Gay Portland Guide: PDX Drag Queens and Performing Arts

Drag queens and gay nightlife are inseparable in any city—one simply can’t exist without the other. Whether they’re holding court in gay bars, mixing things up at dance clubs or performing at cabaret spaces, these gender benders offer everything from impeccable lip syncs to vicious crowd work (often as part of the same act). Portland has a rich drag and performance art culture that encompasses everything from traditional female impersonation to new-school drag to queer burlesque.

Since 1967, the female impersonators of Darcelle XV and company have been performing a Las Vegas-style cabaret full of sequins and sophistication. She may be in her 80s, but Darcelle XV still knows how to put on a show. This is a Portland institution not to be missed.

The wacky drag queen trio The Superstar Divas hosts a weekly variety show including comedy, skits, singing, game shows, dance and more.

The Phoenix Variety Revue may be Portland’s longest-running burlesque show (since April 2006), but it’s so much more. Started by drag performer (and instructor at the Rose City School of Burlesque) Zora Phoenix in Long Beach, Calif., as an alternative to lip-syncing drag shows, the monthly revue often includes live singing, comedy, burlesque,and dance.

Based on a popular queer cabaret of the same name, and penned by its founder, emcee and multi-hyphenate performer, Max Voltage, Homomentum – the Musical is a gender-bending sci-fi fantasy about unicorns saving the world through dance and queer awesomeness.

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