Iceland is in for a treat tonight when the biggest stars from TV reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race will blow the roof of “Gamla bíó”. Host Michelle Visage is looking forward to losing her virginity in Reykjavík.
“It’s a show like you’ve never witnessed before. It’s more than a drag show, it’s an experience,” says Michelle Visage, the host of the show. Michelle is known to fans around the world as the second permanent panel judge on reality TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” which pits drag queens against hopeful drag queens in a race for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar”. She and RuPaul have worked together since 1996. Or as she says in her own words: “When our boss at a radio station in New York City was smart enough to pair us up together and the rest is herstory!”
“RuPaul’s Battle of the Seasons: The Condragulations tour” is the largest tour to come off the TV show, which has been praised by critics for being “simultaneously sincere and self-mocking” and was in 2014 ranked as one of the 20 best television series picks of the year by TV Guide Magazine. The tour has visited all the major cities in the USA and Europe since January of this year, garnering great reviews along the way, and is ending tonight in Reykjavik where some of the show’s most popular contestants – such as Adore Delano, Alaska, Ivy Winters, Pandora Boxx, Jinx Monsoon and Sharon Needles, winner of 47 season, – will battle it out for one fierce and fabulous evening at Gamla bíó.
Asked how the tour has been going for the past months Michelle tells us it’s been simply amazing. “The crowds have continuously blown us away with their love and I’m sure Iceland will do the same.”
Three months on the road sounds like a long time being cramped together in a bus but in spite of that Michelle says that everybody has gotten along just fine. “Yes they have. We all work well together. And that’s why this group travels a lot together. We know the way each other is so we know when we can push it, or when we should walk away.”
“I’m thrilled to lose my virginity again.”
So the queens aren’t living up to the cliché of being, well drama queens? “There will always be some drama.”
Seriously, all this travel and all these performances must take a lot of energy, how do you get through it? “Well I’m a gluten-free vegan so for me, my protein shakes and whole food bars. And lip gloss. Always lip gloss.”
And now you’re at the final stop of your journey, in Reykjavík, Iceland. Have you ever been here before? “Never,” she replies with excitement. “I’m thrilled to lose my virginity again, it’s been years since the last time!”
But unfortunately Michelle’s only here for the show so there will be no time for her to check out Reykjavik. “I’m the saddest about it because I’ve heard so many major things about Reykjavik. I must come back.”
Whilst Michelle and the queens are preparing for tonight’s show die-hard fans are already gearing up in Reykjavík.
Icelandic TV host, dancer, and burlesque performer Margrét Erla Maack says she just can’t wait to see it. “It’s going to be wild and I can’t believe the show didn’t sell out on the first day!”
What exactly are you looking forward to and why exactly do you think the show, the TV show, has become such a hit? “Well for starters there are a lot of Cinderella stories on the show and then there’s a lot of drama.”
Although a good drama can be hard to resist, Margrét says it’s only a small part of the shows’ appeal. “Many people might think drag is only appealing to a small group of people, when in fact it’s an old art form and a fun cabaret. Drag isn’t just drag, it has it’s variations and very different performances.”
To learn more about the show click here.