Stretchy Velour

By Berto Fernández

I consider myself to be a pretty die hard Drag Race fan, from back during Season 1, when I was watching it real-time on Logo TV. I always tell the story of the night I was at Therapy (the Gay bar, not my Wednesday afternoon appointment) in New York City, at the watch party for the Grand Finale. Two out of the top three queens were going to be in attendance, and one of them was my pick for the crown, Puerto Rican icon, Nina Flowers. The bar was jam packed with members of our community coming together for this new TV show that celebrated the artform of Drag. How seriously rad. As the episode aired, I was enjoying some libations, and ended up locking eyes with this tall handsome German man who seemed very interested in me, not so much in Drag Race. These romantic opportunities shouldn’t be wasted (pun intended), so I engaged as best as I could, while trying to watch the show. Well, my multitasking abilities were very sharp at the time, and they worked flawlessly. We start talking and end up making out around the time of the final runway. I vividly remember strategically moving him around so I could watch the episode while we continued our canoodling. I was hooked…on Drag Race, not the Berlin native lover. 

Through its 15 years on the air, the globally popular show has brought to the forefront some phenomenal artists of the Queer Community, and without question, Sasha Velour, is at the top of that list. Her iconic and viral Season 9 finale rose petal number will forever be ingrained in my mind as one of those visual moments that tapped into a part of my brain I had never experienced before. Velour is an accomplished artist, writer, and producer, widely praised for her Drag revue Nightgowns, and Smoke & Mirrors, a Theatrical extravaganza. 

For World Premiere production, Velour: A Drag Spectacular, the artist partners with La Jolla Playhouse to bring a deeply personal show about her own coming of age story and family struggles, as well as a throughline touching on important Queer history. Her book “The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag” serves as a pivotal inspiration for this staged version.

Celebrated Theatre Maker, Moisés Kaufman, collaborated with Velour in writing and directing the visually charged show, which also features West Coast based Drag artists Ezra Reaves, Moscato Sky, Amber St. James, and Shaun Tuazon. Sasha’s ground-breaking performances explore storytelling through brilliant video projections married with jaw-dropping lip syncs. Velour is no exception. 

The fabric Velour, by definition, is as soft and aesthetically pleasing as velvet, but it’s a lot more stretchy. This defines Sasha Velour to the core. She expands her persona to a limitless expression that defies any boundaries or conformity, while mesmerising us all with stunningly poignant art. Sasha is a crucial pioneer in the LGBTQ rights movement. Drag is a protest, so march to see this powerful spectacle. You might see yourself reflected in the mirror.

Velour: A Drag Spectacular runs through September 15th at La Jolla Playhouse.