Drag Takes the Throne as High Art

In this fabulous feature from Playbill, Kieron Cindric tracks the rise of drag from backroom counter-culture to a Broadway mainstay.

Sequin-dotted gowns and glitter-speckled heels shimmer wildly underneath the limelight of New York stages, where drag queens have become the ticket-selling darlings of the ensemble as well as the outright stars of numerous productions.

Whether helping to resuscitate floundering businesses in Kinky Boots, trekking cross-country in the name of family in Priscilla Queen of the Desert or simply dabbling in drag to pay ever-mounting bills in The Legend of Georgia McBride, onstage “queens” are a resourceful, industrious crew. The only thing more massive than any of these shows’ wardrobe budgets is the general popularity of drag culture. Look no further than an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race or a row of Broadway marquees to witness how pervasive drag culture has become in recent years... READ MORE

Photograph by Matt Crockett