With the help of Sabin, a Drag Queen host at Oakland University for 13 years, the Oakland Center submerged itself in the 20th edition of the Annual Drag Show.
With an under-the-sea theme, SAGE welcomed 10 drag performers — professional and amateur, new and known — to celebrate a now traditional show at OU on March 25.
“My favorite part, for sure, was the decorations,” Claire Childers, SAGE president, said. “I personally stayed up until 4 a.m. like six days in a row, working the day before the drag show. I was up all night, which sounds like it would not be fun, but it was such a fun experience with friends.”
Although foam Ursula was crafted at the last minute, Childers explained that planning for the annual drag show takes a year and is consolidated in a month of coordination and student auditions.
“It is so important to have these kinds of events on campus because it shows that our community is out there,” Childers said. “For our community members, they feel represented, but it is also for everyone else to see that we exist and we’re doing big things.”
Sabin opened up the stage with the first of her three numbers. However, Sir Guy kicked off the ocean atmosphere with the Little Mermaid theme.
“’I’m like a secret Disney adult, so obviously I had to bring out ‘Under the Sea,’ Little Mermaid, but add my own little pop-punk twist to it because Sir Guy is a pop-punk kind of guy,” recurring performer Sir Guy said.
Like them, Cosmo Hart crafted his enthusiastic number with Avril Lavinge’s “Girlfriend.” Lansing-Based Miss Golden O’Hara-Polo delighted the audience with a Beyonce-inspired performance.
“She passed the [bar] exam for the first time and that’s only one reason why she’s amazing,” Sage said to introduce Miss Golden O’Hara-Polo. “She’s currently working in Lansing, doing work on immigration cases to make sure that people are safe.”
Continuing with the classics, Hym had students dancing to Gaga’s “Alejandro” while third-year performer, Bartholomew Frost, turned the audience static with Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”
“My favorite part of the show is always Sabin,” Bartholomew Frost, OU student, said. “She gave me advice backstage, and she’s an amazing performer, and I’m so glad to have been able to work with her multiple years in a row.”
Under the heat of an incandescent light, with poetic strides and gaze, Sabin delivered a cathartic performance of Sade’s “Is It A Crime.” In a display of crowd work, she contrasted her theatrical range with dashing jokes and social reflections.
“A lot of people want us to go back into a closet,” Sabin said. “There isn’t a walk-in closet big enough that I will ever walk back into … I saw someone look at my T-shirt, and my instinct was to zip up my hoodie. I got inside my car, and I was furious at myself because I allowed them to make me uncomfortable, and I made a vow in that moment that I will live my life unapologetically gay.”
In the Melodramatic tone of the performances, Whitney Naomi shook the audience to the rhythm of Laura Branigan’s “Gloria.” In a swift subversion of the mood, Crucifella led a Lighting McQueen number.
“Put yourself out there if you’re nervous, that makes it kind of more fun, because something just takes over,” Crucifella said about her experience with drag. “You don’t have to be good at dance, you don’t have to be good at makeup. You just do it. It’s something that anybody can have, and it’s something that the queer community has championed as a core thing.”
Closing the first part of the performances, Prince Marsallis returned to the pop vein in “Cake By The Ocean” and bright costumes. With a perfect mix of spacey fantasy and Ghibli charm of a costume, Pluto brought the ocean theme to life.
“I’m really proud and really happy with how, with how it turned out this year,” Childers said. “There was a great turnout, people seemed to be very happy, that makes me happy.”
