Miss Bouvèé is the drag persona of Detroit, Michigan native Eric Swanson. Eric is a lifetime performer having toured for over a decade in various shows, cabaret acts like the Dynamic Duo, and national tours. Eric recently relocated to the Fort Lauderdale area and is wasting no time getting to work as a solo cabaret performer! OutClique sat down with Miss Bouvèé for our December 2020 issue.
OutClique: Tell us about you, Miss Minnie Bouvèé?
Miss Bouvèé: I am a New Orleans drag queen that sings LIVE, baby! No lip syncing here, love. Being from N’awlins, my nature is to entertain you! I love doing dinner and happy hour shows. It is NOLA culture to eat and drink, love, all while enjoying the sounds of music!
OCQ: What can people expect at your shows?
MB: Music with any type of show at my show! Whether it is trivia, bingo, or my all request dragaret, there will definitely be music. In almost all the types of shows I do, people can feel free to make a request. With trivia, I bring out really cool themes when I host like Schitt’s Creek, Sex and the City, or Broadway; they’re topics that teams can really get into! For bingo, it will certainly NOT be your old school bingo! There will be prizes, music, straight lines, not-so-straight lines, drinks, and fun! If it is my dragaret (drag + cabaret) titled “Booze with Bouvèé,” it will be all music and all requests. People can expect to hear Disney, pop, and Broadway!
OCQ: Can people sing at your shows?
MB: I always encourage people to sing along! I will certainly be welcoming some friends of mine as guest singers onto the stage though. The cabaret culture is so rich here in South Florida. How could I not share the stage with some of the best talent in the country?
OCQ: How did you get started?
MB: I grew up on the stage, baby! Miss Bouvèé found her heels this past March just before the pandemic shut downs. I had a run of my one woman show “An Evening with Miss Bouvèé” in Detroit, but my tour to San Francisco and month long run in Chicago was cut short. I hope to work with a theatre here in Fort Lauderdale to safely produce the one woman show again! In the quarantine, I started making music videos and broadcasting weekly via Facebook Live. That pushed me to play with my looks, expand my repertoire, and really helped me build my audience even more! And now, I use those videos as a part of my all request show!
OCQ: How has the global pandemic impacted you and your career?
MB: It has both helped and hurt me professionally. While I did use the time to learn new songs, build the brand, develop looks, and virtually broaden my horizons, several venues I have worked with before have now closed. Venues I was booked at in the fall of 2020 are struggling financially and have to pause all entertainment. Tourism is down and venues are struggling to afford hiring entertainment. Some venues, though, know that we, entertainers, may not always pull in a massive audience, but we keep them there! We keep them eating, drinking, and spending money in their venues. Thankfully several venues have also committed to keeping us, and the patrons, safe by wholeheartedly complying by the best known CDC safety practices.
OCQ: How does it feel to be back performing live?
MB: [Darn] good. I said what I said! I thought I was going to waste away there for a few weeks in the shutdown. That’s why I started broadcasting live on Facebook. I need to laugh with people. I need to sing for people. I love the thrill of a live show. I do think we will see only single and duo type shows for a while, though, until we can safely rehearse larger scaled shows without risk. Single performer shows seem to be finding, and leading, the way!
OCQ: What is your favorite food and drink?
MB: You can never go wrong with a gumbo. I mean it’s almost everything but the kitchen sink in a nice roux! When it comes to cocktails, I would say hurricane, but know thy audience! Florida, New Orleans plus a hurricane is not a great combo! So, I am afraid I have to say I am pretty basic; Tito’s and cran for me, baby!
OCQ: What is the most requested song? What is your favorite song to sing?
MB: I can’t believe I am going to disclose this but, “W.A.P.” over and over again! I will say, I will sing it if the tip is high enough. HA! But, without a doubt, my favorite song to sing by request right now is “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2, or I love me some “Alone” by Heart!
OCQ: Where can we catch one of your shows?
MB: That depends on your city sugar! I play in Key West at Alexander’s Guesthouse every Saturday, I call bingo at The Eagle Wilton Manors every Sunday, and I have special engagements all over in Naples, Melbourne, and other venues in Wilton Manors, like Matty’s! You can always check my Instagram (@MissBouvee) or my website (www.MissBouvee.com) for show and/or booking info!
