Five years ago, almost to the day, the world collectively shut down. That meant the future of thousands of television and film productions and live productions were up in the air. In Las Vegas, a city whose lifeblood is human interaction, the closure of casinos and performing venues put the future of many livelihoods in peril. Just six weeks before, “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live: Vegas Revue” opened on the Las Vegas Strip to a star-studded premiere. This weekend, co-directors RuPaul Charles and Jamal Sims celebrated the 1,000th show after “Drag Race Live” has established itself as a staple at the Flamingo Casino and Resort. A remarkable achievement in a town where live shows come and go with a roll of the dice.
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Catching up with “Drag Race” executive producers and World of Wonder founders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, there was a sense of pride in how both “Drag Race” and the live show have conquered so many obstacles.
“The premiere was bittersweet,” Barbato recalls. “I mean, it was so exciting, and we were filming it, and then COVID hit, and there was a long period of time that we thought there wouldn’t be a future. I mean, it was heartbreaking for all of us, but somehow, we all managed. The queens, as well. And so it’s this amazing victory lap to be here a thousand shows later and dealing with another, quite a different horror, but still persevering.”
A slew of “Drag Race” alumni have appeared in the live show, which has spawned a behind-the-scenes reality program, “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live: Untucked,” which will return for a second season. The current Las Vegas cast includes Ginger Minj, Jaida Essence Hall, Plain Jane, Morphine Love Dion, and, a staple of the revue from the beginning, Asia O’Hara. Barbato says one thing he’s learned since the live show launched is how “amazing” it is bringing in new cast members.
Bailey continues, “And the way it morphs is simply the fact that it is here in Vegas. Because you can say what you like about queer art and the queer experience. You can say that it’s niche and you can say this, that and the other, but Vegas, everybody comes here. They come from the Red states, they come from the Blue states, they come from other countries. And if it can work from the script, it can work anywhere. And it just goes to show that a lot of that ‘blah, blah, blah, blah, blah’ is just ‘blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ That’s what I’ve learned, that drag has a universal fundamental appeal because it is joy and creativity and all this noise we’re hearing about what it lar this bulls**t.”
At the time of “Drag Race Live’s” debut, the franchise had found a way to thrive against the headwinds of the first Trump administration. Four years later, that president is back and has embraced anti-LGBTQ+ policies to drive fear in conservative voters. It reminded this writer of how RuPaul has often remarked that time has shown us that social progress will appear and then, eventually, recede. Are Bailey and Fenton more worried about that progress and the future of “Drag Race” than they were eight years ago? Bailey quickly responds, “No.”
“It’s not as if the audience suddenly wants to watch something else,” Bailey remarks. “The rhetoric may be one thing, and there may be all these sorts of pulling back of initiatives, but to me, I firmly believe that more than ever, people want ‘Drag Race,’ they want drag. You’re right, steps forward, steps back. But overall, it does keep moving forward, the overall trajectory.”
Barbato adds, “I think our mission is to just continue doing what we’re doing and doing it more and providing hope and laughter and hope above all else. And visibility. I do think it’s darker and more threatening and more scary, but we’re looking to the light and not to the dark, because we’ve all lived through a version of this, never this extreme. But see, Fenton, you’re usually much more pessimistic about all of this.”
“You are the optimist, and I’m the pessimist,” Bailey responds. “Yeah. But it is a realization that at least half the country voted the other way. And it’s not like any of them are going to change. I think what they are trying to do by definition cannot succeed, and it has never succeeded.”
Of course, things aren’t any easier in Hollywood proper. The television landscape has changed significantly over the past few years as media companies climb down the Peak TV mountain and the distribution landscape changes. Bailey and Fenton have their own outlet, WoW Presents Plus, which streams international “Drag Race” franchises and queer-related content all over the world. Bailey says things are “going well in a way” but adds, “We’ve always existed in some respects on a wing and a prayer, a thread by a thread. So, no day is guaranteed. Right?”
Currently, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is wrapping up its 17th season. Several cast members were on hand for the 1,000th celebration, including Lexi Love, Suzie Toot, Jewels, Sam Star, Lana Ja’Rae, and Onya Nurve. Bailey and Barbato have often noted that filming every season yields many surprises and is always different from those previous. Season 17 is no different.
“I think when we were making it, we had a sense that these queens were less edited, less filtered, more authentic,” Barbato says. “And I think everyone has recognized that. And that’s why ‘Untucked’ is so insane this year because I think for a couple of seasons, the queens were worried, and I understand it, about how they’re going to be perceived, but it seems like this season they’re kind of cool. They don’t care about that.”
As one of the proud stans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Global All Stars,” and with the flagship “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” ready to announce season 10 any day now, we had to ask Barbato and Bailey if “GAS” will return for a second season.
“I mean, hopefully, if our partners don’t do it, I think we might have to do it,” Barbato says with a laugh.
“Yeah. I know that launching ‘Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale,’ which is kind of a little bit of ‘Vs. [the World],’ a little bit of ‘All Stars’ in a new sort of version. So, a specific answer, I don’t know the answer to the question, but there are other versions, and of course there’s ‘Slaycation’ season two, which just filmed.”
Recently, producer Dimitri Cocciuti responded that “Drag Race Italia,” which hasn’t aired in over a year since debuting on Paramount+ for one go-around, was returning. World of Wonder has so far been quiet about that prospect. We put the normally cagey WoW founders on the record about the future of “Italia” and, surprising Barbato, Bailey definitively replied, “It will come back, yes.”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race Live: Vegas Revue” can be found five days a week on Thursdays-Mondays at the Flamingo Casino and Resort. “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live: Untucked” is available on WoW Presents Plus. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 17 is currently airing on MTV.