Nightlife

Booze and Benatar at Vegas’ longest-running drag show

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Sable Bleu impersonates Jessica Rabbit during the Queens of Las Vegas’ What a Drag! show.
Photo: Bill Hughes
Leslie Ventura

Pink lamé, fishnets and sequins burst out from behind a curtain to the tune of “Copacabana” as the Queens of Las Vegas sashay onto the stage for What a Drag! at FreeZone, the longest-running drag show in Las Vegas.

“It takes a lot of money to look this cheap,” says host/female impersonator Shawn M. during his raunchy introduction. From Christina Aguilera and Pat Benatar to Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe, the divalicious cast of queens offers a little something for everyone. “You never see Madonna the same twice. Cher’s got 40 years. So we capture a moment of their career and bring it onstage,” says impersonator/booking manager Alex Serpa. “Basically what we’re doing is taking a snapshot from their life and bringing it to life for you.”

The Details

What a Drag!
Fridays & Saturdays, 10 p.m., free
FreeZone, 610 E. Naples Road, 794-2300

Inside FreeZone, buff and bronze male bartenders walk around with bare chests, serving cocktails throughout the show. With alcohol flowing, What a Drag! gets as wild as the audience allows. “We get a lot of straight couples,” Shawn M. says. “The husbands are fighting and bitching about coming in here, but halfway through the show they’re having more fun than their wives.”

The queens, who have 13 years under their garter belts and hundreds of costumes to choose from, say they tailor the show for the crowd. “Most shows in town you’re separated from your audience,” Shawn M. says. “With us, we make them a part of the show.”

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