Love at first sight with Valentine’s drag show
By Sarah F. Griffin, Jay Roberson and Maggie Kleiner
The show may have been drag, but the atmosphere in the room was anything but.
The Bart Luedeke Center Theater was packed in anticipation of the Student Entertainment Council’s “Love is a Drag” show on Feb. 7.
Students were decked out in glow-in-the-dark glasses and bracelets, while jamming out to classic and contemporary pop hits that made the ground vibrate.
The audience erupted into applause as the host VinChelle strolled onstage to the beginning of Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together.” Her classy performance was matched by her dazzling metallic gown, which later converted into a bodysuit. VinChelle vocalized the importance of supporting Black drag queens like herself, especially during Black History Month.
Up next was Stefani Steel, who emerged wearing a star-studded coat and bedazzled hat, holding a prop cane. She strutted to Lady Gaga’s new song “Abracadabra.”
Drag queens Tastie, Morgan Wells, Victoria Courtez, Freeda Kulo and Jolina Jasmine followed, each with their own spin on musical numbers and costume changes.
Each queen performed twice: once in act one and again in act two.
In between the two acts, there was a short intermission. Students were given the opportunity to compete for tickets to see VinChelle perform as Lola in Haddon Township’s Ritz Theater Company’s production of “Kinky Boots.”
“I really love the outfits of the drag queens,” said senior psychology major Michelle Velasquez.
Morgan Wells handmade each of her elaborate outfits, notably her entirely rainbow ensemble fit with a complex headpiece, spiked shoulders and dangling sequins.
She promoted her online shop “Morgan Wells Drag Closet” to any future drag queens in the audience, where she sells her handmade costume pieces.
“I believe it’s really important to have drag races at universities to not only give a safe space for people to express [themselves], but also [for others to] have an open mind [and] be open to different communities,” Velasquez said.
Freeda Kulo, the reigning “Miss Paradise 2024” from Paradise Nightclub in Asbury Park, brought variety with her mix of music and comedy. She lip synced to comedian Anjelah Johnson’s standup routine about Latino hierarchy, occasionally breaking through the routine by dancing to Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud” and Selena’s “Como la Flor.”
After what the audience’s applause deemed a phenomenal show, two of the drag queens reflected on the meaning of the performance.
“I can’t believe how receptive this crowd was, because we don’t get this all the time,” said Wells. “It’s unbelievable how receptive they were.”
Victoria Courtez said “Performing drag is liberation. I’ve been performing in the industry for about 20 years. It started off as a hobby, it turned into a passion and now it’s a statement.”
Courtez said she loves using drag to inspire others: “As a trans woman, I find that I have a duty to my public audience to show everybody that they can express themselves freely and not have to worry about outside judgement.”
Check out The Rider News’ photo gallery of the “Love is a Drag” show!
