Drags dazzled crowd

If you’re lazy like me and only leave your room to see a show once a semester, the drag show is definitely the one to go to. This show proved to be a roller coaster for the senses, dazzling the audience’s eyes and ears. With many returning kings and queens and a few newcomers, “Absolut Drag,” sponsored by the Pride Network, was an absolutely amazing on-campus entertainment event. Drag queen Frankie Starr, in her first drag show at UR, had a positive first impression, stating that it was “lots of fun and very good,” with “great energy from the audience.”The one thing you will notice is that the people who attend the show are very much into it. From rewarding the performers with applause or dollar bills, they will return the favor of the entertainment back to the actual entertainers.The rowdy audience is the key component that keeps most of the kings and queens coming back to UR.”This is a favorite for me,” returning drag king Windz said. “The crowd is perceptive [so] you’re going to go all out.””The audience response and crowd interaction keeps me coming back,” Ambrosia Salad stated.The start of the show was delayed for about 15 minutes while waiting for two of the queens to arrive. Nevertheless, the returning host of the show, Ambrosia Salad, kept the restless audience entertained by poking fun at the disc jockey, whom she called Bill, and tossing around sexual innuendos. Starr commenced the show with a sexy performance wearing a scintillating outfit to the tune of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”King LL Cool A followed Starr’s act with a bass-thumping “Nasty Girl” mix, themed to the song “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies. While not the most amazing performance of the show, it definitely got the audience moving in their seats. Ambrosia Salad next captured the attention of everyone with an all-yellow outfit in addition to her scandalous moves. A favorite from last year’s show, Windz was greeted with a thunderous applause from the audience and did not disappoint in his performance to Silk’s “Freak Me.” A definitive crowd-pleaser – or just knowing that college students in general are always hungry – he even brought some strawberries.One of the most memorable – unfortunately or not – was the next drag queen, Ayssha Black, who rhythmically danced to Beyonc’s “Crazy in Love.” Everything was going smoothly until a little something popped out of where it was supposed to stay, inciting rumors of another Janet Jackson nipple-slip. However, we weren’t in suspense for too long – she made sure we saw everything in her second performance after intermission. “I think there’s not much more to show of Ayssha,” Ambrosia Salad said.The next king on stage, Clint Taurus, showed what crowd involvement really meant bringing someone onstage to dance with him. Pandora Boxx, a returning queen from last year, treated the audience to “Toxic” by Britney Spears. Clad from head to toe in leather, she emulated the pop-diva pretty convincingly, especially with her vivid red hair.By far the most entertaining performance of the night was during Ambrosia Salad’s second act. She came out in what appeared to be a plain iridescent body suit, an attached long red skirt, a red Princess Leia wig and approximately six-inch platforms. Unexpectedly, she flung away a part of her outfit and extended a peacock-like cape that displayed “Ambrosia” when held up behind her.From a purely entertainment standpoint, the drag show was extraordinary gratifying. If you missed it this time, you can see the drag kings and queens at the next show in the spring. Tice can be reached atctice@campustimes.org.