Listening to “Finally” on my 90s Dance Hit Radio Station on iTunes the other day in my car, I thought to myself, “I’d like to see that drag number from Priscilla Queen of the Desert.” When I got home and checked the Wow Report, what was James doing on Transformations but being made over by Australia’s Courtney Act? So, I took it as a sign and furthered my thought process. What are the best drag performances on film? Not TV and not just acting, but DRAG NUMBERS. I left out some obvious ones like Paris is Burning and Travolta in Hairspray, so I could narrowed it down to just five (plus an Honorable Mention) Watch and see what you think. If I make any GLARING omissions, Tweet me @treynyc;
Runner Up: Connie & Carla, 2004; I mean it sorta doesn’t qualify, Connie and Carla are women playing drag queens in this mistaken identity caper. Victor Victoria is in the same category and, like Some Like It Hot, is a MUCH better film but there are no real drag numbers in Hot. C & C is funny and endearing and there are some cute numbers…
5. Wigstock, 1995, “Love”; There are lots of great performances, it’s hard to pick one… but this one by Leigh Bowery is LEGENDARY. All I’ll say is, it was the first baby born at Wigstock.
4. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 2001, “Angry Inch”. This rock-opera introduced a new level of ambiguity to the gender-bending paradigm. Forget about Neil Patrick Harris for now, Jon Cameron Mitchell just kills it here.
3. Priscilla Queen of the Desert, 1994, “Finally”: Who has THREE costume changes for one song? Well, the next entry has more but that but this the CLIMAX of the whole film and the big payoff –and it is really worth it. Terence Stamp is so awkward, he makes it great.
2. Outrageous, 1977, “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”- The drag genius Craig Russell is Carol Channing, Marlene Dietrich, Ethel Merman, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Bette Midler and Carol Channing again in this one number. How you could anyone be better than this, I don’t know?
1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975, “Sweet Transvestite”: The motherf*cker of all drag numbers committed to film. Tim Curry is STILL so brilliant, sexy, weird, seductive and genius I could watch this 100 times. You know at this point I might be getting close to that number…
The post Girls On Film: What Are The 5 Best Movie Drag Performances? appeared first on World of Wonder.