Shuga Cain’s London West End Smash “Death Drop” Headed to Broadway

Shuga Cain is dropping into the Big Apple…

London’s West End smash Death Drop, starring the 45-year-old half-Salvadoran American drag queen, is coming to New York this summer.

Shuga CainDeath Drop is set to begin its Off-Broadway previews on June 30, followed by opening night on July 13 at New World Stages.

In addition to Shuga Cain, the stage name of Jesus Martinez, the show also stars RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Jujubee as Summer Raines, Willam as Shazza and Shuga Cain as Lady Rosebud von Fistenberg.

Joining the Drag Race alumni include Peachez Iman Cummings as Morgan Pierce, Wang Newton as Phil Maker and the Death Drop writer Holly Stars as the Bottomly Sisters. Kiki Ball-Change will serve as an understudy. Additional casting will be announced soon.

Here’s the official description: On Tuck Island a gaggle of girls join each other for a soirée, but when the tension rises as the peculiar guests reveal their sordid pasts, one by one they “sashay away.” That is until at the last shocking moment when the surviving girls find out how earlier guests dropped to their deaths.

Based on an original idea by Christopher D. Clegg , Death Drop was written by drag queen and comedian, Holly Stars.

Stars is joined behind the curtain by director Jesse Jones, scenic designer Justin Williams, costume designer Isobel Pellow, lighting designer Jack Weir, sound designer Beth Duke, wig designer Florencia Melone, vocal supervisor Jacob Yates and composers Nicola Dempsey and Rosie Dempsey.

The Off-Broadway show is produced by TuckShop, Tom Smedes, Heather Shields, Peter Stern, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. BatmanAndres Martinez, Marc David LevineScott Johnson, M&E Productions, Bryan McCaffrey, Kyle Valentine, and Michael McCraryCody Lassen serves as executive producer. Alex Wyse and Wes Taylor are dramaturgs.

Valentina to ‘Drag Out the Vote’ at Variety Show “Divas For Democracy: United We Slay”

Valentina’s prepared to drag out the vote

The 29-year-old Mexican American drag performer and former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant will team up with some of her fellow queens and Broadway celebrities to get out the vote for November’s presidential election.

Valentina

Valentina and divas from the drag world and icons of the stage will come together for Divas For Democracy: United We Slay, a one-night-only variety show extravaganza promoting voter participation and key issues relating to the LGBTQIA+ community in the upcoming 2020 election.

Presented by the nonprofit voter engagement organization Drag Out the Vote and hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Nina West and Entertainment Tonights Keltie KnightDivas for Democracy: United We Slay features scores of talent who’ll sing and lip-synch through dazzling performances of theater classics and pop songs.

Special segments will highlight LGBTQIA+ activists in a nonpartisan effort to shine a light on community participation in the political process, including celebrity appearances by Tony winner Cyndi LauperDrag Race panelist Michelle VisageHarvey Fierstein, James Monroe IglehartBianca Del RioShangelaCheyenne Jackson, Mila Jam, and Oscar-winning actress Allison Janney.

In addition to Valentina, other drag superstars slated to perform during the broadcast include AlaskaJinkx MonsoonJujubeePeppermintCynthia Lee FontaineShuga CainHoney Davenport, and Drag Out the Vote’s national co-chairs Brita Filter, Marti Gould Cummings, and Pixie Aventura.

Broadway figures set to appear include legendary three-time Tony-winning actress Chita Rivera, as well as Tony winners Stephanie J. Block, Lea Salonga, Nikki M. James, Beth Leavel and Annaleigh Ashford. Also joining the program are stage stars Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinosa, Jenn Collela, Chilina KennedyKeala Settle, Tamika Lawrence, L Morgan Lee, and Our Lady J.

The presentation will be directed by Josh Rhodes and Lee Wilkins, whose joint careers include work choreographing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CinderellaFirst DateIt Shoulda Been You, and Bright Star on Broadway. Tony winner Stephen Oremus will serve as music supervisor.

“One in five LGBTQIA+ people is not registered to vote, and 100 million people did not vote in the 2016 election. We must fix this,” said Drag Out the Vote founder Jackie Huba in a press statement. “We are excited to bring together the worlds of Broadway and drag to inspire voters to sashay their way to the polls or their mailboxes.”

Divas for Democracy: United We Slay airs October 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET exclusively on StageIt. Tickets — available on a “donate-what-you-can” basis — go on sale Thursday at 10:00 a.m. ET at divasfordemocracy.com.

Ricky Martin to Serve as Guest Judge on Season Five of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars”

Life’s a drag for Ricky Martin

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican superstar will serve as a guest judge on the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.

Ricky Martin

The “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer kick things off as a guest judge for the premiere episode of the reality drag race competition, which will premiere on Friday, June 5 at 8:oo pm ET/PT on VH1.

In addition to Martin, the star-studded lineup of guest judges includes Tessa Thompson, Jane KrakowskiNicole ByerBebe Rexha, Jeffrey Bowyer-ChapmanSam RichardsonMadison BeerSarah Hyland, Martyn Lawrence BullardTommy Dorfman and Drag Race regular Todrick Hall

In the premiere, Martin will help judge the all-star queens from seasons’ past as they take part in a reading mini-challenge and hit the runway for a “Werq the World” variety extravaganza.

T fifth season has thrown the traditional elimination rules out the window. RuPaul has shaken things up and has “Ru-vealed” that each week she’ll name a top all-star and that queen will lip sync for her legacy against a mysterious lip sync assassin, chosen from the most iconic performers in Drag Race“herstory.” 

If the top all-star of the week wins the lip sync, she wins a $10,000 tip and the power to eliminate the bottom queen of her choice. 

If the lip sync assassin wins, a bottom queen selected from a secret group vote gets the chop, and the money rolls over until a top all-star wins.

The 10 queens competing for a spot in the “Drag Race Hall of Fame” and a grand prize of $100,000 are Alexis Mateo (Season 3, All Stars 1), Blair St. Clair (Season 10), Derrick Barry (Season 8), India Ferrah (Season 3), Jujubee (Season 2, All Stars 1), Mariah Paris Balenciaga (Season 3), Mayhem Miller (Season 10), Miz Cracker (Season 10), Ongina (Season 1) and Shea Couleé (Season 9).