(Photo by Staff Photographer Mariah Horvitz)
Editor: Alexandra D’Eon
Email: adeon@umassd.edu
Last week was the 14th annual drag show at UMass Dartmouth. CWGS and SAIL run the event, and it is one of the most anticipated events of the year.
The show, typically held in the main auditorium, draws a large crowd, eager to witness the artistic costume designs and expressive routines. For many attendees, it’s a chance to experience the joy and spectacle of drag culture, which embraces everything from bold makeup and vibrant costumes to exaggerated choreography and comedy.
The show had lots of support from students, alumni, and parents of the performers.
Complete Destruction hosted the event alongside her co-host Nadia Nice, both of which are alumni of UMass Dartmouth. Complete Destruction has been hosting the event since it began 14 years ago in 2010. They talked about their return to campus and how nothing had changed since their time as UMD students.
There were six performers, both drag queens and kings. This year’s event was extra special, with a performance from one of our own students, Indigoskullone. Indie took to the stage adorned in a blonde wig and devil horns, giving a killer performance to the song “Blood Red Sandman” by Lordi.
During intermission, CWGS had the audience play a game called Kahoot! for the opportunity to win a prize. The trivia was comprised of LGBTQ+ and drag history questions; the top three scorers each took home a cute little boo-basket as a reward.
During the first set, Complete Destruction took the stage first dressed as Pinhead from Hellraiser. She performed several songs, including “Desire” by Meg Myers and “Crave” by Years & Years. As always, she won over the crowd with her frighteningly powerful stage presence.
In her second set, she had a complete costume change into a truly creepy marionette look. She performed a mash-up of songs: “Disturbia” by Rihanna, “Blow” by Kesha, “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift, “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry, and “Dragula” by Rob Zombie.
Complete Destruction is a master of her craft, bringing her delightfully spooky looks to life. I have to agree with Nadia Nice, who said, “Every time you wear that costume, I can’t look at you- you look so scary!”
The next queen to grace the stage was Dahlia Strack, who was personally one of my favorite performances of the night. Dahlia was dressed as Pearl from the 2022 movie of the same name.
She truly embodied the role of Pearl, and I was obsessed with her look and her use of the song “Mamushi” by Meg the Stallion, which repeats the lyrics “I get money, I’m a star, star, star, star, star, star, star,” which she seamlessly transitioned to Pearl’s famous scream of “Please, I’m a star!”
Dahlia returned to the stage during the second set, wearing a gorgeous fox costume complete with a skirt made of tails. In this performance, she had drag king Ricky Mortis join her as she lip-synced and danced to “Lust for a Vampyr” by I Monster. She lured him in and killed him with confetti, which the crowd ate up.
Ricky Mortis returned to the stage for their own set following Dahlia. Ricky gave an iconic performance as “Beetlejuice” and used the song “Say My Name” from the Beetlejuice Musical. They cleverly paired this with the song “That’s Not My Name” by the Ting Tings.
In their second set Ricky came back out dressed in a black ensemble with devil horns. They used INXS’ song “Devil Inside” and Ashnikko’s “Daisy.”
The resident celebrity of this year’s cast was Severity Stone, who, if you haven’t watched yet, is currently starring in “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula”- which is streaming on AMC+ and Shudder.
Severity Stone looked stunning in her first look, which I attributed as an homage to The Craft (1996). She wore a dark witchy look as she performed “Sensitive” by Monica and “Eat Me” by Demi Lovato. In her second set, she made me and all the fellow emo/goth/scene kids of the 2000s extremely happy by using My Chemical Romance’s “The Ghost of You” in a haunting, ghoulish look.
The gorgeous and hilarious co-host Nadia Nice also gave two stunning performances during the show, first appearing in a pink skeleton bodysuit to the songs “Oh My Oh” by Camilla Cabello and “Turn Off The Light” by Mistress of the Dark feat. Elvira. She also did a mash-up of “Bury a Friend” by Billie Eilish and “Unholy” by Sam Smith feat. Kim Petras.
In her second act, she came out as a sexy ninja giving us a fun and vibrant set to “Boss B*tch” by Doja Cat, “BOA” by Meg the Stallion, and “Drag Me Out” by the Archers.
Together, they all closed the show, dancing on stage to Lady Gaga’s “Applause.”
The drag show is one of my favorite on-campus events, and that is a common theme amongst other students in attendance.
Kiahna Depina is a freshman who attended the event for the first time this semester. She told me, “It was really entertaining. I’ve never been able to see something like that before, so it was really fun to watch.”
The on-campus drag show at UMD continues to be a beloved event that unites students and fosters a sense of pride, creativity, and joy.
Photographs by Staff Photographer Mariah Horvitz