It was a night of fun and fierceness with some of the world’s finest drag queens at the RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq The World Tour! The Manila leg of the tour took place on February 29 (what a fab way to celebrate the extra day of the leap year, right?) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The audience was filled with people of all shapes, colors, and personas. Some people opted to go in their usual, casual outfits, other audience members went all out with their creative hairstyles and makeup, and others were in full-on drag!
The show kicked off with an explosive opening act by Manila’s very own O Divas that featured music from the Pussycat Dolls, Jessie J, Rihanna, Sarah G, and more. Of course, the crowd went wild for their “Tala” number, a national phenomenon. That “B*tch Better Have My Money” dance break was something else, though! The O Divas’ costumes were also amazing, dressed up in neon clothes and wigs that were accentuated by the stage’s black lights. They were literally glowing in the dark.
After a short intermission, it was time for the main event: the RuPaul’s Drag Race queens! The theme of the night was intergalactic, with the queens on a mission to save the universe. Each one had their time in the spotlight, and the audience went wild every time someone would come on stage and reveal themselves under their hooded cloak costumes.
All Stars Season 4 winner Monét X Change took the stage solo in her glittery pink jumpsuit to welcome the Filipino audience. She was met with roaring applause, to which she responded, “I agree.” Monet kept making everyone laugh with her anecdotes, interactions with the audience, and throwing a little bit of (innocent) shade to fellow RuPaul contestants. She also broke down the rules of watching a drag show to any newcomers: clap loudly, keep cheering the queens on, and have fun!
For the following performances, the Drag Race queens all had their time to shine in solo numbers inspired by the different planets. And no performance that night went without a full outfit change! Every. Single. One.
Season 11’s Plastique Tiara went up first, stunning everyone with a cool, icy Pluto-inspired number. She started off with a flowing white gown before revealing a bedazzled bodysuit underneath.
Next on stage was Season 8’s Kim Chi, whose performance was, uh, a little different. She donned a shiny chicken costume while visuals of feathers and a farm flashed on the LED behind her. Even her costume change gave that same energy, but this time more fab with ruffles and everything. The humor aspect didn’t take away anything from Kim Chi’s talent, though; if anything it made it that more amusing! Monét said so herself after the number, “Only Kim Chi could pull off a performance like that.”
Monét X Change came back to host on stage, and that’s when something INCREDIBLY SPECIAL happened: A young man from japan named Sam joined Monet and asked his long time partner, Kobayashi, to join him up on stage. Things became emotional when Sam started telling Kobayashi how important he was in his life. Sam got down on one knee, and in a shaky but heartfelt voice, asked Kobayashi to marry him. Now, Kobayashi was visibly excited and started saying how he kept telling Sam that he wanted a ring; Monet had to interrupt and ask “YES, OR NO?” Kobayashi happily said “Of course, yes!” And the couple was greeted with loud cheers and applause from everyone in the audience. #LoveWins! We’re so happy for the couple! And we got it on video, too:
After that sweet proposal, it was on to something fun. Monét picked some enthusiastic volunteers to join a game called Martian Makeover! Aica, Jaco, and Mandy put on some drag costumes and did their best to lip sync and dance battle to RuPaul’s “Kitty Girl,” and man, they really did go all out with their dance moves. Ultimately Jaco won the game and got some free merch!
The drag queen’s solos resumed with a little more risqué numbers, starting with Season 5’s Detox, who wasn’t afraid to get up close and personal with the backup dancers. After a quick intermission, Monét took the stage for a bright pink, cabaret-inspired performance, followed by a sassy Aquaria of Season 10. She danced to Lady Gaga’s “Venus”and showed off her amazing aerial stunt skills!
The 6th and final queen to rock the stage solo was Season 7 winner Violet Chachki, who brought a ton of attitude to the stage. The audience was just completely in awe as she descended from an aerial swing (that was in a high-key suggestive shape) and performed on the swing mid-air with the backup dancers. So captivating that it’s hard to put into words!
The amazing backup dancers had their time to shine in their own number, then all the RuPaul's Drag Queens came back out for the final number. The audience was on their feet as the queens all performed together and confetti rained in the coliseum to the song "Heroes" by Alessa & Tove Lo. It really felt like a big celebration, the perfect way to end the show!
Thank you to We The Pvblic for making this possible! We can't wait til the next!
SPOTTTED AT THE SHOW:
