January 5, 2024
Sunshine Cathedral Center for the Performing Arts
www.SunshineCathedral.org
By Denny Patterson
It has now been a year since the outrageously entertaining drag legend Varla Jean Merman broke her kneecap and ruptured her quadricep tendon after slipping on a tic tac, but in that time, the daffy diva has worked hard to get back on her feet.
Unfortunately, with the recent wave of drag bans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, it seems that America is conspiring to once again knock Merman off her lucite heels, and she talks all about it in her new production, Stand By Your Drag, which will be performed at Sunshine Cathedral on January 5, 2024.
Merman took some time to give OutClique the inside scoop about taking a stand for life, liberty, and the pursuit of non-skid breath mint, as well as how the show’s concept came to fruition, her thoughts on why drag is being villainized, and her advice to younger queens.
Denny Patterson: Let me begin by asking, how excited are you to perform Stand By Your Drag at Sunshine Cathedral?
Varla Jean Merman: I’m very excited because the show was obviously spawned by Florida politics, and I haven’t done it here yet. Fort Lauderdale audiences are some of the best, so I’m excited to do it, and also to preach to the choir a little bit on what we’ve been going through with drag. Even though a federal judge has said twice now that it’s unconstitutional, it’s still going to appeal and eventually go to the Supreme Court. The fight is not over, so I want to keep it aware, and the show is also not just about drag. I had an accident last year, where I slipped on a tic tac. I had these fake pills, and I would throw them in a martini glass. It got messier and messier every night, and I remember coming on stage a couple of times slipping. If you step on a tic tac, it crushes, but if you’re running, they’re like marbles. I have a funny part in my show about Miss Richfield being responsible (laughs). So, I messed my leg up, and it took about a year to get back to normal. My show was originally going to be about survival. Survival after that accident and survival of being in the business for 35 years, but then the drag bans started to happen. Not just where I live in Florida, but also in Tennessee and Texas. So, I thought I could put this all together. Standing up myself, standing up for drag, and standing up for yourself against people’s comments and hate. Not only is this an attack on drag, but it’s an attack on our culture. No one can decide what our culture is.
Denny Patterson: What do you ultimately hope audiences take away from this production?
Varla Jean Merman: I just want to realize how silly the drag bans are, and they’re going to come for us on other things. The fact that they even picked up on drag, I think they were really aiming towards trans, but I think there’s way more drag queens than trans people. They’re so much more visible, whereas a lot of trans people aren’t. Drag queens want to be seen, so they took something that is so popular and tried to villainize it. Like, come on. Drag is about love, laughter, and fun. Yes, there’s a darker side of drag that’s edgy, and I love that too, but the whole point of Stand By Your Drag is to make people laugh. It is political as well, and there is a whole patriotic section that I do. Even though something’s not perfect, it’s still the best we have, and we’re so lucky to live here. I didn’t know if this section would work, but I tried it out in Palm Springs last April, and it definitely worked. So, even though our country is not perfect, we should still be proud of it.
Denny Patterson: Drag has always been a part of life and pop culture. Why do you think it has been so attacked and villainized over the last couple years?
Varla Jean Merman: I talk about this in the show, and I kind of compare it to the whole Disco Sucks movement. It was very racist and homophobic, and I think the general public just got tired of having it thrown in their faces. It wasn’t something they liked, and I think it made them gang up to try and get rid of it. I think the same thing is happening with drag. Drag has become so popular, and I think a lot of people don’t understand it, and the whole trying to link drag to pedophilia is just so ridiculous. It does not exist. It’s to deflect from real issues, and because it’s so popular, people are getting riled up. They know there’s no validity, but people responded. I think it was a device to get people upset and riled up behind something. I talk about all of this in the show, but when your own government is coming for your career, you need to speak out. The girls that travel all the time, they have it pretty good, but it’s the girls that have to make their career in Florida. They’re the ones dealing with the madness because this crazy legislation has caused people to say, we hate that. I now get comments on my feed that I never got before. I do a section in the show about supporting local queens because they are the ones who have to deal with this. It’s terrible.
Denny Patterson: There has been a lot of discourse over LGBTQ+ people boycotting Florida. Do you think this is a good idea?
Varla Jean Merman: This is what I say about that, and this drives me crazy. If your hand hurts, do you cut it off? No. You give it more attention, baby it, and bring it back. You don’t cut it off because then you don’t have a hand. Cut off Florida, then you don’t have Florida. Are we going to keep cutting until there’s nothing left? Florida is a beautiful place with so many amazing artists, drag performers, and gay people. The idea to boycott Florida is silly, and it drives me crazy when I hear that. I would say Florida in my shows, and people used to applaud. Now they hiss, and that’s so unfortunate. I love it here and I don’t want to live anywhere else. I am not going to move, and I encourage people to still visit Florida. We need you more than ever now. We need visibility, and we need to show that we’re not going to be a coward by leaving.
Denny Patterson: What message can you provide to those who want to try drag, but are too afraid to do so?
Varla Jean Merman: Bottom line, you just need to be safe. If you look at the movie To Wong Foo, what was that about? Three city drag queens who go to the country. Same with Priscilla. Those movies now, if they were reflective of what’s going on in society, they’d have a much different plot. We truly have regressed, but I say, stick with your sisters. Unfortunately, it is dangerous out there to be in drag right now. I do think people are crazy, and I hate to even say that. I used to film all my videos on the street, but I don’t think I would do that right now in Florida. Right now, you really have to protect yourself. Be smart about it, and be around people who are going to appreciate you in safe spaces.
Denny Patterson: What are some other future goals you hope to accomplish with your career and platform?
Varla Jean Merman: When I was younger, of course, I wanted to be the most famous drag queen in the world, and somebody beat me to that (laughs). I used to have so many goals of television and this and that, but I have to tell you, I love what I’m doing now. I love writing shows, getting cast in movies now and then, and I love my life just exactly how it is. Drag Race did change everything and it did for a lot of girls that I wanted for me, but I know I’ve inspired several, and I’m fortunate that I got to where I am because if you’re a young drag queen now and not on that show, people are like, why aren’t you on Drag Race? You must not be any good. Of course, it’s amazing that it’s made celebrities out of these girls and made drag so much more accessible, that mentality is terrible for the art form. I’m happy with doing all the work that comes to me and just creating. I’m my own boss and I’m pretty happy. This is what I always wanted to do, and I feel very blessed and fulfilled.
Denny Patterson: Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?
Varla Jean Merman: I am doing the Christmas show with Matthew Darren on December 3, 2023 at Sunshine Cathedral, and I’m touring all year with Stand By Your Drag. I take Christmas off, but I pick up again in January and travel everywhere. I missed a lot last year with my accident, so I’m kind of making up for lost time.
Stay up-to-date and connect with Merman by following her on Facebook and Instagram @VarlaJeanMerman, or visit her website, VarlaJean.com. Visit SunshineCathedral.org for more information and to purchase tickets for Stand By Your Drag.
