May the best queen win! Sweetie hosts the 10th season of The Ultimate Drag Off.
By Brandon Voss
"Before there was a Drag Race, the real knock-down-drag-out was The Ultimate Drag Off,” says legendary hostess Sweetie, who launches the 10th season of her “interactive musical game show comedy” September 18 at Stage 72. “Drag Off queens aren’t what you see trotted out on TV. It’s live, raw, high-energy, in-your-face hijinks. It’s a real joyride, and I’m lucky to drive the bus.”
Sweetie’s painted passengers at the Friday night showdown are both drag starlets and seasoned drag veterans, who battle weekly for the approval of the audience and guest co-hosts like Michael Musto and Christine Pedi. So what’s it take to snatch and keep the crown? “Queens who get the farthest are ones who offer up something different. It’s a platform for unique takes on drag. Whether it’s with your look or performance, step out and sparkle. It also helps to bring your friends and make sure they’re liquored up and ready to cheer you on.”
It’s a drag show! An interactive game show! A musical comedy! Is there anything we won’t see at The Ultimate Drag Off? “Lackluster, garden-variety drag,” Sweetie says. “Our director-producer, Alex Perez, has a knack for cultivating really insane lineups of eye-popping performance — totally deranged, laugh-out-loud funny, and then — pow! Every week is a totally new experience.”
Next, September 2015.