For better and for worse, Opulence is a difficult show for the vertically challenged — I think as I bounce my tiny 5-foot-2-inch frame up and down for a view of the drag queens at Zepp Shinjuku. The concert hall is filled with nearly 1,500 fans, and I cannot contain my sense of pride and awe that a drag show in Tokyo could attract so many people.
May 31 saw Vol. 2 of drag queens Vera Strondh and Tom Hall (aka Gyoza Tonin-Anang)’s passion project, Opulence, take the stage. The largest drag show organized by Tokyo locals to date, Opulence featured a line-up of three of the stars from TV’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race”: Raja Gemini, Pangina Heals and Denali Foxx. That was in addition to five Japan-based queens — Sasha B. Savannah, Okini, Sera Tonin, Kaguya and Vera Strondh — and a whole fleet of dancers, make-up artists, dress-makers and media crews. I was one happy reviewer, weaving in and out of the backstage area with my press pass.
The show begins with an ensemble dance number, the main performing queens weaving back and forth across the stage with their own troupes of back-up dancers. As a drag queen myself, I can say that it’s challenging but pretty typical to plan and perform your own solo number. Coordinating over 20 people, however, has taken weeks of choreography, rented studio spaces and rehearsal.
Most impressive is how seamlessly the three overseas stars Raja, Pangina and Denali mesh into the ensemble choreo, since I know they’ve only arrived in Japan a few days prior. (I guess those choreography challenges from “Drag Race” paid off) It’s a tough task for the lead choreographer and dancing queen Vera Strondh and the professional back-up dancers in the cast, like Babs and Rose. On stage, it all looks effortless.
Queens co-mingling
From there, the rest of the evening sees the visiting queens and Tokyo queens layered one after another. The three Ru-girls perform no fewer than three numbers each, with Pangina performing a duet / pas de deux with Strondh to the Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande song “Rain on Me.”
To see Pangina perform with local hero Strondh is stirring. As the co-host of the celebrated “Drag Race Thailand,” Pangina has been instrumental in the development of Thailand’s global image as a drag capital — something many want to push Japan’s drag scene to emulate.
“I really hope we get to see more queens from Japan go onto ‘Drag Race,’” Pangina tells The Japan Times. “But also just taking over the world and showcasing who they are. Being in Japan ... (the drag) is very elevated, very different. We’re just proud to be Asian.”
Her sisters, fellow contestants Raja and Denali, were similarly top picks for Japan’s “Drag Race” fanbase. All three, besides being celebrated for their artistry and performance skills, also come from multicultural and multi-ethnic backgrounds — a fact that resonates with many in Tokyo’s drag scene. The drag community of Shinjuku Nichome is often a melting pot and contact zone of people straddling multiple countries and languages (like the Japanese-Brazilian MC queen Labianna Joroe) or, even for the Japanese queens, multiple cultural and subcultural influences, as in the case of drag queen Sasha B. Savannah.
“I would say, honestly, embrace (having a multicultural background),” says Denali, who has spoken with pride of her Mexican American heritage. For Japan’s drag queens who are still hoping to achieve global success, she adds: “Keep going, keep pushing. Really make sure you stand out from the crowd.”
“Visibility is everything. At least in America, to see Asians doing what we do is kind of profound,” says Raja, who in 2011 was crowned as the first Asian American winner of “Drag Race.” “I say keep going with everything. I never ever thought in my life that I’d be doing this as a full-time career and coming to places like Tokyo. ... Keep it going. And always, always have fun — drag is fun, drag is color, drag is expression, drag is punk.”
The crowd’s response to the three “Drag Race” stars is unbelievable, screaming and waving cell phones as they took the stage midway through the show to address the audience. Due to the pandemic, these past Opulence events have been long-awaited opportunities for the queer community to meet these artists.
“I had this strange and wonderful feeling, meeting someone I’ve been inspired by for 10 years,” says Tokyo resident and drag queen Yukiro Dravarious on meeting the Ru-queens in Nichome. “I’ve admired Raja so much as an alternative-style artist – but more than that, when you meet them you feel how brave they are for being themself, always.”
Opulence in the future
Post-show, Hall is in a happy daze, as exhausted as the performers.
“It was amazing,” he sighs. “It was a long day, but everyone had a great time. The first Opulence was a lot more panic. This time we were all so chill.”
From all panic to all disco, Hall and Strondh’s brainchild is moving into its fledgling years, gaining strength and momentum. The pair have plans to bring the Opulence drag show back for a third time this year, this time on a Friday — Dec. 1. I relish the thought of not having to take the day off work. Also, I think I’ll grab a balcony spot next time.
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