Night of the Living Drag & Madame Tussauds: A Halloween Spooktacular.
On October 29, Voss Events will once again present the ultimate in fabulous, frightful drag fantasy at Madame Tussauds Times Square, featuring “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 4’s Willam Belli. Guests will have free reign to visit all eight scary levels, including the museum’s latest exhibit, the Ghostbusters Experience. Belli will be hosting the costume contest, and DJs Hector Fonseca and Vito Fun will supply the music.
Then on Halloween night, Voss Events returns with the sixth-annual Night of the Living Drag, hosted by Shangela and featuring all the “RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race” season two personalities at Stage 48. Tickets for these events are available at VossEvents.com. For information, call 1-888-885-VOSS.
Get Out! was fortunate to be able to speak with mastermind Brandon Voss as well as Queen Shangela about the events and what to look forward to.
Brandon Voss
What kind of preparation goes into something like the Madame Tussauds event?
The museum is a lot. The “Drag Race” is easy, because I’ve been doing it for so long. With the wax museum, you have to build all the lights and sound, build the bars, get all the security. The place is humongous; you have eight floors. It’s a big undertaking, but it’s really fun. All the rides are open. You get drunk and go on the rides and wander through this giant museum.
Which do you like to do better?
From my perspective the “Drag Race” is easier, but from the customer’s perspective, the museum is really unique to see.
You are the biggest promoter around. How did that happen?
I call myself a creative agency, not a promoter.
I like that. So what prompted you to become a creative agent?
I kind of fell into it, to be honest with you. I used to be an investment banker. It was a totally different life. I worked at Lehman Brothers in the height of the financial crisis, and it collapsed obviously. I found myself without a job. At the time it was the height of the recession, and there weren’t many jobs in my field. A buddy of mine had just opened this restaurant/bar/lounge, and this was back in 2009 before Hell’s Kitchen was a gay place. When I was in graduate school, I worked in a lot of places like Splash and G Lounge, so I kind of knew people. So he suggested that I do a party, and I had nothing else to do, I was unemployed, so I did it, and it was called Rockit. It ran all the way up until they opened the new XL. We did that party for maybe five years. From there we opened Club 57, and eventually we opened up XL. So I started doing it as a hobby, and I made a lot of money doing it. About a year and a half ago we stopped doing clubs and stuff, and weekly parties. It’s just special events we produce [now].
Do you like Halloween?
I do. It’s actually my favorite holiday. I love New York City for Halloween. I think New York City does Halloween the best. New York City is the last place I want to be on New Year’s Eve, but I’m there for Halloween.
What can one expect walking into the museum?
You can expect to see a pretty big spectacle. We’re going to have over 2,000 people there, and on the first floor there are three different dance floors. There are different stages, people performing there. We decorate the whole place. We turn off all the lights to the Ghostbusters haunted house. There’s a lot going on.
Willam is hosting it?
Yeah, Willam is hosting the costume contest. One thing we are doing different this year, we are giving them a map when they come in. Bianca hosted last year, and they couldn’t find her. So this year we’re giving people a map so they can find everything.
How long is the party?
It goes from 10 p.m. to 4 in the morning. Madame Tussauds is on Saturday, October 29, and Night of the Living Drag is on Halloween. This is the sixth year that we’ve done this, Night of the Living Drag, and Shangela is hosting. Did you hear that she broke her leg?
No she did not!
She was doing Night if the Living Drag, and she did a death drop, broke her leg and was in the hospital for two months. So one year it was really scary!
So for Night of the Living Drag, you are going to have all of the “All Stars,” even the ones who quit?
Typically I do all the premier events and the finale events for Logo. They had a change over this year, so I didn’t do it for “All Stars,” and the season’s ending is a week before Halloween. So it worked out as a kind of finale for the show and a Halloween party. We have every single one, the whole cast.
Are you coming in costume?
Maybe for the “Drag Race.” Maybe I’ll do drag for my first time.
You’d make a pretty queen.
What do you mean I’d make a pretty queen? Is that a compliment or an insult?
A compliment, of course.
Anything else coming up for you? Any new projects?
There are two things coming up. Well, we have the drag brunch every Sunday at Hard Rock Cafe now. Starting in November we have a new project that’s kind of interesting. Did you ever see those buses call The Ride?
Yes, I have.
We’re going to create a gay ride virtually. It’s going to go from the bars in Hell’s Kitchen down to Stonewall, and there will be performances on the way. Actors on the street, and drag, and it will eventually come back to Hell’s Kitchen. It’s from 11 to 1 a.m. We’re calling it The Night Ride.
Shangela
So what will you be doing for this fabulous Halloween extravaganza?
I am hosting once again the Night of the Living Drag. Last year Willam and I co-hosted the show, and this year I’ll be taking the reigns and hosting the show myself. So I’m excited.
Well, you are a great host, and such a pretty boy.
Thank you.
What can the audience expect from you?
When you come to see Shangela, there will always be surprises, whether inside a box or outside. One thing I’m excited about this year is we are doing the entire “All Stars” cast. Honey, even the ones that quit come out for Halloween.
I’m supposed to ask you how you broke your leg.
Oh, well, a couple of years ago I was doing this event—this event and I have a wonderful, long history together—and about four years ago I was performing for the Halloween show in New York City and went out for a super death drop. I came down and broke my leg on stage. I still continued with the performance for at least another 45 seconds. I’m a dedicated professional. I bounced back, and we had such an awesome time last year.
How is “Cocktails and Classics” going?
Awesome. We just finished filming our fourth season, and I was so excited, because I did all 10 episodes. Michael Urie is fantastic, and there is a whole new line up of films that I am so so excited for you guys to see. I can’t let them out of the bag, but I’ll just say that I had a Shangie’s choice, so I can’t wait to tell you!
What are you performing for Halloween?
I’m going to do a fantastic opening number. You’ll see me all night, because I’ll be hosting the entire show. There’s no way you can get rid of Shangie.
Is there anything else that you want to promote for yourself?
I want to encourage everyone to check out the new film that I co-star in, “Hurricane Bianca.” I was very excited to see it for the first time at the premiere in New York. That was really awesome, and people are just giving me such great feedback online. It’s not only available in the U.S., but it’s also available all over the world.
What part do you play?
I play Bianca’s best friend in the film. It’s really well done, and the director is out of New York, but the producer, funny enough, is actually from my hometown, a small town in the northeast of Texas. So that was a funny connection that we had.
Anything else?
One awesome thing is that The House of Edwards, me, Alyssa and Laganja, are putting out a holiday album this season, right before Thanksgiving. The last thing is, I’m excited to get back on the road, traveling and performing. I just finished a six-month residency in Las Vegas. I did 120 shows this summer. I have wrapped that show up, and now I’m back visiting the U.S. and traveling all around the world.
Madame Tussauds Halloween
Saturday, October 29, 2016
11:00 PM
234 West 42nd Street New York, NY 10036
6th Annual Night of the Living Drag
Monday, October 31, 2016
9:00 PM
Stage 48
605 W. 48th Street
New York, New York 10036
For tickets and more information, visit: VossEvents.com
