Formally, she's Miss Rockbar, but you can call her Coco Taylor! In this episode of Block Talk, we discuss her journey through theater, life in drag, and her upcoming Pride benefit show at Rockbar!

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She's here! It's Clarice DuBois! We talk about musicals, her drag inspirations, and her fabulous variety show Clarice Explains It All at ICON!

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Allegra Spread // photo by Michael Block

Day: Wednesday, January 10th 

Show: Petra Fried Presents: Allegra Spread 

Location: Rockbar

Queens Seen: Allegra Spread (@allegradrag), Jessie James (@jessiejamesny), Cream Victoria (@reginastargazer)

Jessie James // photo by Michael Block

Cream Victoria // photo by Michael Block

While Petra Fried is away, a special guest host gets to grace the stage at Rockbar. This night was hosted by the professional asshole herself (a term of endearment she personally deemed) Allegra Spread! Joined by Jessie James and Cream Victoria, the audience spent the night watching some fascinating numbers, from sultry to bonkers, as Allegra urged everyone to leave tips with her dear friend, Filma Box, her clever tip bucket with her name on it. She begins her two act set with a live sung rendition of “Nowadays” from Chicago. It’s a number that has great weight on many levels. Nowadays, it seems everyone is a performer, but not everyone has the poise and confidence that Allegra has. Even with a tiny crowd, Allegra was welcoming, ensuring each member was a part of her experience. Both Jessie and Cream Victoria were rotated into the set, showing off their greatest assets. Jessie James looked like a Twisted Sister Princess. Rock on the top, innocent on the bottom. Jessie’s in-your-face essence as a performer translates in her numbers. They have an edge to them while maintaining the drag integrity. This was my first time seeing Cream Victoria and boy does she bring a show with her! In both sets, Cream Victoria had an apropos costume that matched her mix. She got us high in her first number while she defiled pasta in her second.
Whether she intentionally integrated the thematic elements of mother issues or they all just so happened to fall into place, Petra Fried Presents: Allegra Spread had a desirable cohesion some shows lack nowadays. Allegra and friends left you wanting more. Maybe we didn’t need that intermission. Maybe we needed that extra number or two to cover up the costume changes. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what Allegra Spread does next because she sure spreads joy!

Coco Taylor // photo by Michael Block

Day: Tuesday, January 2nd 

Show: Miss Rockbar Presents

Location: Rockbar

Queens Seen: Coco Taylor (@cocotaylornyc)

Coco Taylor began her new weekly show Miss Rockbar Presents to a warm crowd of fans and friends alike. The reigning Miss Rockbar brings a little bit of Broadway and a lot of bit of funny to her show. Being the debut show, Coco made the night all about herself. In future installments, she will invite guest queens to kiki with Coco. Examining her set list, it’s evident that Coco Taylor is a theater queen at heart. She started the night off with a spark performing a little “Magic to Do” and littering elements of the Great White Way into her mixes. And don’t worry, the mixes were a-plenty. Coco’s ability to know her crowd manifested through the inclusion of clips in her mixes. As a theater girl, Coco placed an intermission into her show, soon returning with a brand new look. While most queens play a generic audience game, Coco included a little interview segment, which will carry through into future shows. Normally, Coco will interview her guests, but since this was the inaugural show, she brought People Magazine’s Dave Quinn in to interview her. It was a refreshing segment that broke the evening up. Coco has a spunk to her. While she may not be a split and death drop queen, she’s unafraid to somersault through the bar, even if it means losing a boob.
If you haven’t heard of Coco Taylor before, now you have. You can check her out every Tuesday at 9:00pm at Rockbar for Miss Rockbar Presents. And if you’re lucky and she does her Waitress mix, you might even get a Pop Tart! Sadly, I did not.

Bella Noche // photo by Michael Block

Day: Tuesday, January 2nd

Show: Game On

Location: Rockbar

Queens Seen: Bella Noche (@bellanochenyc)

Hosted by Bella Noche and Jason Romas, the first installment of Game On of 2018 was a tribute to the year that was. This week’s game was a 2017 movie, music, and dead celebrity trivia extravaganza. With it being the first of the year, it’s likely that most people were still nursing their hangovers as the crowd was on the lighter side. That didn’t stop the games from going and a show from starting as the familiar buzz of the speakers filled Rockbar. Bella began her set with Kristinia DeBarge’s “Goodbye” as a sayonara to the past year. Fans of New York’s premiere mermaid queen would be excited as the show featured an array of her classic numbers, including her Makeup mix and her Dirty Talk mix. With the theme of new year, new me, Bella rocked a double pony tail look that was nothing short of fierce.
Game On, a weekly show that has graced Rockbar for years, is a night of fun for those willing to play. If you’re a fan of horror movies, next week Bella and Jason are gearing their next show for you. Drop on by for an evening of all horror movie trivia!