February 17, 2024
Sunshine Cathedral Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets
By Denny Patterson
Dedicating her life to the friendly citizens and responsible merchants of her hometown of Richfield, Minnesota (“where butter is a spice and gravy is a beverage”), Miss Richfield 1981 is a drag legend.
This Midwestern maven is consistently captivating theater audiences through an interactive format that blends homespun warmth and edgy improv, resulting in her live performances receiving critical acclaim. In addition to selling out venues throughout the U.S., Miss Richfield is the best-selling act each summer in Provincetown, filling the Pilgrim House five nights a week. She also remains a headline attraction with Atlantis Events cruise ships and resorts.
On February 17, 2024, Miss Richfield will be coming to Sunshine Cathedral with her latest production, Bad Advice, where she unpacks a healthy heap of advice that promises to leave audiences entertained, and maybe a little annoyed.
She took some time to talk more about it with OutClique.
Denny Patterson: Miss Richfield, how excited are you to bring your show, Bad Advice, to South Florida’s Sunshine Cathedral?
Miss Richfield: Sunshine Cathedral is one of my very favorite places to perform, if not my all-time favorite. The facility is stunning, the seats are comfortable, the stage is beautiful, the projection is excellent, and the sound is exceptional. Everything about it makes it so much fun to perform there, and then adding to that, it’s such a great gay mecca for us. Wilton Manors is nearby, Oakland Park and all the other places around it, so the whole area is filled with LGBTQ+ folks. I live in the north, so I always look forward to heading south. Soak up some sunshine in the warm weather!
Denny Patterson: What can audiences expect with Bad Advice?
Miss Richfield: Well, it might be surprising because I don’t really offer bad advice to people. I talk a little bit about my own bad advice, but I don’t offer bad advice, so they don’t have to worry about getting bad advice, per se. In writing the show, one of the things I decided to talk about is drag and the crazy laws that are being passed. How I came to talk about it is because I have been invited several times by the people of Richfield to read to children at the Richfield Library, and I really enjoyed it. It was such a fun experience because not only did children attend, but parents and former classmates of mine. They enjoyed it as much as the kids. So, I was very disappointed when that became a flashpoint of the arguments against drag. Then I thought, some people are getting some bad advice here, so we need to talk about that. The audience and I play a game with that, which I think is super fun, so you learn something as well. I also have a fun video that features my mother, who has been gone now for a few years. This video is from a show that was almost 10 years ago, and it fits into Bad Advice so well. It has been such a joy to see my mom, and it’s kind of a highlight of the show for me. Feeling like she’s there with me.
Denny Patterson: Is there anything you ultimately hope audiences take away from this production?
Miss Richfield: Yes! I give some good advice at the end, and it’s nonpartisan. That’s what I hope they take with them, and I found the perfect song that goes with it. I couldn’t believe that a friend of mine, he’s actually my pianist in Minneapolis, and he said out of the blue, have you ever heard this song? It’s an old song from the late 60s, it was done in 1969, and he thought it would be a good Miss Richfield song. I was looking for a song for the show, and it was one of those times where the universe hands you something. You don’t expect it, it just happens. So, when people leave, they’ll leave on a high note with a great message.
Denny Patterson: While doing my research, I saw that Bad Advice has a lot of audience participation. Do you prefer to do shows where you can interact and mingle with the crowd?
Miss Richfield. I love doing that, and I started doing it years ago when I first started working. I MC’ed drag shows, so I would sort of be stuck out in front while the girls were getting ready and such. We’d take a break in the middle of the show or whatever, and I would have to sort of be the person that would talk to the audience. Like, what else are you going to do? I didn’t really have material at that time to do, I was just sort of MC’ing the show. Then when I started to do a stage act and I got out of the bars and did cabarets, it was sort of a natural thing for me to talk to people and break that fourth wall. I do think people enjoy it, and they truly do see something nobody else has seen because there’s never two that are exactly the same. You have a Rolodex in your head that you go through but they’re never exactly the same. We’re always talking to different people, and different people have different responses. Some people are very shy, while others are more outgoing. It’s fun.
Denny Patterson: Speaking of crowds, what’s on your schedule for P-Town this year?
Miss Richfield: Oh, I’m so excited! I’m writing my show right now as we speak, and I’ve got about 62 performances scheduled right now. I’m going to be at the Pilgrim House again, and the show is going to have an AI theme. It’s titled Phony Baloney, and the subtitle is about appreciating and understanding our new artificial world. So, it’s going to be her take on AI, and she won’t quite understand it. She thinks her toaster is getting smarter (laughs). It’s just silly stuff like that, but fun. I’m so looking forward to it.
Denny Patterson: What makes P-Town so special to you?
Miss Richfield: P-Town is one of the rare times you can say unique. We say unique a lot because we think something is different and unusual, but very few things are unique. Provincetown truly is one-of-a-kind. It’s the only place where people go on vacation and can go to, nowadays during high season, 18 shows a night. It’s such a fun place, and people plan to go to shows when they’re there. Of course there’s other places that have shows, like Fort Lauderdale, Palm Springs, and Key West, but none of them have the history of performance like P-Town does. I don’t know anywhere else in the world that is a gay mecca like that. This will be my 22nd season, and when I first started, there were maybe eight shows a night during high season, sometimes six shows. It’s really evolved. Now, there’s many, many more shows and venues. There’s just so much to do, and then to add to that, town halls, piano bars, and street performers. It is such a wonderful place. It can be expensive, and there are straight people there as well, but don’t let that deter you. P-Town is one of the only gay meccas where you can really hold your boyfriend’s hand anywhere in town. There isn’t just a gay section.
Denny Patterson: Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?
Miss Richfield: My schedule is a little less busy during February and March because I’m writing my show, but we are still doing our online Bingo Bonanza every other month. People still want to get online and play Bingo, which is fun. Then in April, that’s when things really pick up again and travel. So, just stay up-to-date with me and find out where I’ll be!
Stay up-to-date and connect with Miss Richfield by following her on Facebook and Instagram @MissRichfield1981, or visit her website, MissRichfield.com. For more information and to purchase tickets for Bad Advice, visit SunshineCatherdral.org.
