bimbo (the show's hostesses) as my 'great aunts'! Since then I've been involved in as many shows as I could be. I moved to Wellington two years ago, so I'm thrilled to be involved in a show down here."
This is New Zealand's biggest drag event, and knowing they have to perform to a packed theatre keeps the cast on their toes. O'Brien feels the fear but does it anyway: "In that moment when the curtain peels back and the audience sees us for the first time, a split second of elated nausea washes over me, knowing that hundreds of people are out there cheering to be entertained.
"You feel it coming from all the other performers around you too, a sort of collective electricity powering the whole show - that's the buzz that keeps me performing."
It's certainly a very queer beauty pageant… catch the Queen of the Whole Universe in Wellington's St. James Theatre this Saturday 27 June. A few great seats are still available - see the Ticketek website for booking details. The official bar for the cast and crew is S&M's Cocktail Lounge on 176 Cuba Street, where the after-party is sure to go all night…
The Dominion Post also caught up with Jonathan O'Brien/Judy Chicago and took some fab photos of her getting ready for a show. Check out their gallery and feature here.
