On Sundays in Allston… we go to Drag Brunch. The queens and queers of the Greater Boston area sashay to Lulu’s Allston for a spectacle of dance, music, comedy and cosmetics. Hosted by local favorites Missy Steak and Patty Bourrée, the show runs for approximately 90 minutes. Featuring three guest queens, the brunch party showcases everything from original material, trivia and musical chairs.
Typically outside on the patio, this occasion was moved inside due to rain. Attendees packed into Lulu’s, received their bucket of mimosas (included with ticket), ordered some hangover curing nourishment and got ready to tuck n’roll. Kicking off with a medley of their “favorite blonds” Lady Gaga & Britney Spears, Missy & Patty warmed up the crowd with their infectious antics. Weaving in between brunchers, they left no one out. Missy twirls her fringe to one side, and Patty climbs onto the bar singles in hand as they collect money from the crowd like bandits. If the eye-popping costumes, meticulously combed wigs and expertly applied makeup weren’t enough for you, the expressions across Missy & Patty’s faces are enough to goop the gag.
Photo credit: Joey Del Ponte
If things weren’t warming up enough, the fiery Linda Marie Póssa (pictured left) struts out to a seductive medley of classics “Como La Flor”, “Gasolina” and “Super Bass”. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and Linda had everyone feeling the heat. At one point we made eye contact and I swear she was looking directly into my soul. Come for the energetic dancing, stay for the non-stop seduction.
Up next, serving womana, was the lovely Chanel the Angel (pictured below). Mid-way through a crowd pleasing medley of “Motivation” by Normani and “Pretty Girl Rock” by Keri Hilson, something amazing happened. The body chain that Chanel was wearing snapped and fell off, a wardrobe malfunction on any other day, but the Angel shook it off and kept it going. The crowd literally went wild as she danced her way around the restaurant and into our hearts & minds.
Photo credit: Joey Del Ponte
Now what would a drag show be without a dose of some delightful chaos? Courtesy of Miss Patty Bourrée, a few lucky (er-unlucky depending on how you look at it) volunteers are picked from the crowd for a rousing round of musical chairs. A glorious game that reduces even the most composed of individuals into maniacs sabotaging each other for chairs. Patty then consoles the losers and wraps the audience in a warm embrace to a performance of “Thank You For Being a Friend”.
Staying within the audience interaction portion of the show, Missy Steak recruits volunteers for a game of RuPaul’s Drag Race trivia. No tea, no shade, no pink lemonade, but for a group of volunteers at a drag show… the results were okay to good. For any die hard fans of the show, or if you’re like me and spent quarantine watching 24 seasons of Drag Race then this would’ve been a walk in the park. Or at least a walk with children in nature.
Photo credit: Joey Del Ponte
The last, but don’t you dare say least, guest queen Harlow Havoc (pictured right) then exploded onto the dancefloor. Burning with the passion of her blood red hair, Havoc caused a commotion flying around the restaurant to “Physical” and “Levitating” by Dua Lipa. She was everywhere, from crawling across the bar to jumping into a split that shook the house down… boots. But the most memorable moment of the night came when young Clementine, who was in attendance celebrating her birthday with her family, started breakdancing with Harlow. A move that would cement her as an honorary queen for the day.
Getting towards the end of the show, our hostesses with the mostesses return to keep the party going. Missy Steak at one point leaves the bar and dances along the sidewalk. Interacting with passersby and eventually flashing the audience from behind a window. While Patty manages to not-so-subtly slip in her recent hyper-pop influenced single “Where Do I Belong?”, which you can check out below!
The five queens then come out together to wrap things up with a group performance to “Wannabe” by the legendary Spice Girls. The crowd, full from delicious brunch fare including some sexy breakfast “Tot”-chos, offer up their last dollars to the lovely ladies and venture out into Allston, a little fuller – and gayer – than before.
Make sure to catch the Queens for another Sunday Drag Brunch at Lulu’s on August 29th. If Brunch ain’t your thing, make sure to grab a ticket to Patty’s one woman show “Another Evening with Patty Bourrée” at Jacques Cabaret Underground in Boston on Friday, August 20th. Check out Missy Steak and Patty Bourrée’s Facebook pages for more info! And follow Missy, Patty, Linda, Harlow and Chanel on their Instagrams for more!
