Interview: 'We Live For the Applause': Scarlet Envy of RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE UK VS THE WORLD TOUR

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World, a live tour of the television series of the same name, has just finished touring the United Kingdom over the past few weeks. Recently, we had the chance to talk with Scarlet Envy, one of the drag queens on the tour. We discussed how they first got into the world of drag, what it is like performing on stage versus for the screen and what they hoped audiences took away from the show!

---

How did you first get involved in the world of drag?

I started doing drag when I lived in Brooklyn, New York. I was a college student and I was broke and I started doing a show on Friday nights! I realised people would give me a microphone and some whiskey, and also, I could eat that week. So I went from there. I have been doing drag now for over a decade, and I'm really excited. It just keeps growing and growing!

And for those unfamiliar with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World, can you explain what the live tour was like?

Absolutely! So we are from all over the world, from different franchises. RuPaul’s Drag Race has expanded from the OG, the “flagship franchise,” to all over the world. So different countries have their own version of Drag Race. Some of them are hosted by RuPaul and some are not. But we all came together for this first-ever global All Stars, which brings fan favourites and people who made a splash in their respective franchises together. We filmed in London, because it's UK vs the World, and we were here to represent our home countries, our journeys and drag. And it's led up to this point. It's basically the Olympics of drag, what we were doing here. We were really excited to recreate some iconic moments from the television show, live on stage.

What is it like performing live on stage versus for a television show?

Well, televised is harder because we are drag queens, we live for the applause, as Lady Gaga says. It's nice to have a live audience full of life and energy. And we had all these amazing, almost sold-out shows. But they were gorgeous, fun audience members, giving us the energy. It's a lot easier to perform for the kids than it is to perform for a judge's panel, who is quite literally sitting there, judging you! [Laughs] It's a completely different experience, but really exciting.

What has it been like performing in an international competition?

It's been different! I'm American. I'm from Season 11. And I have seen some of these franchises - some of them I hadn't seen, so I was getting introduced to drag from around the world that I had yet to see. But what's so exciting about it is I got to expand my horizons. Our first runway is “My Home Country,” so it's really cool to see people representing their country specifically. Because that's what we're all doing - we're here to represent our countries. So I think it's very appropriate that that is included.

What is it like performing drag as a piece of theatre? 

I've been working on a lot of my own music and I do come from a bit of a theatre background as well. I do tour a lot of shows, specifically a Halloween show with Tina Burner and Alexis Michelle that's all live singing. So that's more theatre than I have ever gotten before! I'm definitely singing. So that's a big difference - drag, normally, is a lip sync to a pop song. And so when you combine that with theatre, when you're doing your own music, you’re singing live and you're doing choreography, that's basically Broadway, right? Just a different version, maybe with extra eyelashes on! [Laughs] 

What did you hope audiences took away from the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World Tour?

I hope they took away all of our merchandise for sale in the lobby!

[Laughs]

Really, though, we were really excited! I have some exclusive merchandise, I think some of the other girls do too - some things that are not available online or at any of our other shows. So it was a really special moment in the merchandise shop for this because this is going to be the last time we're all together again for anything like this. I would have taken advantage of it! Seeing all the girls together, it's so fun.

The rehearsals were fabulous! And all the girls are bringing their A-game. So I hope that you know that we are one big family. There might be drama on reality TV, that's what makes good TV. But at the end of the day, we come together to put on the best show possible for the fans because those are the most important people in the room.

And finally, how would you describe RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World Tour in one word?

It would have to be “fierce.” It's a fierce show. It's a bit reminiscent - the memories of filming the actual television show come back because we're recreating iconic lip-syncs and moments from the show. So depending on how it went each episode, it may be triggering for some girls, but I think it's been really fun. I think people will really enjoy it!

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World Tour was on a nationwide tour

To post a comment, you must register and login.