With the chilly weather coming through louder than Mariah Carey’s sad vocal efforts, it is a great time for us Manhattanites to go inside and experience the warmth in many ways… including our love of the drag community. Lips, New York’s ultimate drag show palace, has now launched a weekly “Christmas Spectacular”, which will be happening every Tuesday night this December. I took a friend there this week, and had an absolute blast in so many ways.
The location of Lips is quite awesome, as it consists of a restaurant setting with a small bar and stage for the queens and people alike to perform and feel their fantasy throughout. With locations all across the United States, Lips has become one of the go to places in Manhattan for all things drag culture and beyond, and you are guaranteed to have a blast.
It is best to get there around 7:15 PM so you can enjoy your delicious meal before the show begins at 9. Lips has a great prix-fixe menu where you get a soup/salad, entree and dessert all for a reasonable price (around $20). I chose their tasty Caesar Salad, Penne Alla Vodka and a warm and delicious Brownie to finish my meal. It left me satisfied and full, but that was only one part of the fab evening that we were treated to.
The drag show started around 9, with host Blackie O’Clause and The Dragettes performing amazing Christmas songs together and solo in their own and unique way. Blackie was the comic relief of the night, making fun of half the audience as most drag queens do during shows yet doing it in a cutting and hilarious way at the same time. She was hysterical. The Dragettes also did a great job on their own, in particular our waitress Ruby Roo, and kept the crowd lively and happy throughout. All the classics were performed, making it for a great sing along extravaganza!
The people celebrating birthdays got to go up for photo with Blackie and another member of The Dragettes, as well as doing some hysterical karaoke after the show was over with to old school tracks from SWV, Rihanna and more. Overall, it was a fantastic night and I hope you all get to experience it first hand!
For more information on Lips, check out their official site.