How ‘Drag: The Musical’ Changed Lives—Onstage and Off
"There's a lot of parents of trans kids who talk to us at the door and they are just in awe that something like this exists," Nick Adams, the star of Drag, told Jezebel.
Photo: Matthew Murphy Entertainment
Years before the far-right demonized drag queen story hours and Project 2025 outlined the decimation of LGBTQ+ protections, Justin Honard, aka Alaska Thunderfuck, wrote a treatment for a show aptly named, Drag: The Musical. If you take it solely at its expertly-beat face, the story centers on two rival drag clubs vying for dominion. But, about 30 minutes in, you’ll find an exceedingly resonant lesson in forgiveness, friendship, and fighting tooth and nail for joy against the forces trying to claim it. As Honard described it during a recent conversation with Jezebel, Drag is about family—the one we make, and the other one that just makes us crazy.
The show resides on the corner of camp, at the intersection of unabashed queerness, anti-capitalism, and community care. After years of opening their doors to local drunks, queer club-goers, and drag-lovers, the dueling owners, Alexis Gilmore and Miss Kitty, face foreclosure from the IRS and goading from an all-t00-gleeful real estate mogul. It doesn’t take more than a number or two to conclude that these queens aren’t just railing against each other, but the system that couldn’t care less about a safe space. Timely, indeed. Following its October 2024 premiere, Drag: The Musical quickly became an off-Broadway darling.
“Long Live The Drag Queens,” declared New York Theatre Guide. “‘Drag: The Musical’ Has Plenty Of Sequins And Sass. It Might Just Make You Cry, Too,” wrote Huff Post. The show also received a boost from its producer, Dorothy’s daughter herself, Liza Minnelli, and a revolving door of queer icons (Chappell Roan! Amanda LePore! Ariana Grande’s brother!) who’ve all been spotted in its audience. According to its stars, however, the most meaningful appearances have been the people at the stage door after the show—like Gail, a woman who’s seen the show 18 times and refers to it as “her reason to live.” There’s also been scores of parents to queer children hoping their kids can meet their new heroes.
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“There’s a lot of parents of trans kid that talk to us at the door and they are just in awe that something like this exists,” Nick Adams, who portrays Alexis Gilmore, told Jezebel. “There’s also been a lot of discussion at the door about how grateful people are that they can bring kids to this because drag is sort of exclusive to nightlife if it’s not on television. There’s an age restriction on that. So, to be able to have someone who might be curious about what this world is—that can’t get into a bar—is important. It’s family friendly, and they get to really experience what’s possible.”It’s true. Apart from Kinky Boots (which closed on Broadway in 2019), characters who are drag performers are hardly a fixture in theater—even in 2025. But Drag: The Musical resists resting on representation for representation’s sake. If anything, it’s an essential reminder that the issues facing queer people right now aren’t limited to identity. In the show, audiences meet characters grappling with the grief of unrealized dreams, distant family, and displacement. It’s a testament to Honard and co-creators, Tomas Costanza and Ashley Gordon.
“I think that being a part of a show that was for queer people and by queer people is really important,” David Brumfield (aka Lagoona Bloo) who plays Tuna Turner in the show told Jezebel. “I feel like a lot of time in popular media, drag themes are the driving force behind a lot of the creative vision, but queerness on Broadway and in theater is mostly made to be palatable to cis, heterosexual people.”
There are innumerable examples of productions where the central conflict facing its queer characters is either AIDS or bigotry. Of course, that’s not to say those issues aren’t important or that they don’t have a place in Drag. But the breadth of harm is better represented, especially where society’s imposed shame is concerned. A central plot point, for example, is Gilmore’s young nephew’s affinity for fashion, performance art, and just about all the things boys are told not to be, much to the chagrin of his father. The cast has their own share of stories like this: Adams remembered the first time he dressed as a woman in a community theater production at 15 years old, and the terror he felt when realizing that his classmates might find out.
“There was a bulletin board in my high school that was like, ‘things goings on with students’ and on it, they had this picture of me from The Erie Times in a split and full regalia,” Adams said. “I remember tearing it down and crumpling it up because I was afraid someone would find out about it.”
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“Growing up a Black and feminine queer person, has always been hard,” Justin R. Reed (aka Luxx Noir London) who stars as Popcorn, said. “You become immune to feeling ostracized.”
As the show nears its final curtain at the end of April, it’s difficult not to wonder what the cast—and by extension, their audience—will do next. Honard mentions growing a beard and taking a break, and Brumfield will be doing a residency at Fire Island this summer. But their sadness about its end is unanimous—especially as threats increase against the LGBTQ+ community, and those at the stage door will be left looking for levity. Not at all unlike their characters, they’ll find a way to serve as they always have. Luckily, a cast recording of the show’s music will be on sale soon.
“All of this adversity that we’re facing as a country…it’s kind of hard to shake me because I’ve heard everything before, and I’ve told myself everything before,” Reed said. “As far as being a drag queen or a queer person going through all of these struggles, it’s kind of just like, drag is kind of all I’ve ever had to fall back on. Throughout all of this, I still have that.”
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