A Holiday Twist‘: A Drag Queen Christmas’ brings popular queens from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ to the stage

Through different iterations of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” audiences have been able to see drag queens with a range of talents, from across the world. “A Drag Queen Christmas” brings some of these drag superstars to the stage, to perform special holiday-themed numbers for fans. 

Put on by Murray & Peter Present, the show will visit Centennial Hall on Friday, Dec. 12. 

Fans are able to get photos with and autographs from their favorite performers as part of the VIP meet and greet experience. 

The show is in its 11th year and is visiting 38 different cities. 

It features new and returning drag queens from different seasons, including Shea Couleé, Crystal Methyd, Bosco and Brooke Lynn Hytes. 

A handful of queens from season 17 are on the tour, including Jewels Sparkles, Lydia B. Kollins, Lexi Love and Suzie Toot. 

The show is hosted by Nina West, who recently appeared on the national tour of “Hairspray” as Edna Turnblad. 

A drag queen known for her tap-dancing skills and for her 1920s/’30s aesthetic, Toot recently joined the tour. 

On season 17 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” she won the title of “The Queen of She Done Already Done Had Herses.” 

For Toot, preparing for the national tour was similar in some ways to doing the show. 

“It did feel like getting ready for ‘Drag Race.’ You had to get nice looks together, prepare these numbers and get ready to leave home for a month or two,” Toot said. 

She said one of the biggest challenges can be staying organized on the road. The drag queens do have some help. 

“It’s an unbelievable amount of suitcases. We have an incredible crew that does a lot of the hard work for us…Every single dressing room, every backstage area is completely different. We don’t really know what we’re dealing with until we get there. Not only are we wearing drag costumes. I have this big backpack. Bosco’s in a martini glass,” Toot said. 

Toot said months of work went into getting ready for the show. 

“These are all brand new numbers and costumes that are meant to be performed in. So, it takes a lot of fittings,” Toot said. 

Coming from a theater background, Toot always dreamed of doing a national tour. Her favorite show has always been “Little Shop of Horrors.” 

“We’re in spaces that have national tours and Broadway shows, so it feels like I’m finally fulfilling that dream,” Toot said. 

In the show, the drag queens perform large-scale productions numbers with intricate choreography and backup dancers. 

“I’m a theater girl, so that’s my favorite part of doing all of this,” Toot said. 

Toot said that Bosco’s number is one of her favorites to watch each night. 

“Bosco does this act where her only prop is a single, long white satin sheet, and it’s just the most mesmerizing, incredible thing. I’m still obsessed with it,” Toot said. 

Toot said that as someone who is a fan of drag, she enjoys seeing the polished, conceptualized numbers that all of the drag queens bring to the stage. 

“To get to see it live is so exciting. I’ve been a fan of Shea Couleé forever, since her season. You watch her live in person, and she’s Beyonce. She is moving and dancing her entire second number. It’s incredible,” Toot said.  

Toot started watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in high school. 

“My friends put me on to it. I was a huge ‘Rocky Horror’ fan. I understood the concept, but to see it all. This was something I wanted to do so badly,” Toot said. 

Toot said during the live show, the drag queens are able to showcase skills for which they are known. 

“Lexi and I, we both won our talent shows on our season. I won with tap dancing, and Lexi won roller skating. Both of us are bringing a completely evolved, new version of that to the Christmas show this year,” Toot said. 

Toot has been able to do some live singing in the past as part of a one-woman show she did in Provincetown, Mass. With this production, she is also able to showcase her vocal abilities. 

“I’ve got a Britney microphone and everything. I’m really excited that people get to experience that side of Suzie Toot,” Toot said. 

Toot said her one-woman show meant a lot to her, and she hopes to get to do this type of cabaret-style drag in the future.  

Toot has also opened for Chappell Roan and appeared in the film “Big Easy Queens.” 

“I had some of the best memories of my life filming that movie. It was just so local and on-the-ground. It was exactly the kind of art that I love making. I would do that again in a heartbeat,” Toot said.  

Toot said on the tour, she has learned from other drag queens, including Couleé, West, Bosco and Methyd. 

“These girls have been doing what I’m doing for much longer. I’m getting to hear that perspective. Nina, I’ve learned so much from her. She’s just an incredible host. Getting to listen to how she talks to the audience is so informative, cool and inspiring. These are all girls that I look up to,” Toot said. 

Toot said that fans have been responsive to all of the performers. Backstage, they get a chance to interact with these viewers. 

Toot said often, fans will bring them handmade gifts. 

“I got a crocheted octopus that was styled after my octopus look from the show. I’m sitting right here next to a magazine that a bunch of fans came together and made with all their fan art and letters. I have this little book from hundreds of Tooters around the world,” Toot said. 

Toot said that every drag queen on the tour has their own fan group, and hers are often very distinctive. 

“We like to play a game at the meet and greet where we look at the fan that’s about to come, and we try to guess whose fan they are. Usually if they have some kind of brightly colored hair, we assume they’re a Tooter… I always encourage my fans to come out and dress up. I refer to myself as ‘the dry version of the Insane Clown Posse.’ You’ll see tons of people at my shows in white face paint, all clowned up,” Toot said. 

Toot said that her style has evolved recently, becoming more clown-inspired. 

“It started right before I left for ‘Drag Race.’ There were a couple of queens in my local scene that referred to my makeup as ‘clown makeup.’ I was very shocked by this. I had a gig with one of those girls, and I dressed as a literal clown. On the show, the pink clown look was so celebrated that it became a large part of my identity after that,” Toot said.  

‘A Drag Queen Christmas’
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12
WHERE: Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Boulevard, Tucson
COST: 18 and older, tickets start at $40.75 
INFO: dragfans.com