World domination is definitely on the cards for drag queen extraordinaire Prada Clutch – but first she intends to conquer Newcastle when she brings her show Prada’s Priscillas: An All-Male Christmas Revue to the Civic Theatre on December 8.
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At just 29, Clutch has done what many in the industry have been unable to do – make a full-time living off drag performance.
Her and her partner Gavin Morris started their company Sydney Drag Queens around seven years ago and have been busy ever since, performing at weddings, hens’ parties, pubs, clubs, corporate events and anywhere else that calls for the glitz and glamour that only a drag queen can provide.
“When I first got into drag I had someone tell me ‘don’t give up your day job’,” Clutch tells the Star.
“They weren’t being mean in any way, they just meant ‘you’ll never make a living off drag’.
“I’ve been doing drag professionally for 10 years now and I haven’t been working another job for nine of them.
“It’s funny, I’ve been doing straight weddings for years.”
It goes without saying that there’s more than a handful of shows going around that are modelled off the iconic Australian film, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, so what makes this one so different?
According to Clutch, the fact that she draws on her musical theatre training and performs live for about 80 per cent off the show, is just a start.
“A lot of drag queens mime and that’s absolutely fine.
“Some of the best are mimes but for me, singing allows me to have a little banter with the audience and connect with them in a different way.”
The first half of the show on December 8 will feature many of the much-loved classics from the hit movie.
The second half is a Christmas bonanza with Clutch performing Jingle Bell Rock, All I Want for Christmas Is You, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.
“For the second half of the show we’ve added the Christmas component which is, you know what, I’m not going to say drag queens do it best – but we do it very well,” she laughed.
“We know how to make things really over the top, really camp, really colourful and really, really, really fun. Everything on stage sparkles, like you could actually see it from space.”
Clutch wasn’t always focused on performing drag, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney, there were long-held dreams of performing on Broadway.
“It was exactly like you said, I wanted to perform on Broadway or on the West End or somewhere and I studied musical theatre at Australian Institute of music.
”When I first put a wig on and makeup I looked awful but after a year of going out on Oxford Street I decided I wanted to do this professionally.
“I had the support from friends they said ‘if you’re serious, we’ll help you’.”
Dreams of Broadway and West End have evolved to dreams of taking the show to a wider, worldwide audience – but not just yet.
“We’ve got a new show in February, a diva spectacular, it’s called Les Divas and it’s the best of the best.
“We’ve barely touched the sides of Australia.
“World domination is still very much on the cards – I just know I’ll get a call from Ellen DeGeneres any minute now,” she laughed.
Prada’s Priscillas: An All-Male Christmas Revue comes to the Civic Theatre on December 8.
Tickets are $69 for an adult, $65.50 for concession and are available from premier.ticketek.com.au.
