Originally published in the San Antonio Current. With an origin story not unlike that of fellow Puerto Rican drag star Jessica Wild (who performs in San Antonio on March 6), Yara Sofia rose through the ranks of San Juan’s LGBT nightlife scene, perfecting her craft in famed clubs like Krash and eventually landing on RuPaul’s…
Drag Queens and Roller Coasters to Highlight Annual ‘Out in the Park’
Nightlife impresario Rey Lopez’s fourth annual Out in the Park, slated for November 3 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, will be the perfect mix of thrill rides and drag queens. Taking a cue from similar gay events at Disneyland and Walt Disney world, Out in the Park is a full-fledged theme-park takeover — Fiesta Texas…
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Alums to Headline Rey Lopez Birthday Bash
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. The Rey Lopez Birthday Bash is gathering 10 fan favorites from previous seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race. An annual extravaganza known for its night-long drag performances and shenanigans, this year’s show will see the likes of season seven winner Violet Chachki, season eight winner Bob the Drag Queen…
Rey of Light: Rey Lopez Illuminates Drag in San Antonio
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. It’s an muggy Sunday evening as I step out of the car and walk toward Heat nightclub, one of several queer-oriented venues on the North Main Street Strip. Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 – who came to fame on the competitive drag-queen show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and is better known…
Ada Vox: How a Singing Drag Queen from San Antonio Got America to Listen Up
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. To most American Idol viewers, the singing drag queen Ada Vox came out of nowhere to turn in one stunning prime-time performance after another. Vox grabbed our attention early on with an incandescent rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep,” and she didn’t let go. Vox followed up with her interpretation…
Drag Star Shea Couleé Ready to Slay Heat Nightclub
Upon entering the workroom on season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Shea Couleé fiercely declared, “I didn’t come to play, I came to slay!” Flaunting an uncanny resemblance to 1970s icon Grace Jones, the Chicago native quickly emerged as one of the top queens to beat, giving season nine winner Sasha Velour a run for…
‘Drag Race’ Stars to Share the Fiesta Texas Stage with Local Queens at Out in the Park
Based on the success of the first two years of Out in the Park, nightlife empresario Rey Lopez has struck a local chord with his wild and wonderful combination of thrill rides and drag queens. Serving up something in the vein of Orlando’s Gay Days at Walt Disney World (which annually attracts an estimated 50,000…
Chameleonic Queen Nina Bo’Nina Brown Brings Her Wild Drag Stylings to Heat
Not that it hasn’t always been there in some way, shape or form, but exaggerated, outlandish costumes and makeup concepts have flourished in recent seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race — exemplified by the likes of deranged living doll Trixie Mattel (season seven), “7-foot-tall, live-action anime character” Kim Chi (season eight) and Atlanta-based transformation specialist Nina…
Rey Lopez Birthday Bash Promises an ‘Eleganza Extravaganza’
Since its 2012 premiere at the Bonham Exchange, the annual Rey Lopez Birthday Bash has featured appearances by some of the top performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race. This year’s extravaganza on July 28 pairs established fan favorites like Raja alongside newcomers Naomi Smalls and Valentina. Raven and Jujubee (AKA Team Rujubee) and Puerto Rican beauties…
Meet The Juniors: Rising Drag Stars Harness the Power of Teamwork
I meet them as boys on an evening a week before Christmas, at Bakery Lorraine. Louie Canales, who performs as Chyna Cravens, and Christian Paolo, aka Sephwhora (pronounced Sef-whore-ah) 51, are waiting for me at a table near the entrance. The third member of the drag queen girl group known as The Juniors is running…