This is the idea that the Cake Boys and many others are fighting for at venues like this one. While "Drag Race's" influence on the art is undeniable, thrusting drag into the mainstream in ways perhaps previously thought impossible, it has also perpetuated the phenomenon of mainstream drag, the high-femme drag of popular culture.īut as "Drag Race's" own Trixie Mattel once said, saying you love drag but watch only "Drag Race" is "like saying you love music" but "you only watch American Idol."
"I'm seeing art!" someone in the crowd shouted during the final night of competition before the finale.Įven as drag has gone mainstream, helped along by the massive popularity of "RuPaul's Drag Race," there is clearly an appetite for up-and-coming "kings and things" to find their voices and perform with a DIY ethos. Those eight performers and four wild cards will go on to the grand finale, where the Takes the Cake winner will be crowned. Judges - established New York "kings and things" - offer friendly, affirming input on performers' CAQUE (pronounced either "cake" or "cock," however you prefer): concept, artistry, quality, uniqueness, and execution.Įach evening, the top four contestants participate in a wacky lip-sync roulette - it might be "Seinfeld's" wordless theme song, or Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Two winners are chosen each week. "Queer Money in Circulation," which was thrown into the crowd by contestant Tuna Melt.
"Me, personally, I can say for sure that I'm interested in bringing delightful chaos and conflictingly evocative experiences," he says.
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Black liquid drips from his mouth.īucket is a tattooed janitor salaciously splashing the crowd with his mop.įor the musical interlude, Sweaty Eddie lip-syncs a mashup of Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" and the "Silence of the Lambs" serial killer Buffalo Bill's dialogue ("It puts the lotion on the skin"). Lucky Pierre becomes a sexy version of The Penguin from "Batman," sliding his tongue across his umbrella. Tuna Melt devises a rap with a message that "queer money is power and it stays with us," throwing 65 dollar bills inscribed with "Queer Money in Circulation" into the crowd.
Klondyke cuts open a plastic sheet and sloshes themselves through a bucket of ooze to the throb of the experimental emo rockers Brave Little Abacus. Underneath Purgatory's glittering disco ball, Takes the Cake comes to life. "I've been watching local drag, supporting local drag, throwing dollars at local drag for years, and I saw the Cake Boys and … truly I've never seen a drag collective that's focused on drag kings and things," says Smol Papi, the runner-up from Takes the Cake's first week.Īs Willy Killigan, who won Takes the Cake's second week, puts it, "it really just goes to show you that people have been thirsty for this kind of space, and it's amazing to be a part of it." Instead, 40 performers signed up, most of whom were new to drag, and tickets quickly sold out. Muscles Monty had expected a handful of people to show interest in the event. The Cake Boys are dedicated to creating a space for drag kings, trans and nonbinary performers, and queer artists who weren't getting booked as often as their drag-queen counterparts. New York has long been at the center of the drag scene, but drag queens have been dominant. The Cake Boys' Muscles Monty emcees at Takes the Cake.
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