Thotyssey’s column “ThotLight” reviews and reports on the big events in NYC nightlife.
By Jeremy Grossman
“I don’t care if you guys are laughing with us or you’re laughing at us. If you come here once, you’re part of our family.”
This sense of “family” is what makes the trip to Boxers Washington Heights worth it every Saturday night, when Boyish Charm, Jubilee, Blue, and Roqué host their weekly “Oh Yes!” show.
A bit of background: the four queens all grew up in the Bronx, and met each other while competing in Drag Wars at Pieces. Rather than viewing each other as rivals, the queens realized they loved and understood each other – and thus “Oh Yes!” was born, now entering its fifth month.
“We all come from different walks of life and different backgrounds,” said Boyish Charm in an interview with Thotyssey. “It’s such a mismatch of people but we’ve become such good friends.”
On a chilly Saturday night, the four queens welcomed the crowd into their family…a chaotic, dysfunctional family, to be sure, but a family nonetheless!
The night after Valentine’s Day, all queens performed numbers inspired by heartache and breakups, tied to a theme of “Anti-Valentine’s Day.” In between numbers like “How to Be a Heartbreaker,” “Dancing On My Own”and “Bad Romance,” the queens told stories of their own romantic woes: like getting hit on by the creepy car repairman, or having a threesome with a couple…only to find out that the couple broke up immediately afterward.
“It may not be the most serious drag show in New York,” Boyish Charm said. But she’ll go on the record to say it is surely “the silliest, most foolish drag show in New York.”
And yet, there’s nothing silly or foolish about the bond that these performers have – something that Blue hasn’t forgotten since competing at Drag Wars.
“Being an AFAB queen, when I walked into the Drag Wars dressing room, Roqué came over to me and said ‘Mama, don’t worry about it, I got you,'” Blue said. “And I was like, ‘Werk.’ She just made everybody comfortable.” Blue added, “Everyone who comes here has become our friends. We know the regulars by their names.”
Boyish Charm says you can expect a “personal connection” in addition to the act. “We all grew up in the Bronx with a certain sense of humor and a certain lifestyle. The culture is so different than drag queens who are living in New York now but are musical theater people who moved from Ohio to come here and do theater, and drag is now just the thing that they’re doing.”
“Yeah, we’re going to make fun of the MTA!” Roqué added. “We’re going to make fun of all the shit that you know is going on in the city. You get a real motherfucking show.”
All videos by Jeremy Grossman.
Jeremy Grossman is a writer, content creator, drag fan, and new resident of Hell’s Kitchen! But you can typically find him hanging out in the West Village at Rockbar, or riding the PATH train to work in Jersey City. Follow Jeremy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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