Review: VELOUR: A DRAG SPECTACULAR at La Jolla Playhouse

“Velour: A Drag Spectacular” is a delightfully intelligent, funny, and visually dazzling theatrical fantasia. Playing through September 15th at the La Jolla Playhouse, this show celebrates the art of drag with a lot of heart and humor.

As Sasha Velour’s pre-show announcement states, this is a drag show. So, this is not the show where you sit silently and politely golf-clap between scenes. This is a bold music and dance-filled show with lip sync numbers, gorgeous costumes, and wigs, and it encourages the audiences to clap, cheer, and enjoy the experience. 

Co-produced by New York’s Tectonic Theatre Project, the show is based on Velour’s book, “The Big Reveal,” and was co-written by Velour and Moisés Kaufman. 

From the moment Sasha makes her first dramatic entrance, the show allows Velour to take the stage to tell her story and pay homage to those who came before her. These include her grandmother and mother, who were among the first to discover and support Sasha’s tendency to dramatic costume reveals even as a kid.

Velour is charismatic, funny,  fierce, and vulnerable as she soars through the air, paints with light, and wears gorgeous looks.  The show alternates between Velour speaking to the audience, lip sync performances, and tantalizing glimpses of a mysterious French drag queen. 

Some of the standout numbers include “Dream On” by Aerosmith and “I am Not a Woman I’m a God” by Halsey, a high energy and hilarious telephone scene of iconic pop culture TV and film moments, and multiple instances of aerial acrobatics designed by Angela Phillips and performed by Velour.

Supported by artists Amber St. James, Ezra Reaves, and Moscato Sky, they all more than deliver high-energy entertainment. 

Kaufman is a legendary director and playwright known for many shows, including “The Laramie Project” and “Here There Are Blueberries,” which played at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2018.  Smartly paced and directed by Kaufman, just when it starts to feel too indulgent, it cuts through it, and the show transforms into something else. From bright moments of joy to darker moments of despair, the show adds a joke or a flash of color to keep it from getting too heavy. However, the show could benefit from some edits at 1 hour and 45 minutes without an intermission.  

Each element of the show seems created to prove that everything can be more beautiful and exciting than it appears at first glance. 

The scenic design by David Rockwell gives vast areas to paint with color and light, while dollhouses transform into cocktail bars and shoot boas into the air.  Projections by Cosette “Ettie” Pin fill the stage with colors and textures, and the video creation by House of Velour ranges from touching home videos to documentary style to black and white classic movies.

David Montoya Studio's costume designs are gorgeous and colorful. They work with the scenic and lighting design to create an additional layered visual for the audience. Each look is meticulously tailored to fit the moment and performer, from form-fitting silhouettes to flowing fabrics encompassing the entire space.

“It takes a little extravagance, fantasy, and illusion to paint a fully truthful picture of ourselves and this world.”

“Velour: A Drag Spectacular” invites you to join them in a world where reality and fantasy blend and truth is best told through illusion. As Sasha drives home with the final number, live the life you love so that when you look back, you can say you lived your life “My Way.”

How To Get Tickets

“Velour: A Drag Spectacular” runs at La Jolla Playhouse through September 15th.  For information on tickets and showtimes, go to www. lajollaplayhouse.org

Photo Credit: Photos by Rich Soublet II

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