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RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!
4 stars
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Appeal by Age: 18–20 4.5 stars; 21–37 4 stars; 38–50 4 stars; 51+ 3.5 stars
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Host Casino and Showroom: Flamingo—Flamingo Showroom; 702-777-2782; caesars.com/flamingo-las-vegas/shows/rupauls-drag-race-live
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Type of show: Female impersonator pageant
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Admission: $49–$203
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Cast size: 12 (5 contestants, 1 host, 6 dancers)
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Night of lowest attendance: Tuesday
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Usual showtimes: Thursday–Monday, 9:30 p.m. Dark Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Topless: Male only
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Duration of presentation: 85 minutes
Description and Comments
A decade after bringing the art of female impersonation out from the underground club scene and into the television-driven consciousness of mainstream America, RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! has driven into Las Vegas with a spectacular live production. Ironically, it’s one of the Strip’s only remaining bastions of old-school showgirl glamour. RuPaul Andre Charles (“Mama Ru” to her legions of fans) doesn’t actually appear in person, though she did codirect the production with Jamal Sims and periodically drops in with devastatingly dishy commentary via prerecorded video clips. In her stead, a glamazon hostess oversees the evening’s competition, which pits five former contestants from the reality series against each other in a series of contests that will be familiar to fans of the show, including a Mini-Challenge, a Maxi-Challenge, and a “Lip Sync for Their Lives.”
The cast of competing queens—which includes Derrick Barry, Kameron Michaels, and Naomi Smalls—rotates regularly and (at least on the night we attended) represents well the broad diversity of the drag art form. There’s the Britney Spears look-alike who dances harder than the real deal, the leggy runway model who knows how to strike a pose but not much else, and (our favorite) an avant-garde performance artist who flails about in a flying harness like Peter Pan on PCP. Between the challenges, we see staged skits of witchy backstage banter that echo the TV show’s behind-the-scenes segments, along with video clips of iconic Drag Race elements such as “the art of the fake slap.”
Nearly 30 minutes longer than an episode of the TV series, the live production’s pacing occasionally slips, such as during an extended advertisement for the upcoming season, but a pit crew of buff, bare-chested dancers is always on hand to bring the audience’s energy back up to 11. While the competition itself gets somewhat lost in the chaotic conclusion, the grand finale—which features a classic Las Vegas illuminated staircase for the queens to regally chasse down—sends the festive crowd home singing the on-brand refrain that “losing is the new winning.”
RuPaul has earned fervent fans across all demographics, but even if you aren’t already an admirer, Drag Race Live! serves up some of the best production values in town, with an opulent digitally driven set, dynamic choreography, and more eye-popping costume changes than we’ve seen since Jubilee shuttered. And if you’ve never previously imagined yourself cheering for a cavalcade of cross-dressers, just remember what RuPaul always says: “We’re all born naked and the rest is drag!”
Consumer Tips
The Flamingo Showroom is ginormous, but the production makes full use of its large stage and video screens, which means you can enjoy the show from almost anywhere. VIP tables in the front rows are too close for comfortable viewing of the runway, and seats in the back of the balcony may have restricted sightlines to some of the interactions that occur in the audience. Your best bet is a seat somewhere in the center of the orchestra level, but be aware that the communal booths are a bit too cramped for the number of patrons they try to squeeze into them.
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