Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Drag365: Show #31- Ultimate Drag Pageant, Week 3 at The West End

Carlos the Uber Driver // photo by Michael Block
Day: Thursday, February 1st   

Show: Ultimate Drag Pageant, Week 3

Location: The West End

Queens Seen: Marti Gould Cummings (@martigcummings), Allura Borealis (@alluraborealis), Bambina, Carlos the Uber Driver (@carlostheuberdriver), Gina Tonic (@itsginatonic), Foolisha (@thefoolisha), Nicole Onoscopi (@nicoleonoscopi), Precious Envy (@theenvyofprecious), Shelby Late (@shelby_late), Tiffany Anne Coke (@tiffanyannecoke)






Bambina // photo by Michael Block
Hooray for Hollywood! It was Hollywood week at The Ultimate Drag Pageant. With Nedra away, hostess Marti Gould Cummings brought along her “Shade: Queens of NYC” gal pal, Showbiz Spitfire Paige Turner to the judges panel. Offering profound insight, the duo guided the girls through their numbers ahead of the upcoming elimination in week 4. To kick things off, Gina Tonic returned from her stint in La La Land with a comical rendition of Britney Spears’ “Lucky” as the titular character fails at killing herself. The number featured Gina shaving her head live on stage. Bringing a modern interpretation to the theme, Shelby Late began with a soundbite about Harvey Weinstein that led into an emotionally charged rendition of “Creep.” Nicole Onoscopi brought the out-of-the-box comedy to the thriller genre with her flip on “Silence of the Lambs” characters Clarice Starling and Buffalo Bill. Keeping the horror trend going, Precious Envy played around with “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Eartha Kitt as Catwomen made a cameo appearance in Bambi’s diamond inspired number. Foolisha found a way to interject David Lynch into drag with her “Mulholland Drive” mix. The standard drag number “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” was the source for Tiffany Anne Coke, who looked stunning in her gown. Carlos the Uber Driver paid tribute to Hollywood while performing Broadway with a number from Sunset Boulevard. Rounding out the night was Allura Borealis lip syncing to the title song of the James Bond flick, “Goldfinger.”
With an array of interpretations, the judges went in deep and hard with constructive criticism. For the first time in three weeks, a unanimous decision didn’t happen between the judges and I. While my pick of the night was the bold “Silence of the Lambs” mix from Nicole Onoscopi, it was Carlos the Uber Driver who earned a 5 star rating as the winner of the week. The next time you read a UDP recap, at least one competitor will be gone after the Comedy week elimination. Who will it be? Come to the West End to find out!