Milwaukee Summerfest Grounds Graced by Show-Stopping Drag Race Stars

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As Kylie Minogue’s “The One” boomed over the Skyyline Main Stage speakers, jaws clattered. Dutch Peruvian drag queen Envy Peru included Milwaukee’s Pride celebration in her U.S. debut tour, and left us all wondering how she fit such an enormous feather headdress and backpiece in her luggage. A chorus of “Oh-my-gods” rippled through the crowd as the bedazzled goddess sauntered her way down the catwalk, demanding us all to “love me, love me, love me—I’m the one.”

Milwaukee’s annual PrideFest kicked off with a bang on what could have easily been a sleepy Thursday night. The first night of festivities featured a blockbuster drag show hosted by Ada Vox, featuring three “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars: Violet Chachki, Envy Peru and Alaska Thunderfuck. Ada Vox is known for her performance on “American Idol,” one of the first contestants to audition and compete in full drag. Chachki, seventh season winner of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” hails from Atlanta and specializes in burlesque performance. She is also an upcoming guest star at Le Crazy Horse, a well-known Parisian cabaret. Envy Peru was the first winner of “Drag Race Holland” in 2020. Alaska, full name Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, describes her on-stage persona as a glamorous alien. “Still radioactive, no one knows who or what she is yet, but no one cares, as long as she never returns to her native planet,” according to her bio. She is the winner of the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.”

Before Envy Peru took the stage, Ada Vox treated the audience to her dazzling rendition of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Going On.” Vox’s emceeing was high energy, a balance between loving remarks and snarky, comedic commentary towards the three featured queens. “Some might be your favorites, you might hate some of their fucking guts—but that’s just the nature of the game, bitch!” She lovingly brought on Violet Chachki, dubbing her “the skinniest bitch on cast.” Chachki’s first number was a lip sync to Cerrone’s disco hit “Supernature.” Her celestial costume evoked Hedy Lamarr’s Ziegfield Girl get-up, and featured Chachki’s mastery of burlesque and striptease. 

Rules of Engagement

Alaska’s act was altogether different from Chachki and Peru’s performances. “The rules of engagement are really quite simple … the use of flash photography is strictly MANDATORY. Do you think we look like this just to exist in your feeble memory? HA!” Her set was a rapid-fire presentation of her many original comedic songs, goofy background graphics, and joking disses of celebrities such as RuPaul and Brittney Spears, interspersed with captivating commentary. When warned that the catwalk had been damaged during a previous queen’s set and that it was structurally unsound, it was hard for Alaska to say no. Her performance continued as she cautiously made her way down the catwalk. “I feel like I’m in Mario World or something. Like the platform is gonna raise or fall out …” Her most popular song, “Your Makeup is Terrible,” made an appearance; during this number, she snatched the opportunity to poke fun at Trixie Mattel, drag star, Milwaukeean, and co-owner of local gay club This Is It. “Your makeup is TERRIBLE! Hers specifically! …She’s actually really good. And I love her anyway!”

The queens each showcased an astounding level of stamina and talent, each presenting a different performance style. Violet Chachki’s burlesque and accompanying retro-style graphics complemented Eva Peru’s gaudy and glitzy choreography. The more traditional lip-sync performances by the first two queens contrasted Alaska Thunderfuck’s on-stage banter and original comedic songs. Including host Ada Vox, all four queens shared the stage in a way that played up each other’s niches and personalities. 

Not only did the queens all put on a bombastic and memorable show, but they all came with a political message. Each queen celebrated queer solidarity and resistance and made a point to encourage the audience to deepen their connection with the LGBTQ+ community. Milwaukee Pridefest has exploded in attendance and notoriety in recent years, receiving more than 40,000 attendees in each of the last two years. This amplified visibility affords the city the opportunity to bring in highly lauded and successful drag queens such as the lineup on the Main Stage on June 6. We are fortunate that these stars shared their passion and talent with us as a city and hope to see them again soon.