By Denny Patterson

When South Florida female impersonator Sharde’ L Ross takes the stage every Monday night at The Pub in Wilton Manors, audiences know they are in for one heck of an evening. Even more, she is sharing the stage with four other fabulous performers.

The Pub has long been a hub for live entertainment, and if you’re looking to attend a good old fashion drag show, then we suggest checking out Stilettos, a weekly two-hour dragstravaganza that has become a one-of-a-kind staple on The Drive. Ross joins Leila Cox, Candy Cox, Mercury Rising Cox, and Verandah Lanai at 8PM to bring a show that’s unpredictable, but full of classic entertainment and lip syncs. Stilettos has a loyal following, but newcomers are always welcome. 

Each performer showcases their own style and talent, and OutClique caught up with Ross to talk about what we can expect from her. 

Denny Patterson: Thank you for taking some time to chat with me, Sharde’! Can you begin by telling us more about who Sharde’ L Ross is and what she’s all about?

Sharde’ L Ross: Sharde’ is a very classy female impersonator and always professional. I try to be on time and on point because I’m very customer service driven. In my daily life, my day job, I work with the public a lot, so customer service is a very big thing for me. There are certain girls that you see in the circuit, and every time you see them, you’re guaranteed a great show. You go to them because you’re guaranteed a great show. Because of that, I said to myself, why can’t I be one of those individuals? Why can’t I be the girl where it’s like, oh, Sharde’ is in the show? Let’s go because we know she’s going to give us her best. That’s what I based my entire career on. I’ve always been about keeping it real, and because I am a mature entertainer now, I’m trying not to age out. I’m a very current driven entertainer, but still, my slogan for my life right now is “stay in my lane.”

DP: When did you join Stilettos?

SLR: I joined Stilettos about four and a half years ago.

DP: Why did you want to be involved with this production?

SLR: I actually began guesting with them because they already had a full cast. Candy would ask me to be her guest one week out of the month, so I pretty much had a stable position with the girls. I mentored most of them when they started doing drag, so I was kind of like their big sister. When a position to host became available, they approached me and asked if I would like to join since I have pretty much been there since its inception. 

DP: How would you say Stilettos is different from other neighborhood drag shows?

SLR: We are classic drag and we take people back to their younger days. We have a certain age following. We don’t cater to the young kids. If you asked me what they are listening to on the radio now, I couldn’t tell you. I think most of the people that come to our shows grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. When my sisters were in college, they would come home and teach me these new college dances that the kids were doing. I would go to school and be like, this is what my sisters are doing in college! So, I was always an entertainer, ever since I was a little kid, but Stilettos is focused on nostalgia. We advertise it as classic drag so when people come in the door, they know what kind of music to expect. And we encourage the audience to sing along!

DP: What kind of impact has Stilettos personally made on you, as well as your drag career?

SLR: It’s kept me current, and it’s kept me wanting to evolve with my makeup. I’ve been watching all these tutorials because these young girls are coming out with these new techniques but staying current in the business is my most important goal. As I mentioned, I am one of the senior members.

DP: When did you discover your love and passion for drag?

SLR: Since 1988, and I started during Halloween, like most kids did. We were in college, and we borrowed our girlfriends’ majorette outfits, and we were the frontline girls in a marching band with batons and all that. I had so much fun, so I decided to do it again!

DP: How does Sharde’ L Ross stand out from the several other South Florida female impersonators and drag artists?

SLR: Everybody knows they’re going to get what they paid for, and maybe a little extra (laughs). I’m going to be entertaining, friendly, and approachable. I’m the same person all the time. My personality never changes. There’s no reason. So, what you got yesterday, you’re going to get tomorrow and the day after. 

DP: Can you talk more about how Stilettos changes each week?

SLR: There are five Stilettos cast members. We each take a week out of the month to host, and we invite our own guest stars. Sometimes two, sometimes three individuals join our cast, and we all showcase our own talents. We stand out for the right reasons, and we all share in the success and failures that come along with entertaining. 

DP: What do you enjoy the most about working with the other girls?

SLR: Spending time together backstage. We all have each other’s back, and we’re always watching out for each other. We call each other when we get home at night to say, I made it home safely. Nobody else does that. It’s a sisterhood, but it’s almost like a sorority. 

DP: What is your go-to song to perform?

SLR: For my legacy, it’s Diana Ross. For a crowd pleaser, it’s Whitney Houston. You can’t go wrong with a Whitney song!

DP: What are some future goals you hope Stilettos achieves in the next few years?

SLR: First of all, we are on the Drive, and there are so many other entertainment opportunities every night, including Mondays. What I hope for the show is that we keep evolving and changing. Not so much the music, but our attitudes and how we present ourselves to our audiences to keep them wanting to come back. Because we work so much, it can become stagnant at times. You can get complacent, and I hope that we don’t do that. I hope people see the effort that we put into our entertainment for them. It’s just not a drag show for us. It’s a chance to entertain, make somebody smile, and take them out of their day. We want them to call their girlfriends and say, I’m at the Pub, come on over!