RuPaul’s Drag Starz come to Center Stage

Popular contestants from Logo TV’s hit reality competition bring their tour to Atlanta

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” manages to deliver the catty camp and sequined glittergasms one wants from a reality drag competition while still showing heart and the struggles behind the scenes in this community. Whether they sashay away with the crown or not, contestants generally leave the show with a score of new fans who feel as though they have seen behind the painted faces and are interested in supporting their careers and seeing them perform live.

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Naturally, these alumni have banded together and developed different avenues for performing, whether on the official RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars tour or through their own outlets, like Drag Starz Fan Favs, which is coming to Center Stage this month. The Drag Starz show features performers from several different seasons of the show, including Pearl, Katya and Trixie Mattel (season seven), Adore Delano (season six), Alaska Thunderfuck (season five), and Willam (season four).

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Delano, who will be celebrating her 26th birthday as the tour hits Atlanta this month, says she’s ready. “I’m just excited, man, they told me it was going to be my birthday and I said, ‘Fuck yeah, I’m totally down,’” Delano says. And locals, look out, she may be on the prowl. “Atlanta is always fun, I always get really wasted and wake up with a stranger,” the birthday girl says.

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While there should be “less drama” in the live show as compared to the reality competition since the battle for the crown is over, Delano enjoys the opportunity for everyone to show off her best talents in a more intimate venue. Instead of competing in challenges where some queens may struggle and feel frustrated, the live show allows each diva to shine in her comfort zone, providing the audience with the chance to see everyone at her best.

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For Delano, this means that she will be singing live. Her fans will be aware that even at her young age, Delano is a veteran of not one, but two reality competitions. Before appearing on “Drag Race,” she (as her birth name Danny Noriega) made it to the top 16 on “American Idol” in 2008. With both shows, she notes that you have to learn to absorb the criticism of the judges, and find what you can learn from and how you can improve. “At least my brain takes and chooses whatever works for me,” she says. “You take all the knowledge that they give you and all the bullshit that ‘Drag Race’ judge Michelle Visage gives you, and you decide what to do with it.”

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Delano says that her drag aesthetic was still a work in progress prior to the show, but critiques from judges like Visage helped her to get to where she is today. Even though she confesses, “I can’t cartwheel in a corset, it’s just not my style,” she says that learning about the history of drag and being forced to do her homework has had an impact on her overall performance style. Don’t worry, though, she’s still true to herself, noting that she doesn’t plan her outfits in advance, preferring to stay spontaneous and inspired. “I’m probably gonna be messy,” she says, adding, “So bring your umbrella!”

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In comparison to “Idol,” Delano found “Drag Race” to be freeing in that the environment on the Fox singing competition was not encouraging for a young gay contestant. The comfort level on “Drag Race” was much higher. “You walk into this pink square, and it’s liberating and beautiful and just an awesome experience,” she says. “They tell you to be yourself and cuss as much as you want!”

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Given her talents as a singer, Delano will also be singing live. Her post-“Drag Race” album, Till Death Do Us Party, has been the most successful of the contestants’ musical offerings, debuting at No. three on the Billboard U.S. Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Delano’s currently at work on the follow-up, and fans may get to hear some of the new songs in Atlanta.

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And as to whether Delano is at all bitter about being a season six co-runner-up (with Courtney Act) to the acid-tongued Bianca Del Rio on “Drag Race,” the answer would be a resounding no, as the three queens are closer than ever. “Everybody is just afraid of Bianca, and I love it — it’s my favorite weapon,” Delano says. “Before Bianca came into the situation, I was just like the little sister that said, ‘Hey, Mama Ru said I could come with you guys and tag along,’ and now it’s like, ‘Did you forget Adore? Because Bianca will kill you!’”