RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! to end Las Vegas residency after 1,500 shows
RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! in Las Vegas (Getty Images)
RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! will end its residency on the Las Vegas Strip at the Flamingo on New Year’s Eve after an incredible 1,500 performances.
The long-running live production is a glossy, high-energy revue spun out of the global Drag Race TV franchise, and has become a pilgrimage stop for queer fans visiting Sin City. It is built around rotating casts, with different queens stepping in for individual numbers and big group musical performances.
World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato said the residency ending is not the end of the road for the show. “This is just the beginning, as we are in discussions to expand the RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! universe to other cities across the country and around the world,” they said, as per Entertainment Weekly. “We will be forever grateful for the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talents of our extraordinary cast and crew who took the art of drag to a whole new level.”
When did RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! start at the Flamingo?
The show launched at the Flamingo Showroom in January 2020, however it was soon paused until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
RuPaul directed the show alongside choreographer Jamal Sims. Season 10 alum Asia O’Hara frequently served as emcee, overseeing the show, interacting with the crowd and performing.
RuPaul previously said of the production in 2020. “I love drag queens. I always have. They are my heroes and seeing drag queens on stage is such a thrill for me,” he said.
Which Drag Race queens have appeared in the Vegas show?
Over the years, the residency has featured a long list of Drag Race alumni, including Derrick Barry, Aquaria, Eureka O’Hara, Kim Chi, Jaide Essance Hall and Kennedy Davenport, among others.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney and Drag Race Thailand judge Pangina Heals have also been part of the cast.
The Vegas show ending comes at an interesting time for the franchise. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK was dropped by the BBC, citing “financial pressures” before it crowned Flesh as the winner of season eight.
It will now move to WOW Presents Plus, starting with an All-Stars season.
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