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PHOTOS: Drive ‘N Drag – Portland, OR – 5/12/2021

Have no fear; Drive ‘N Drag is here! Last Wednesday, seven super queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race took the stage at the Clackamas Town Center outside Portland, Oregon for a COVID-safe night of drag excellence. The superhero themed show featured Asia O’Hara, Plastique Tiara, Kim Chi, Naomi Smalls, Rosé, Vanessa Vanjie, and Gottmik as superhero versions of themselves, sent to save 2021 with their sickening performances.

The show started with a video of Asia O’Hara, who was the evening’s host and first performer. It mimicked a TV newscast, listing all the horrors of the past year while Asia flipped through the channels. The video ended on a more optimistic note, that finished with Asia taking the stage for the first number of the night.

Things got moving quickly from there, with Plastique Tiara being an angelic pop-star, Kim Chi delivering a hilarious bird number, and Naomi Smalls serving legs, drama, and pure supermodel. Next up was Rosé, whose singing, dancing, and energy had the crowd in a frenzy from the second she stepped on stage. Second to last was Vanessa Vanjie’s high-dancing, high-comedy mix, with the final solo number of the night going to Gottmik, whose rocking performance and concept was an absolute showstopper. Each of the queens were highly entertaining, and delivered performances that complimented each other, while still being highly unique and accurate to their individual personas.

Before the show ended, the queens teamed up for a final number that brought them all back to the stage. Seeing them dance around and enjoy each other’s company was a lovely way to end the show, and gave them a final chance to thank the audience and get the cheers (and honks) that they deserve. In a year that needs saving, the queens of Drive ‘N Drag had just the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to do the job.