Emerging in an age of New York drag where performers were “raw and wild” counterculture warriors, dynamic dancer with a vintage flair Christopher Kenney aka Edie relocated to Vegas in 2004 to be a major figure of that city’s scene for decades. Now that the Vegas show has ended, Edie the Entertainer is free to bring her drag pizzazz to the rest of the world… including a return trip to NYC!
Thotyssey: Edie, hello! Thanks so much for chatting today, I know you are quite busy with your touring show! When you are not performing or preparing for a performance, what are you doing for fun or downtime these days?
Edie: Currently I’m obsessed with the Provincetown bike trails. I love the outdoors, hiking, biking, anything outside. I also love theater, and see as much as I can. So lucky here in Provincetown, as it’s packed with shows with my talented sisters.
You’re someone who tours a lot and visits different cities all over the world. Besides New York and Las Vegas, do you have any favorite towns to do a show in?
Provincetown for sure, though the competition is intense. You really need to be on your game. I also love performing in Puerto Vallarta and Portland, Oregon (my hometown)… so many cities and towns I love. Too many to list.
I was wondering if you can tell us a little about your early life in Oregon. What were your interests growing up as far as arts and entertainment go, and what ultimately brought you to New York?
I was so lucky to have parents that put all three of us kids in dance classes. I was eight, and instantly fell in love with dance. I couldn’t take enough classes. The dance school offered so many different styles of dance, and I tried them all. I loved them all; well mostly, lol. I studied ’til I got my first professional job at 18 with Ballet Oregon.
How did Edie the Entertainer get born?
Edie was born in Seattle when I was dancing with Pacific Northwest Ballet. All the boys in the ballet wanted to go out for Halloween, en masse, in drag. I was so scared for some reason. But with the help of friends and alcohol, I ended up having a blast… and also won Best Drag. $350 was the prize, and I used it to buy drinks for all my friends. My first Halloween in NYC is where I was offered my first job in drag, at Universal Grill. Little did I know the powerful force of this tiny little LGBTQ+ restaurant in the West Village.
Who were some of your early entertainment influences, from the drag world or beyond?
My earliest influences were dancers in movies: Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. The first drag queens were very impressionable: Misty Waters, Lady Elaine Peacock and Darcelle of the Portland, Oregon drag scene. I was 19 years old and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. For me it was the strength, the courage, and the rebellion that turned me on. Then when I got to NYC, it was all those things amplified. My era of NYC drag was the best–raw and wild.
You are well known for being the star entertainer at Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity” show at Las Vegas’ New York New York casino for a dozen years or so. The life of a Vegas showperson is unlike any other!
I was a part of the show for 13 years–over 5600 shows, 10 shows a week for 13 years really added up! Joey Arias, who created the Emcee role, left the show after four and a half years of doing it. Cirque did a nationwide search, narrowed it to the final eight and flew us to Las Vegas to audition on the stage. Totally intimidating. I was lucky enough to get the role!
What were the joys and challenges of Vegas living in general… was it hard to navigate vices like gambling and buffet dining, lol? And is the desert heat a drag hate crime?
I hated having to leave NYC, but for Cirque Du Soleil it was easy. I love the 310 days of sunshine a year, and was never temped to gamble. And there is nothing wrong with an occasional buffet.
The strip is a lot! We avoid the strip just like we avoided Time Square–only going when needed. But off the strip is very normal. We love the house we bought, a Very Vegas House. And we love the national parks all around us: Nature Overload. We are also not sure what’s next and how long we’ll be there. But we are still there, for now.
It was a very sad thing that “Zumanity” got cancelled during the Covid lockdown, after so many successful years.
It was shocking because they waited until eight months into Covid to tell us: November 16th, 2020. So for all that time we thought we were going back to work. It was a gut punch because they did it over a Zoom call. We also couldn’t then go out and look for jobs because shows weren’t open. That’s when we created “FAAABULOUS The Show!” which premiered Jan 2021.
Vita Summers, another ex-New York drag favorite, was in that one!
She was excellent! What a voice!
It’s a weird time for drag in general, thanks to the far right backlash… but also in the ways that RuPaul’s Drag Race has made the scene massively popular while also shaping people’s expectations of a drag show. What are your thoughts on “the state of drag today,” and what’s the secret to being a drag entertainer with longevity?
I suppose it’s like anything that’s around for a while; it’s going to be a rollercoaster ride with its ups and downs. It’s very tough now after sixteen or seventeen seasons of RuPaul cranking out queens that are TV famous. It’s a bit much for those of us that were before RPDR. I’ve never been a quitter and am fighting like hell to stay afloat. Sadly, that’s exactly what it feels like. But my passion is stronger, and will keep going for as long as possible. But if it did end today? Damn, I had a great run!
How might you describe the Edie Experience today, as far as your drag looks and the types of shows / numbers you like to do?
Edie is a 60’s go-go girl that loves to perform. I bring all my years of being a professional dancer, Broadway and Cirque Du Soleil, and so much more–all spun together to create Edie. I love cabaret shows which are one hour of singing and dancing, wiggling and giggling and lots of laughs. There are also costume changes, videos and a game show in the middle of my current show, Edie: Queen of the Desert.
What have been some of your experiences with, and connections to, The Laurie Beechman Theatre here in New York, which was recently facing closure but may be finding a second life thanks to a growing benefactory movement?
I just love this venue. I have performed there maybe three or four times. When I heard they were having troubles I called Chip and Ron [the creators of event / theater company Spin Cycle NYC which largely produces Beechman events] to please let me perform one last time. This room is the epitome of cabaret; I just adore it. The location is prime. I even got to meet Joan Rivers there. So special.
You’ll be bringing Edie: Queen of the Desert, your most recent stage show, to the Beechman on Thursday, September 19th (7pm)! What can you tell us about this show, and what folks can expect from it?
Here is my quick description: “Queen of the Desert will have audiences burning up from Edie’s tales of living in the hottest place on earth (but it’s a dry heat)! With her high-kicking, feverish choreography and steamy storytelling through song and dance, Edie turns up the heat with this red hot new show. Part tribute to the 30th anniversary queer cult classic film Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Edie takes us on a scorching journey out West to the barren badlands she now calls home.”
What else is coming up for you?
Touring. Lots of touring. I’m currently in Minnesota, then onto NYC. Then, Upstate New York, Milwaukee, Oregon, Washington, California, Florida, Puerto Vallarta, Cambodia and Vietnam and more.
Amazing! And finally: what is the most important / cherished item in your drag bag at the moment?
Funny, because this answer is easily different on any given day. Today it’s my new jazz shoes; I cant wait to get them in the show, but having the worst time getting them rubber soled. This is the tough part about touring. They say, “yes, that’ll take four weeks.” I’ll say, “I need them tomorrow!”
The struggle is real for the True Entertainer! Thanks, Edie!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Edie’s upcoming area appearances, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, and check out her website.
Thotyssey 
Absolutely love Edie thank you for this! Richard SkipperSent from my iPhone
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